NEWS (July 2009)

23/7/2009
Clang to Finish Season With a Bang

Underrated Queensland stallion Clang can close the season on a high with a number of good prospects around Australia this weekend.

Heading those chances is in form Sydney stayer Mr Clangtastic (ex Soverina by Sovereign Edition).

The Clarry Conners prepared gelding contests the $70,000 San Domenico Raceday Hcp (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

A winner of his last two starts, Mr Clangtastic has been dominant in recent wet track runs winning his most recent appearance by more than eight lengths.

At Doomben, Clang is represented by another solid last start winner in the Bruce Hill trained Hey Elvis (ex Queen of Song by Manshood).

A last start victor in the opening race at the new Toowoomba Cushion track, Hey Elvis will be tested as a staying prospect in the $50,000 Ray White Open Hcp (2020m).

Runner up in last years Group 2 Villiers Stakes at Randwick, Hey Elvis has proven to be a strong miler in recent seasons, with Hill now looking to extend his distance range on Saturday.

Last Saturday Clang continued to enjoy a flurry of recent winners.

At Rosehill, the Paul Perry prepared four year-old The Take (ex Aces In Vain by Aceday) scored a narrow win in the $70,000 Gaypak United Hcp (1100m).

Back in Queensland, Clang three year-old Tonkatsu (ex Sushi Train by Success Express) scored at the Gold Coast for high profile owner breeder Gary Pemberton and trainer Helen Page.

13/7/2009

Historic Two State Double For Clang

Queensland stallion Clang continues to enjoy a strong resurgence with his progeny recording another two state Metropolitan double over the weekend.

The first leg of the double was delivered by the Bruce Hill prepared Hey Elvis who scored in the opening event on the new Toowoomba Cushion Track.

The historic Toowoomba victory took Hey Elvis career earnings past $308,000.

A black type victory looks just around the corner for Hey Elvis who has been runner up at stakes level on two occasions this season.

Earlier this season, Hey Elvis was a narrow second at Group 2 level in the AJC Villiers (1600m) at Randwick.

That run was preceded by another close second in the Listed Recognition Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm.

The second leg of the double was recorded at Randwick by dominant front running stayer Mr Clangtastic.

The Clarry Conners prepared gelding cleared out to win by a massive 8.3 lengths over the 2400m journey in Class record time.

Mr Clangtastic has now won 6 races from 30 starts, his last two runs netting back to back Sydney Saturday victories.

Purchased as a yearling out of the Magic Millions sales ring for just $10,000, Mr Clangtastic has already earned connections an impressive $219,000.

Meanwhile a large crowd enjoyed a fantastic Queensland winters day at the Willowbend Stud Open Day.

Keen observers were on hand to inspect Willowbend’s latest arrival, Southwestern Heat.

A son of Gone West, Southwestern Heat was presented in great order according to Magic Millions Managing Director David Chester who compared the event.

“Gone West could now be a stallion to come to the fore in Australia as a sire of sires,” said Chester.
“He is enjoying a fantastic run as a sire of sires, headed by his outstanding son young son Speightstown.”

Southwestern Heat debuts at Willowbend Stud this season, standing at a fee of $4,400 inc GST.

7/7/2009
 
Speightstown's Success Bodes Well For Southwestern Heat 

It is some achievement for a stallion to have a Group One winner on a weekend, but when a stallion has four stakeswinners over weekend including a Group One winner it is time to take serious notice!
North American stallion Speightstown, an Eclipse Award winning Champion Sprinter and son of the sire Gone West, enjoyed a truly exceptional weekend.

It started quietly enough on Saturday, with his three year old son Fufty Too taking the Dean Kutz Stakes, a listed event at Canterbury Park in North America. The primary importance of that victory was that it took Speightstown's total of first crop stakes winners to eight, which makes him leader of the group by number of stakes winners, and he's also leading North American second crop sire of 2009 by stakes winners, with seven this year.

Moving on to Sunday, and in France Speightstown's son, Lord Shanakill - a group winner and group one placed in England last year - became his sire's first group one winner by taking the Prix Jean Prat (gr. I).

This means that Speightstown joins Medaglia d'Oro, Candy Ride, Birdstone and Tapit, as the fifth member of this group to sire a gr. I winner. Only a few hours after Lord Shanakill's triumph, Speightstown's daughter, Mullins Beach, ran out an impressive winner of the Ontario Lassie Stakes at Woodbine. Out of the Silver Deputy mare, Treasure Beach, Mullins Beach won by three lengths in a time just a second outside the 6½ furlong course record.

Finally, Speightstown son Munnings, owned by Coolmore Stud and partners, stepped up against older horses in the Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II), and scorched home 2¼ lengths clear, while covering seven furlongs in 1:21.0 to emerge as one of the top three year old sprinters of his year.

The efforts of Speightstown at stud bode well for Southwestern Heat, a stallion who takes up residence at David Lucas' Willowbend Stud this year to serve his first season at stud.

Like Speightstown, Southwestern Heat is a son of Gone West, the Mr Prospector stallion who is already the sire of the likes of Western Winter, a Champion Sire of South Africa.

Furthermore like Speightstown, Southwestern Heat is out of a Champion mare with his dam being the Eclipse Award winner Xtra Heat, a mare who set the record for the most black-type wins (25) by a filly or mare in the US, 11 of them at Group level, and she was champion three-year-old filly in 2001.

"We have seen with the likes of More Than Ready that the Australian broodmare population has reached a saturation point with Danehill blood and we believe that a horse like Southwestern Heat is well placed to capitalize on the bloodlines that are available here in this country," said David Lucas.

"He is an outstanding type of horse and very fast and we welcome anyone who is interested to give us a call or stop by the stud and take a look at him. We are sure that you will not be disappointed," Lucas added.