Progressive mare doing top Haunui family proud

[Wandering Eyes]

Haunui Farm’s strong run of form has continued with Grande Gallo their latest graduate to stamp her credentials as a stakes winner in waiting.

High-class three-year-old Linebacker has led the recent charge with the son of Super Seth claiming top honours in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m).

Bred by GSA Bloodstock, he was purchased out of Haunui’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $160,000 by co-trainer John O’Shea and Suman Hedge Bloodstock.

The Karaka nursery also co-bred and races the last-start Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Final (1400m) winner Francee, a daughter of Iffraaj in Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson’s stable.

And now, homebred Grande Gallo has continued the Haunui roll with a successful open class debut at Tauranga on Saturday.

The powerful four-year-old by Belardo owns the tidy record of five wins from 12 starts for the Wexford Stables training combination of Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott.

“Medrano was a lovely, big mare and a good type and that’s what Grande Gallo was, a very strong yearling,” Haunui Managing Director Mark Chitty said.

“She made $85,000 during the second session at Karaka and for a filly to make that, she had to be a pretty good type.”

The Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) on June 21 now looms as a potential target race for Grande Gallo.

“She’s proving to be a more than handy mare who loves Tauranga (three wins) so it would be nice to see her get some black type,” Chitty said.

“She’s from our foundation family and Wexford have placed her really well.

“She goes back to Foxona, a Foxbridge mare my grandparents purchased back in the 1950s off Trelawney.”

Grande Gallo is out of the General Nediym mare Medrano, whose half-sister Dopff won eight races including the Gr.2 Bluebird Foods Trophy (1600m).

They represent a celebrated family of Group winners including Valpolicella and her offspring Vavasour, Catalonia-Vilanova and Celebrity Dream, Zourion, Pearl Of Alsace, Positivity, Pussy Willow and Saracino.

“We sold On The Rise (Medrano’s dam) and then we bought Medrano back (for $25,000 at a Karaka May Sale),” Chitty said.

“We had partners in her and then we later bought them out.”

She produced six winners and among them Grande Gallo’s sister Fonsalette who was a multiple Group-placed two-year-old.

Medrano has since been sold but Haunui are continuing to breed from her winning Commands daughter St Gallen.

“The family continues to produce nice horses, which is all you can hope for, and St Gallen is in foal to Almanzor and we sold her Ribchester filly ($25,000) to Ian Middleton’s Exempt Bloodstock this year,” Chitty said.

Exempt are also part-owners of U S Navy Flag filly War Princess who maintained her unbeaten record with victory at Wanganui on Saturday to set the Peter Didham-trained youngster on a path to the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

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