Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Breeders’ Cup boost for Black Minnaloushe

David Thiselton
Black Minnaloushe, the son of Storm Cat who stands in South Africa at Andreas Jacobs’ Maine Chance Farms in Robertson, received a timely boost over the weekend when his son Dancing In Silks won the Group 1 Breeders Cup Sprint run over 1 200m at Santa Anita on a Pro-Ride surface.
Dancing In Silks, trained by Carla Gaines and ridden by Joel Rosario, sat in fourth place in the running about three lengths off them and made his move just before the home turn.
He was forced to come into the straight three wide but produced a telling finish and showed fine resolve to come out trumps in a four-way photo-finish.
It was Dancing In Silk’s seventh victory and he became Black Minnaloushe’s fourth Group 1 winner.
His Breeders Cup win couldn’t have come at a better time for Black Minnaloushe, whose first Maine Chance foals will be given their Thorouhbred Breeder’s Association inspection on Friday to see whether they are up to the standard required for the National Yearling Sales.
John Slade, the stud manager of Maine Chance, has a very good regard for the Black Minnaloushe foals and yearlings and said that similarly good reports had come from all of the stud farms in the stallion’s syndicate.
Coolmore retained 25%
The former Aiden O’Brien-trained horse, who won the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and the Royal Ascot meeting’s Group 1 St. James Palace Stakes, both races over a mile as a three-year-old, was purchased by Maine Chance in 2006. Coolmore retained a 25% share in him, a sure sign of the high esteem in which he is held.
In 2006 he had to fulfil his obligations in New Zealand, where he was Champion First Season Sire and his progeny included Joker’s Wild, a dual Grade 1 winner and Champion two-year-old.
Black Minnaloushe arrived in South Africa in 2007.
His progeny worldwide have now won stakes races in such places as New Zealand, Australia, Europe, USA and Canada.
His syndicate in South Africa includes Maine Chance, Klawervlei, Garsfontein, Highlands, Ascot, Danika and Milkwood Studs.
Black Minnaloushe covered from 100 to 120 mares in his first two seasons in South Africa and this year, owing to his high price of R60,000 coupled with the economic downturn, will cover roundabout 80.
Two mares sent to him for the second time this season are Dancing Flower, dam of Victory Moon, and the three-time Grade 1 winner, Jamaica.
Slade said that Black Minaloushe is even more popular among breeders than Maine Chance’s Silvano, which surprises him as he rates the latter a future Champion Sire.
Considering that with this perceived under usage Silvano has three-year-olds this season of the calibre of Bulsara, Bold Silvano, Galanthus, Water Nymph, Wittenberg and Clearly Silver he could well be right.

\| All information on these pages are (©) Copyright Gold Circle Pty (Ltd) 2002 \| site map
(This site is best viewed at 1024 X 768)