Noted Queensland Mare A Mast For Sea Galleon

15-12-2011

SEA GALLEON, the rising Australian stayer who was very impressive in taking out the Christmas Cup (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, has as a mast in his very strong pedigree one of the best classic racemares produced in Queensland in the past thirty years.The fourth dam of this 5-year-old gelded son of the former Coolmore shuttled Sadler’s Wells English and Irish Derby winner Galileo, she is Just Now, a winner of ten races, including the AJC Oaks, Princess Handicap and VRC Turnbull Stakes, and second Queensland Oaks.

Another tough, sound quality performer produced by the McAlpine’s on their Eureka stud near Cambooya in the Toowoomba region, she is bred on a cross of two of their imported sires, being by Semipalatinsk (American bred son of the Noholme sire Nodouble) and from Tautina, a home bred daughter of Lumley Road (a Grey Sovereign sire). Since the family was established in this part of the world with the importation from England to New Zealand early last century of Vanga, a mare by Cylgad, a mid road racehorse and sire, it has consistently produced good horses.Their major source has been the Foxbridge mare Honeywood, the third dam of Just Now.

Honeywood produced three Group1 performers, Foxzami (won Melbourne Cup, Hotham Handicap, STC Cup, placed AJC Derby, VRC Derby), Bali Ha’I (won Auckland GN St Leger, second GN Derby in New Zealand and successful Royal Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes in England) and Kharass (won QTC Exhibition Handicap, third QTC Stradbroke). Bali Ha’I was raced in England by the Queen Mother. The gelding was presented to her by his owner, businessman and philanthropist Sir Ernest Davis, at Trentham, Auckland after he had won the St James Cup at a special Royal meeting she attended in 1958.

Beehive, another foal from Honeywood, produced to Alcimedes the stakes winners Divide And Rule (seven wins included the AJC Derby, BATC Doomben Cup, QTC Stradbroke and a Group 2 in California) and Honeyland (won STC Canterbury Guineas). The immediate maternal breeding of Sea Galleon, a winner in Melbourne on November 19 (Moonee Valley, 2040m, by 1.3 lengths) and November 26 (Sandown, 2400m, by 4.0 lengths) and then Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, shows him to be the first runner for San Michele, an unraced daughter of the Nureyev sire Stravinsky and Close Your Eyes, a Group 2 and Listed sprint winner in Adelaide. She is by the Mr. Prospector sire Geiger Counter and from Just a Flyer, a Bluebird mare out of Just Now.

Bernalla, a Eureka bred half-sister to Just Now by another of their imports, Midnight Cowboy, won eleven races, including the Gold Coast Prime Minister’s Cup and Toowoomba Cup. She went on to produce the stakes winners Startell (12 wins) and Telltina (10 wins). How About Now, a half-sister by another Eureka sire, Rascolnik, to Just Now and Bernalla, went to the Blushing Groom sire Nassipour in New Zealand and produced Shiva’s Revenge, winner of the South Australian Derby and Victoria St Leger and second in the Melbourne Cup (to another Nassipour product, Let’s Elope), VRC Australian Cup and Adelaide Cup.

Sea Galleon was bred by P. Cross, Victoria using Galileo and San Michelle, a resident at Coolmore, Hunter Valley, and sold to his trainers, the Cranbourne based Aldersons, through the Benalla district, Victoria located Ballymeath Farm, for $55,000 at the Inglis Victorian Premier Premier Yearling Sale. He is a good example of breeding success achieved through inbreeding to great thoroughbreds. He has a 3x4x6 infusion of Northern Dancer, two of the doses provided by the celebrated three-quarter brothers Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev, and a 4x4 of Mr. Prospector.

Now recognised as the new European super sire, Sea Galleon’s sire Galileo has emerged as a very good source of winners in the past two years from his use at Coolmore in the Hunter Valley. For 2010-11, taking in overseas performers as well as locals, his Australian sired progeny included 90 winners (seven SWs) of 160 races and over $5million. He already has about fifty Australian sired winners and earners of $2.5million in 2011-12. Galileo’s Australian sired daughters appeal as valuable broodmares for brilliant sires.There are over a hundred registered with the Australian Stud Book.

Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Services