Windsor graduates on winning roll

[Wandering Eyes]

Top quality mare Mustang Valley (NZ) (Vanbrugh) spearheaded a lucrative and satisfying stellar Saturday for Windsor Park Stud.

The dominant Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) winner was bred by the Cambridge nursery, who remain in the ownership group of the daughter of resident stallion Vanbrugh.

Riccarton success stories Trobriand (Kermadec), Redemption (NZ) (Charm Spirit) and It’s Business Time (NZ) (Turn Me Loose) are also Windsor Park graduates with the farm’s silks carried by the latter, who has now been victorious in five of her eight appearances.

“You have to pinch yourself sometimes, it was a great day and they don’t come along very often,” Windsor Park General Manager Steve Till said.

Firmly on target to defend her Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) title on Saturday week, the Andrew Forsman-trained Mustang Valley is from the first crop of the Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) winner Vanbrugh.

“In Vanbrugh’s case, when Mustang Valley came out last season and won the Livamol it showed he can get a Group One performer and then Wild Night won the Sarten (Gr.2, 1400m) and Sheez Dominant won the Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1340m),” Till said.

“He didn’t get the numbers the year he went to stud, there were 13 or 14 other stallions who went to stud the same year.

“Last season, getting Mustang Valley and the other two he ended up serving over 100 mares as a result.

“This season, Mustang Valley has again franked her form with another Group One, and getting a big horse obviously helps.

“Vanbrugh has shown he can do it and he’s done it from limited numbers to date, and we should have more good ones flowing through.”

Mustang Valley is the first foal of Australian-bred New Approach mare Cream Of The Crop who is from the family of premier stud graduate, two-time Australian Horse of the Year and multiple Group One winner Might And Power (NZ) (Zabeel).

“She has an unraced three-year-old daughter of Charm Spirit named Crème de la Creme who has been retained by Windsor Park and she’s been served by Vanbrugh,” Till said.

Cream Of The Crop also has a yearling filly by Hello Youmzain and is due to foal to Savabeel.

“Rodney (Schick) bought the mare at the Magic Millions Sale, she was on the list and he got her for A$5000 and we had a bit more money for her,” Till said.

“It was great to get back into that family, obviously we have a strong connection to the family.”

Kermadec’s son Trobriand, now the equal third favourite at $8 for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), is out of the Lonhro mare Arboreal who was also purchased at the Magic Millions for A$40,000.

“Arboreal was bought in foal to Kermadec and was served last season by Armory and will be going to Profondo,” Till said.

Trobriand was a $260,000 Karaka purchase for Te Akau’s David Ellis and has won four of his eight starts, including last season’s Gr.2 Eclipse Stakes (1200m) for trainer Mark Walker.

Stablemate It’s Business Time is now the current $4 favourite for the Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) and is a daughter of the Volksraad mare Risque Business (NZ).

“She is a really smart mare and got injured as a three-year-old. She’s a big mare and the time hasn’t done her any harm,” Till said.

Risque Business has a Circus Maximus filly heading to Karaka next year and is in foal again to the three-time Group One winner.

The Ken Rae and Krystal Williams-prepared juvenile winner Redemption is by former stud resident Charm Spirit out of the Stravinsky mare Next Century (NZ), whose first foal Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad) was a multiple stakes winner and third in the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1200m). Next Century has foaled a Circus Maximus filly and will be going to Windsor Park newcomer and Gr.1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) winner Profondo (Deep Impact).

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