A spate of notable stakes performances continued for Sledmere Stud when graduates of the breeding and/or rearing and sales program earned black-type on major interstate and trans-Tasman programs staged on the final Saturday afternoon of feature racing in the month of February.
Over in New Zealand, Spring Heat registered the most significant result of the day when landing a thrilling renewal of the Group 3 King’s Plate at Ellerslie. Closer to home, not only did sales graduate Dismissal place in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes, but the valiant second-placing of Secret Blaze [pictured on the fence above] in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes was another result of note for Sledmere Stud.
Bred by family matriarch Jennifer Mackay, Spring Heat won her second Pattern Race event with a brilliant performance in the King’s Plate (1200m). A Group 1 placegetter earlier in the same campaign, the 5-year-old daughter of More Than Ready (USA) is now the winner of 5 races from just 13 career starts — and a very valuable breeding proposition when the time comes from her to be retired to stud.
Dismissal’s minor placing in the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes came virtually 12 months to the day of her purchase from Sledmere Stud (as Agent) by trainer Gary Portelli at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. Sold for $125,000 on behalf of the China Horse Club, the daughter of Not a Single Doubt put up a bold showing in the Golden Slipper lead-up and now has a valuable juvenile Group-placing on her CV after just three career starts.
The Blamey Stakes placing of Secret Blaze was also significant as it enhances the already impressive ‘page’ of an Extreme Choice half-brother to be offered by Sledmere Stud as Lot 303 at the upcoming 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The youngster is the fifth foal of the Galileo mare Abscond, whose progeny include the celebrated Group 1 winning $3 million earner Invincibella.
Already in 2020, Sledmere-bred Causeway Lass has twice stakes-placed and 2019 sales graduate Fixated has run third in the Listed MRC Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) on debut. Though narrowly missing out on a Group placing in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes, bred and sold Pancho also added further credence to his stakes race credentials. In addition, aforementioned racing heroine Invincibella and the exciting 2-year-old prospect Dame Giselle — both sales graduates — have each won $1 million events in relatively recent months.
It all augurs well for a big Centenary year for Sledmere Stud.