Dubleo a Worthy Alternative to More Than Ready
09-02-2012
WINNERS at Moonee Valley on Friday night and Canterbury on Saturday, January 27 and 28, Koonoomoo and Skateboard, were further suggestions to breeders that if they find the shuttling More Than Ready (2011 fee $99,000) beyond their budgets, one of his associates at the Vinery stud in the Hunter Valley offers a lot of the same genes at far more modest cost.
A good class American racehorse who is a resident at Vinery and who stood 2011 on $6,600, he is Dubleo and he is not only by the same sire as More Than Ready, but they are similar physically and both were good class performers from the equivalent of 1000m to 1600m. Dubleo went to the post in America on 13 occasions for seven wins, six of them at two, including five stakes to Group 2, and one at three over 1000m by a spectacular eight lengths.He is from Secret Red, a half-sister by the mighty Secretariat to champion American sprinter and good sire Rubiano and to the dam of another Group1 star in Tapit, one of the most expensive sires in America on his 2012 fee of $125,000.
Five years younger than More Than Ready, Dubleo has only been used in Australia and has had not had much benefit from high quality mares and leading stable exposure, but, with his oldest current 5-year-olds, has had 59 winners and 17 other placegetters from 93 starters. Besides Koonoomoo and Skateboard, they include Dubleanny, a winner nine sprints, including two Listed stakes at Flemington; second Group 2 Caulfield Sprint, and Queenian, a colt who followed a win at Rosehill and a nose second in the Kindergarten Stakes-Gr.3 at two last year with two stakes places, the Rosebud at Randwick and the Up and Coming at Warwick Farm at his only two outings at three to date.
Represented by winners Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau, Dubleo could cut a bigger swathe in racing in the future through the foals resulting from the 124 mares, easily his biggest book, he served in 2010. The progeny will be two in 2013-14. In the meantime he looks to have a serious stakes candidate in the giant 5-year-old gelding Skateboard, a 2.3 lengths winner at Canterbury on Saturday. Bred by Dartbrook Downs, Aberdeen, Hunter Valley and sold at the Gold Coast for $42,500 and in the Chris Waller stables, he has won six of 16 starts. Skateboard is from an unraced mare by Flying Spur, sire also of the dam of the Widden stud based More Than Ready champion Australian 2-year-old Sebring. Daughters of other maternal sires who have done well with More Than Ready could be a good pattern to adopt with Dubleo.
Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service
