Victoria Derby Winner to Upgrade Packer’s Polo Ponies
03-02-2012
AMALFI, the 2001 Victoria Derby winner who was represented by three winners over four days, January19-22, has embarked on a new career as a sire, and that is supplying outcross vigor in breeding the Packer’s polo ponies at Ellerston on the mountain slopes east of Scone.
A nuggety,15.2 hands bay, the now 13-year-old Amalfi as a racehorse showed a fine turn of foot as well as the classic stamina expected in a son of Carnegie, a Sadler’s Wells Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner. In his first six of his eleven start career, Amalfi won at Eagle Farm (1200m at his only outing at two), Doomben (1350m, by 1.8 lengths), finished a neck second at Moonee Valley (1600m), third in the Group 2 Bill Stutt (also1600m) on the same track and then won two majors in succession, the Group 2 Norman Robinson (2000m) and then the Victoria Derby (2500m).
Prior to moving to Ellerston after the 2010 season, one which resulted in only nine mares, all of whom produced foals, returned to the Stud Book, Amalfi had restricted patronage over six seasons at George and Felicity Fraser’s Ilala stud down the road at Scone. So far that use has resulted in 20 winners of 45 races and six others placed from 34 starters.They have included Executive Officer (won Eagle Farm, Gold Coast), Fleur de Baie (Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton), Boulders (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich), Ashwahgandha (Kembla Grange), Our Lucca (Warrnambool), Heatwaves (Ipswich), My Fallacy (seven wins North Queensland), My Amalfi (Tamworth) and last week’s trio Aslanyon (won by three lengths on the Hobart Guineas program), Lil Tricky (Grafton) and Fort Sumter (impressive winner for the Pat Farrell stable at Muswellbrook). Lil Tricky, Fort Sumter, Executive Officer, Fleur de Baie, Boulders, Heatwaves and My Fallacy were all bred by Ilala stud, the breeders also of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.
Ilala is presenting two fillies by Amalfi, lots 3 and 4, at the Dubbo yearling sale on Sunday February 12 whose breeding suggests they could by developed into classic performers.The first of them is from A Real Deal, a daughter of Rahy, also sire of Fantastic Light (World Horse of the Year) and Noverre (European Champion 3YO Miler) and of the dam of Giant’s Causeway (European Champion and one of world’s leading sires). The other filly is from Black Powder, a 2-year-old winning three-quarter sister by the Danzig sire Mister C to stakes placed Lucyrowe (won Melbourne, Sydney) and Shoeshine Henry (successes included the STC Inglis Classic). Representing one of the families that brought much success for Fred Peisah’s Lomar Park stud, Black Powder is a grandaughter of a half-sister to Lomar bred and raced AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes, Breeders’ Plate and STC Silver Slipper winner Sovereign Slipper.
There three yearlings by Amalfi in the Dubbo catalogue with the other being a colt, lot 42, on account of Ambergate Farm, Scone as agent. A brother to Gelato, winner of four sprints in North Queensland, it is from Nice Surprise, a Sydney winner and stakes placed daughter of the Nureyev world class miler Spinning World.
Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service
