It’s getting crowded at the top of the champion Australian Sires list with the two heavyweights I Am Invincible and Snitzel currently holding at bay the young guns Pierro and Rubick.
Both I Am Invincible and Snitzel have two top-class chances in Saturday’s $1.5 million Neds Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
I Am Invincible is represented by the magnificent looking colt Rulership and the filly Muntaseera while Snitzel has the Magic Millions winner Away Game and the undefeated filly Letzbeglam.
We will stick with Away Game who descends from a family nurtured by the late Robert Sangster’s Swettenham Stud.
Away Game’s great granddam Freedom Fields was bred and raced by Sangster and trained by a young David Hayes, then in his second season in charge of Lindsay Park.
Described by the legendary Colin Hayes as a lengthy, beautiful filly, the daughter of Bluebird (USA) won her first two starts in the 1991 Listed Gwynn Nursery and 1992 Group III VRC Blue Diamond Prelude. Sadly, she did not win again.
Even back in her formative days, Freedom Fields was considered a potential Oaks filly and she missed the Blue Diamond in favour of the Group II Bloodhorse Breeders' Plate and Listed Gibson-Carmichael Stakes where she ran fourth and second respectively. Freedom Fields rounded out her juvenile year with a meritorious fifth in the Group 1 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes won by the juvenile Triple Crown champion Burst.
The three-year-old season for Freedom Fields was a non-event. She clearly did not stay and connections may have put too much faith in her dam Lady Liberty (Noble Bijou) who clearly did stay, winning the Group 1 SAJC South Australian Oaks and Group III AJC Adrian Knox Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 AJC Oaks.
Lady Liberty had just two named foals in Australia before she was exported by Swettenham Stud to Europe.
Before we get back to her two Australian foals, Freedom Fields and Portrait Collector, we can report that Lady Liberty was quite productive north of the equator.
She is the dam of the French Listed stakes-winner Adopted Hero (Sadler’s Wells) as well as the class Equal Rights who sadly did not survive past his two-year-old career.
The son of Royal Academy (USA) was second to the top-class Bahhare at his career debut at Newmarket before strolling home by 12 lengths when breaking his maiden at Ayr. He was then third in the Group III Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before capturing the Group III Futurity Stakes at the Curragh. In what turned out to be his final start, Equal Rights finished a close-up fourth in the Group II Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot won by the future Epson Derby hero Benny The Dip.
The cross with Royal Academy (USA) seemed to work as Lady Liberty is also the dam of Taking Liberties (IRE) who finished midfield in her only start at Newbury but is the dam of the stakes-winners Roman Legend and Troubadour.
Back to Lady Liberty’s Australian foals Portrait Collector and Freedom Fields.
Portrait Collector is the dam of the multiple stakes-winner Transporter (Commands) while the best of Freedom Fields four winners was the stakes-placed Liberty Hall (Zabeel) who was sold by Robert Sangster for $200,000 at the 1998 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Sangster approached the winning bidder Dato Tan Nim Chan to see if he would like to sell a third share back. The deal was done and Liberty Hall was a three-time winner and placed in the Group 1 AJC Spring Champion Stakes and Listed City Tattersalls Gold Cup.
However, the line is flourishing through Freedom Fields unraced daughter Cherry Garden.
The daughter of Sir Tristram is the dam of SAJC Lindsay Park Guineas winner Liberty Rose (Royal Academy, again) who is the dam of Listed winner Grand Jardin (Redoute’s Choice) and stakes-placed Pontiana (Redoute’s Choice) who is the dam of the Group 1 ATC Randwick Guineas winner Inference (So You Think) and leading New Zealand Derby contender Dragons Leap (Pierro).
Another of Cherry Garden’s foals is the Grand Lodge mare Cherry Lodge who is the dam of two stakes-winners including the Group III BRC Glenlogan Park Stakes winner Kanzan (Commands) who, in turn, is the dam of Godolphin’s dual Group III winner Ranier (Lonhro).
Cherry Garden’s sister Abbotswood is fast rivalling the success of her sister.
Abbotswood failed to strike a blow in four starts on the track but all five of her foals to reach the track are winners led by the Listed winner Tantra (Royal Academy, again), the stakes-placed Elusive Wonder (Elusive Quality) and the Fasliyev mare Dawnie Dancer who is the dam of the Listed winner Oak Park (More Than Ready).
Consigned by Swettenham Stud to the 2007 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Elusive Wonder was a $210,000 yearling purchase by Mark Pilkington Bloodstock. In a career restricted to six starts, she won on debut at Caulfield and finished third in the Listed MRC Chairman’s Stakes, a race in which her close relation Grand Jardin was second.
Two years later Elusive Wonder was back in the ring at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where she was purchased out of the Yarraman Park draft by Hancock Quality Bloodstock for $140,000.
She went to that stakes producing factory at Mill Park Stud and was covered by the best around including three times to Snitzel.
Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock stepped in to purchase Elusive Wonder in a private transaction on behalf of Chris and Jane Barham and Segenhoe Stud’s Peter O’Brien who sold Elusive Wonder’s Not A Single Doubt filly for $580,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale in January.
On October 10 last year, Elusive Wonder foaled a filly by the Barham’s international champion Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) and is back in foal to him.
After having a colt in her first season at stud, Elusive Wonder has now had eight consecutive fillies.
All three of her foals by Snitzel are winners highlighted by Modern Wonder and of course Away Game.
Modern Wonder was the winner of the 2016 Listed SAJC Dequetteville Stakes and was placed in the Group III MVRC Typhoon Tracy Stakes and Group III MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes.
A $425,000 purchase by Kerri Radcliffe Bloodstock out of the Mill Park draft at the 2019 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Away Game finished a luckless fourth in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes at Sandown at her career debut behind the ruling Blue Diamond favourite Hanseatic.
After leading early, it looked as if her back legs went from under her at the turn and she became unbalanced and did well to rally to finish less than two lengths from the winner.
She was sent off favourite in the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes at Doomben a month later. After racing on the outside of the leader she drew off to win by two and a quarter lengths.
Next stop was the Magic Millions 2yo Classic where she was caught wide without cover before powering home to win by one and three-quarter lengths from the high-class Sister Pauline.
Away Game then led home a Snitzel trifecta in the Group III Widden Stakes at Randwick on February 1. If there is a knock, that race was run in rather pedestrian time and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained filly has been up a long time.
Cannot wait for Saturday’s race in which Godolphin’s undefeated Street Boss colt Hanseatic has been installed a short-priced favourite over the horse he beat at his most recent start, the $900,000 I Am Invincible colt Rulership. Snitzel’s $280,000 daughter Letzbeglam, who is out to provide some joy for Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay, is the only other runner in single figures.
