Trans-Tasman treble to Huddy family

The Huddys bred and sold Media Sensation for $425,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Premier yearling sale, they bought and race Most Important and they bred and race I’m A Princess.

Originally based in Mt Isa, the Huddys sold their earth moving operation in 2008 and, in 2014, shifted to a property north of Brisbane – Peachester Lodge – where they now base their racing and breeding enterprise.

The Huddy family achieved national prominence through their outstanding galloper Shoot Out whose five Group 1 wins included the AJC Derby at Randwick and earnings of more than $3.2 million – a massive return on the $15,000 price tag paid by Linda Huddy at the 2008 Magic Millions yearling sale on the Gold Coast.

Shoot Out is by High Chaparral (Ire) from the winning Pentire (GB) mare Pentamerous (NZ). Now it’s the turn of his home-bred full sister 5YO mare I’m A Princess to earn black type status and extend her race record to five wins and three placings from 11 starts for trainer Tony McEvoy. Pentamerous also has a third stakes winner to her credit – Group 3 West Australian Oaks winner Cassandara Shadow (by Johannesburg (USA) who has now joined her dam as a broodmare at the Huddys’ Peachester Lodge on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Aushorse webnews reports Shoot Out was bred in Queensland by Neville Stewart and the Huddys subsequently managed to secure Pentamerous, along with two Ferocity daughters. One of the fillies, Silver Tiara, has since produced Morphettville Guineas winner Silvera (also by High Chaparral) and is now among 20 broodmares on the Huddy books.

SHOULD racing bonuses be included in official prize money statistics? It’s a most important question for the Huddy family who race the Listed Keith Noud winner Most Important.

Officially the Keith Noud win at Doomben took Most Important’s earnings just past $966,000 placing him  the brink of being a millionaire earner. But to the Huddys he’s already a millionaire with more than $1.4 million earned having banked a $500,000 bonus for winning the Racing Queensland and UBet sponsored Summer Crown Bonus of the Group 3 George Moore Stakes, Listed Lough Neagh Stakes and Buffering Quality in December 2016.

Now a 6YO gelding, Most Important is a second crop son of boom sire I Am Invincible. His tally of Group 1 winners went to six when Australian-bred filly won Media Sensation won the 1600m New Zealand One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton, Christchurch and his total stakes winners jumped to 38 when 2YO filly Steal My Kisses won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes at Sandown. 

Hailing from the Huddys High Chaparral mare, Different To – a half-sister to 2006 NZ 1000 Guineas winner, Dorabella – Media Sensation also has the Group 3 Soliloquy  Stakes among her five wins from just six starts in New Zealand.

A $260,000 yearling at the 2014 Magic Millions yearling sale, Most Important is one of six winners produced from the Stravinsky (USA) mare Orange Marmalade (NZ) – a lightly raced daughter of  New Zealand stakes winner Majestic Angel and a half-sister to two stakes winners.

MEA culpa is Latin for my fault. In my tribute column to Basil Nolan Jnr last week ‘Basil ticked all the boxes’ I concluded by offering sincere sympathy to his wife Nicola and their four children, parents Basil Snr and Diane, brother Tim and sister in law Celie and all members of the wider Nolan family.

Regrettably, I omitted the names of Basil’s four sisters – Jane Berge, Sally Conn, Teresa Henry and Majella Nolan who all had integral roles at Basil’s funeral in Warwick last Thursday – and I seek their forgiveness.

I was among the massive throng of mourners who listened as Basil’s best mate Wayne Carey delivered powerful words of remembrance and Basil’s sister Sally read a moving letter to Basil written by his wife Nicola.

Wayne recounted that after completing his secondary education at Nudgee College Basil had the idea of becoming a teacher and enrolled at the Australian Catholic College. “But it only lasted a few months. His passion was for horses and racing and he ended up doing a stint of 12 months with trainer John Hawkes in Sydney furthering his knowledge. He really enjoyed that time – he idolised that stable. After that he came home to Raheen,” Wayne said.

In a final moving tribute, members of the Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland Association formed a guard of honour as Basil’s coffin let the church. Earlier the coffin was decorated with symbols by Basil’s children James (racing colours), Basil (Nudgee jersey), Lily (family photo) and William (farm hat) while the final symbol was a yearling catalogue placed by Basil’s father Basil Nolan Snr.

THE final qualifying race in the Country Cups Challenge – the 1640m Roma Cup – has been won by Toowoomba-based galloper Atouchmore.

A $6000 buy at the 2015 Magic Millions National Yearling sale and then on-sold for $12,500 to Toowoomba-based The Last Stride syndicates at the 2015 Magic Millions 2YO in training sale, the 5YO gelding trained by Matt Kropp now has eight wins and 12 placings from 30 starts giving him a credible 66 percent win/place ratio.

It was the second Roma Cup win for Kropp who also won the race in 2016 with Spice Of Life (G Power Of Destiny/Bay Leaf).

A son of Group 1 Champagne Stakes winner Onemorenomore, Atouchmore is one of four winners produced from the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Ausvall. She, in turn, is a half-sister to Australian Racehorse of the Year Typhoon Tracy – both being daughters of multiple South African Group 1 winner Tracy’s Element.

WONDAI trainer Lindsay Anderson and his horse, Clouds, are in the box seat to claim the 2018 Burnett To Beach bonuses with just two heats remaining in the accumulative points series.

The series, developed by the South East region race clubs, is a group of races with above standard prize money that weaves its way through the Burnett region out to Bundaberg, before finishing at Nanango in December.

Racing Queensland webnews reports Anderson and Clouds sit in the lead on 6 points after winning consecutive heats at Wondai (October 20) and Bundaberg (November 6). However, they may need to produce similar efforts in the final two legs scheduled for Gympie (Saturday, November 24) and Nanango (December 2), with nearest rivals David Reynolds and his horse Patche Gift nipping at their heels.

The top prizes will be highly sought-after, with a $5000 bonus going to the series-leading trainer, $3000 to the owners of the leading horse and $2000 for the leading jockey. The jockeys’ contest remains relatively open, with South Burnett local Hannah English (6 points) holding down a slender lead over Robert Faehr (5 points) and Leanne McCoy (5 points).

AQUIS Farm has joined forces with successful Queensland breeding operation Glenlogan Park to secure recent Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) winner Brave Smash  (Tosen Phantom/Tosen Smash) to join its ever-growing stallion roster at Canungra.

The in-form 5YO Darren Weir trained sprinter, who also won the Group 1 Futurity Stakes earlier this year, has amassed more than $3.3 million in prize money. Aquis Farm CEO Shane McGrath said he was delighted to have secured the horse during a momentous week for the organisation having won the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) and placed third in Group 1 LKS Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) with Extra Brut and the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) with Sunlight.

"He’s a genuine top class racehorse and multiple Group 1 winner of the Manikato and Futurity Stakes. He’s beaten the best sprinters in the land in his Group 1 wins, and only went down a small margin when second in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap. He is such a tough, consistent horse. He’s won in Japan as a 2YO and has consistently raced against, and beaten the best horses going around in Australia," McGrath said.