NEWS (2008)

15/12/08

MY ROCK SCORES FOR ROCK OF CASHEL

Rock Of Cashel produced his second winner when first starter My Rock (Rock Of Cashel x Myban Girl(NZ)) scored at the Gold Coast on Saturday.  The three year old filly even surprised her trainer John Wallace when she was first past the post by half a length.

"I've always had an opinion of this filly but with the soft track and jumping from the outside barrier over the 1000m with the rail out, I thought I was setting her a bit of a task," said Wallace.

"We really only decided to go around as she needed to have a run.  With the wet tracks she had missed a trial and the only reason we decided to run her was because she has to start somewhere, she's not going to get fit in her box."

My Rock becomes the second winner for the Willowbend stallion, who is also owned by the Morton family.  John Wallace and the Morton's had previously combined to give Rock Of Cashel his first winner when the Morton owned and bred Meet George won at Doomben earlier in the year.

"I think this filly has a bit of a future," said Wallace.

"She is a half sister to Brief Me and I think that the further she goes the better she will get.  I'll nominate her for the Class One Fillies and Mares race over 1200m at the Coast Saturday week and then as she gets a bit further I'll probably take her to town for one of those three year old races."

 
08/12/08

SUMMERS SERIES IN SIGHT FOR FRIENDLY EMBRACE

Willowbend's Clang notched another Black Type winner in his belt when Friendly Embrace (Clang x Friendly Miss) charged home to score by half a length in the George Moore Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.  Not favoured by bookies or punters in the ring, the 6yo was sent out a $16 chance from the equally unfavourable barrier of 11.  Jockey Kenji Yoshida rode the seven year old quietly and settled him  and the rear of the field, three deep with cover, enabling him       Friendly Embrace charges home to score by half a length (Courtesy Trackside Photography)

to peel out in the home straight to pounce on the leaders in the final 100m.  The win is the first Black Type win for both horse and trainer Wayne Nugent, with Friendly Embrace's record now standing at 11 wins, two seconds and four thirds from 28 starts amassing a very creditable $310,750 in prizemoney.  He has now one at Doomben over the 1200m on three occasions and tends to have a real liking for the lush Doomben surface.  Nugent will now push on with the gelding to the remaining Doomben Summer Series races being the City Pacific Finance Doomben Stakes over 1350m on December 20th and the City Pacific Finance Bernborough Handicap on the 27th of December over 1615m.

Part owner and breeder Ken Larkin was on hand to witness the biggest win he has had as an owner and was overwhelmed with emotion after the courageous win.  He also had something else to smile about  this morning after Willowbend studmaster, David Lucas, confirmed that dam, Friendly Miss, had a 45 day positive test to Clang, giving connections the opportunity to race or sell a full brother or sister in the coming years from a now black type family.

15/11/08

HEY ELVIS DOES IT AGAIN

The winning continued for Hey Elvis at Eagle Farm today when he made it two wins from as many starts, taking out the Xerox Class Six Plate (1400m) in commanding style.  The lightly raced four year old went head for head down the straight with this year's Magic Millions winner, Heart Of The Citi to dominate in the final 50m and score easily by two lengths.

27/10/08

WINNING WEEKEND FOR CLANG

Clang's consistency continued over the weekend with six winners in Queensland including a metropolitan winner, a double at the Sunshine Coast and winners in Toowoomba, Cairns and Clifton. 

Hey Elvis (Clang x Queen Of Song) opened the winning account when he scored by a short head at Doomben in the One Metro Win 1350m Handicap.

Hey Elvis returning to scale (Courtesy Trackside Photography)

15/10/08

CLANG SHOWS HIS VERSATILITY

Willowbend stallion Clang has proved why he is one of Queensland's most consistent stallions over the past fortnight  with three metropolitain winners in ten days.  The winning streak opened at Doomben on Saturday 4th October when Slim Pickings (Clang x  Slim Girl) scored by a half length and one and a half lengths over equal race favourites Little Stranger and Pay Me respectively.  The six year old seems to thrive at Doomben, winning four of his seven career wins at the track.

"Gee I hope they never close Doomben," chuckles trainer Doug Johnson.  "He's now one three races there over the mile and one over 1350.  He'll go around again on November 1st, there's another mile race at Doomben and then I'll look to prepare him for the Bernborough Handicap in December."

Johnson is the first to admit that the gelding is not fashionably bred and Clang certainly upgraded Slim Girl's progeny.

                                      Slim Pickings surges to the front to score victory (Courtesy Trackside Photography)

"The mare was bought by ayoung girl at a clearing sale at Toowoomba already in foal.  She is 22 now and I think has only ever had one other thoroughbred foal the rest were mostly by quarter horse stallions."

Saturday 11th October saw racing switch to Eagle Farm and Sleek Repeat (Clang x Copy Girl) proved he is no duffer in the wet when he scored by a nose over the 1400m.  On a wet miserable day, jockey Andrew Spinks gave his mount every opportunity on the genuinely heavy surface.

Clang's winning ways continued when the lightly raced Fiamore (Clang x Almost There) scored a commanding victory on Wednesday to take out the Class 3 1110m Handicap at Doomben by a nose.  Trained by Roslyn Dodd and ridden by Brad Pengelly, the gelding still managed to win despite sitting three and four wide the entire journey.

"We've always had an opinion of this horse, it's just been a long road to get him to the races," said Dodd.  "I've had him all his racing career but he has had a lot of problems.  Firstly he nearly died when he was gelded so he spent two years in the paddock and then when the owners tried to put him into work the pre-trainers didn't want to touch him as they thought they would break him down simply because he was so overweight.  I ended up with him and we just put him on a diet and slowly we got him to where he is now."

"I'm just very happy for the owners.  They bred this horse themselves and have had such bad luck.  The first foal they had lost an eye and the second foal looked like he had potential and broke a leg before they could get him to the track, so you could say this horse has been six years in the making!"

02/08/08

ROCK OF CASHEL SIRES HIS FIRST WINNER AT DOOMBEN

Rock Of Cashel opened his winning progeny account in super style on Saturday when Meet George (Rock Of Cashel x Judy Jetson) won the QTIS 3yo Swan Services Handicap (1110m) at Doomben.  The flashy bay having just his third start, won impressively, sitting four deep for the majority of the race to eventually secure victory by half a neck.  Trainer John Wallace was more than impressed with his charge, citing a dry track and the addition of blinkers as the winning formula.

"I have always had an opinion of this bloke and his ability, he has just been a bit unlucky, striking two wet tracks in his first two starts ," said Wallace.  "Jason (Holder) has ridden him in both of those starts and we also felt the addition of blinkers would help keep his mind on the job."  

There was no one more happier with the win than the Morton family who own and bred the gelding from their consistent broodmare and Willowbend Stud regular, Judy Jetson.  

"We were thrilled with his win as we have been very patient with him and we were very lucky in the end getting him to the races", said Lisa Morton.  "As a young horse he got something in his eye in the paddock and it needed a lot of treatment and there was a good chance that he could have lost his vision in that eye."

The Morton's had even more reason to celebrate the win as they also own a share in Rock Of Cashel.

"We have been clients at Willowbend for quite a while and when David was selling shares in Rock Of Cashel I thought it was a good chance to take, being the full brother to Rock Of Gibraltar", said Morton.  "To me the genes are still the same and we would never be able to afford a $80,000+ service fee so it was a risk worth taking and I'm very happy with both Meet George and his full sister who is now just a two year old."

Meet George is scheduled to start again on Saturday 16th at Doomben in the QTIS 3yo 1200m Handicap.

WILLOWBEND OPEN DAY 20TH OF JULY

Great turnout at Willowbend

By Peter Lowe

AROUND 140 visitors, mostly racing enthusiasts, broodmare owners, breeders and shareholders attended David and Ben Lucas's annual Willowbend stallion parade at Beaudesert last Sunday.

Guests were treated to a perfect winter's day and the opportunity to view some exquisite horse flesh as Willowbend's latest stallion roster was presented.

Included in the parade was their latest acquisition Natural Destiny, the first horse to take out the Brisbane Turf Club's summer triple crown in one season and proved very popular with the crowd.

Other stallions on show were the sensational sprinter Helter Skelter and the only Queensland-based stallion to produce a AJC Derby and Golden Slipper winner in Clang - the only other horse to achieve this remarkable feat was the great Star Kingdom.

Rock of Cashel, a full brother to world champion and multiple Group 1 winner Rock of Gibraltar and the multiple Group winner on turf, Nothing To Lose were also paraded before the appreciative audience.

Willowbend co-principal David Lucas said he was thrilled with the number of visitors and felt optimistic about the forthcoming breeding season which was severely hampered by equine influenza last year.

 15/06/08

FRIENDLY EMBRACE MAKES IT TWO FROM TWO

Clang gelding Friendly Embrace made it two wins from as many starts when he scored a comfortable victory in the 1200m Open Handicap at the Sunshine Coast today.  Ridden superbly by apprentice Melanie Price and relishing the soft going, the rising seven year old never left the fence throughout the race, trailing the field until the top of the straight and dashing to the lead to win by a length and a half.  The win was unfortunately marred by the fall of Noble Gaze and jockey Mitchell Speers but nothing could be taken away from the great ride and good training effort of Wayne Nugent.

03/06/08

NATURAL DESTINY TO JOIN WILLOWBEND ROSTER

Natural Destiny, one of the most exciting sprinters to grace the Queensland turf, will commence stud duties in 2008 at Willowbend Stud.  The flashy grey stunned the racing fraternity with his brilliant speed and remarkable ability to sustain such dash over 1200, 1400 and 1600m.

The son of Naturalism became the only horse to ever win the Doomben Summer Triple Crown Series, breaking Falvelon's 1350m track record along with Takeover Target's race record in winning the Listed BTC Doomben Stakes.

He retired with a sensational record of 10 wins from 15 starts, amassing just over $800,000 in prizemoney resulting in a 66% winning strike rate.

Willowbend studmaster David Lucas is delighted to have the opportunity to stand a horse that had such an impact on racing in Queensland.

"Natural Destiny became an overnight sensation in Queensland due to his blistering speed, and having such a speedy female line I feel he will be a real asset to the Queensland breeding industry", Lucas said.  

His dam (Force Of Destiny) is a half sister to the speedy Ossie Cossie who won 19 races up to 1200m including the AJC Lightning Stakes and his half brother also won 11 races up to 1100m.  Queenslanders love speed and I'm confident he (Natural Destiny) will be well received by broodmare owners."

Natural Destiny will stand his first season at stud for a very reasonable fee of $4400.

13/05/06

CLANG DOUBLE ON BTC CUP DAY

Willowbend's "mister consistent" stallion Clang proved how reliable he his with progeny winning at Doomben and the Gold Coast on BTC Cup Day.

Bruce McLachlan's Moglich (Clang x Incorrigible) opened the account with a narrow short head win in the Class Six 1200m. Posting a slick time of 1:09:04 the four year old burst through the pack in the final stages and managed to hold off the fast finishing Ulladulla.

It was the second win in as many starts this preparation, which added to the gelding's already impressive CV of six wins, five seconds, six thirds and $196,210 from 28 career starts.

Meanwhile at the Gold Coast Friendly Embrace (Clang x Friendly Miss) flew the Willowbend flag, winning the 1400m Open Handicap comfortably by 1.8 lengths.  Trained on the Downs by Wayne Nugent, Friendly Embrace has also been a good money spinner for connections winning eight of his 22 starts and $129,250 in prizemoney.

"He has always showed us he has ability", Nugent said.  "He won his first start in a race and broke the class record and is very rarely out of the money".

Friendly Embrace will now push on to compete in carnival events over 1600m like the Tatts Mile, Glasshouse or Eyeliner Stakes depending on his success at the distance.

"I believe he will have no problems getting over the mile.  We have tried him over the mile once before but it was at the end of a preparation and he was a tired horse, this time he is at the right time of his preparation and he's given us every indication that he will".

Ken Larkin, breeder and part owner of Friendly Embrace has a lot to look forward to thanks to his broodmare, Friendly Miss as younger full brother, Friendly Addition has already followed in his older brother foosteps, winning his first career start recently.

                                                           Friendly Embrace wins comfortably at the Coast

(photos courtesy Trackside Photography)