Strawbridge Influence in HKIR Runners

[Wandering Eyes]

It isn’t likely that George Strawbridge, Jr. will be anywhere near Sha Tin Racecourse when the Longines Hong Kong International Races take place Dec. 9, but his worldwide breeding operation will be represented by a couple of prominent runners in two of the afternoon’s seven-figure events.

Beauty Generation (NZ) will be one of the day’s bankers in the eyes of many in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile and his sire Road to Rock (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) descends from a family under the second dam that was nurtured by Strawbridge. Winner of the G1 Lexus Queen Elizabeth S. (2000m) when under the care of Anthony Cummings–who ironically conditioned Beauty Generation to a runner-up effort in the G1 Rosehill Guineas prior to his export to Hong Kong–the A$1.2-million earner Road to Rock is out of Trewornan (GB) (Midyan), a maiden winner at second asking in England for David Elsworth and later trained by John Dunlop.

A 32,000gns Tattersalls October yearling purchase by Charlie Gordon-Watson, Trewornan was a full-sister to Central City (GB), a Group 3 winner in France who was acquired by Strawbridge when the racing empire of the prodigious owner Tony Budge came to a crashing halt in late 1992. Transferred to Strawbridge’s main U.S. trainer, Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, Central City was stakes placed in seven starts before joining the Augustin broodmare band in early 1994. She produced four winners from as many to race for Strawbridge, including Petronilla, stakes-placed in France for Jonathan Pease, and the popular American stayer Rochester (Green Dancer), whose career included 11 wins on the flat–three at the graded level–and a pair over jumps over the course of nine seasons for earnings in excess of $1.2 million.

With Fervour (Dayjur) is the dam of reigning G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint hero Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who will race second-up and may well go favoured in defence of his title next Sunday.

A May foal, With Fervour is a daughter of 1985 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Fran’s Valentine (Relaunch), who was acquired by Strawbridge after she was led out unsold on a bid of $290,000 at the 1992 Barretts Mixed Sale. She was offered in foal to Dayjur as part of the dispersal of owner Earl Scheib. The first two homebred foals out of Fran’s Valentine became stakes horses; With Fervour’s older full-sister With Fascination was a Group 3 winner and twice Group 1-placed in France, while With Fire (Gulch), foaled in 1994, was Group 3-placed in France. With Anticipation (Relaunch) became Fran’s Valentine’s most prolific runner while under Sheppard’s care, with 15 wins from his 48 career appearances, five at Grade I level, including the GI Sword Dancer Invitational H. and the GI Man O’War S. in both 2001 and 2002. The popular gray also annexed the GI United Nations S. and was second to High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) in the 2002 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Arlington Park. He retired with earnings in excess of $2.66 million.

With Fervour, who was bought back on a bid of $160,000 out of the Derry Meeting Farm draft at the 1998 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, was winless in her 11 career starts for Strawbridge and was purchased by Australia-based John Foote Bloodstock for 65,000gns in foal to Diktat (GB) at Tattersalls December in 2003. Having produced two minor winners from her first four to race Down Under, she was sold for just A$6,000 in foal to Purrealist (Aus) at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale in 2013. Two months later, Mr Stunning fetched A$110,000 as a weanling at the Inglis Great Southern Sale before maturing into an NZ$250,000 NZB Premier Yearling the following January.

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