Come Breeding With Blue Gum Breeding commercially rewarding yearlings and successful racehorses is a challenging and thrilling endeavor. A great many things need to come together in order for the venture to be successful. Mares must have the genetic makeup to be both commercially appealing as well as being likely to produce racetrack success. Matings must be planned to capitalize on the mare s strengths and then the mare and the resultant progeny must be managed in a fashion that optimizes the potential of each individual, both in the sale ring and then the race track. Blue Gum Farm has a long and enviable record of producing high quality individuals that have gone on to remarkable racetrack success. From Champion Sprinter Rancho Ruler and VRC Derby winner Raveneaux through to the recent champs Alinghi and Hay List, Blue Gum Farm has been involved with the production of top class horses over many years. However we live in changing times. Over the last decade the yearling sale ring has polarized. Highly appealing products sell through the roof while those even a little off the mark struggle to find a home. The sale ring has become a great litmus test for young thoroughbreds. The buying bench is astute and diligent and are willing to pay for what they want but will ignore those horses without the utmost appeal. In order to keep pace, breeders need to stay focused and improve their own bloodstock holdings, or risk becoming irrelevant. Blue Gum Farm is taking action on this front and would like you to join with us. Three mares were purchased at the Easter Broodmare Sale in Sydney, and Blue Gum is inviting you to join in the ownership of 1, 2 or all 3. All were talented racehorses, are very good physical specimens and are from good families that continue to be active. We hope you can join with us in this exciting and hopefully lucrative venture. Viking Turf Belle VTB is the winner of 5 races, placed 8 times and earned $193,319. She won her first start as a two year old at Morphetville before having a spell. Resuming at the same track as a three year old she again saluted. She went on to record two wins at Moonee Valley as well as a victory at Viking Turf Belle
Sandown. She also placed in the Group 2 Rose of Kingston Stakes at Flemington behind the tremendous Bellini Rose and the Group 1 winner Absolute Glam. Her trainer Jason Warren, of Bel Sprinter fame, believes she should have won this race and only bad luck stood in her way. She was locked away on the rail and couldn t get out. We have all heard these stories but there is no doubt that VTB was a tough consistent mare with a great deal of ability. VTB is a daughter of the great sire and emerging broodmare sire Elusive Quality. Elusive Quality produced 84 Stakes winners, including the Champion two and three year old Sepoy, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, the 4 time Group 1 winner Quality Road, the Breeder s Cup Classic winner Raven s Pass and the Group 1 winning two year old Camarilla. In the very early stages of his career as a broodmare sire Elusive Quality has already produced the dams of the Group 1 Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes winner Guelph, as well as the stakes winners My Adonis, Worldadventurer, Get Happy Mister, Cat Five O and Go Angellica. Like Sepoy and Camarilla, VTB is out of a Danehill mare and Danehill needs no introduction as an influence on the modern thoroughbred. Her second dam is by the great Shirley Heights, her third dam by the Champion Nijinsky and her forth dam by the immortal Riverman. There is real genetic strength here. Viking Turf Belle and Charge Forward Filly VTB is a half sister to the Stakes placed city winner Sayahailmary, the good Singapore performer Gallant Force and the two time winner and Caulfield placed Miss Valley Road. VTB is from a very deep pedigree. Her fourth dam is the Champion Gold River who counted the Prix de l Arc de Triomphe among her 4 group 1 victories. This is also the family of the Group 1 winner Riviere D or, Group 1 Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes winner Gold Splash and the ten time group 1 winner Goldikova, regarded by many as the best mare Europe has ever produced. The family is also quite active up close. Danish Moon, the dam of Viking Turf Belle, is in foal to Magic Albert. Sayahailmary is in foal to Sebring and has a weanling by Star Witness. Miss Valley Road is in foal to Equiano, has a yearling by Foreplay and a weanling by Keep The Faith, making it a three quarter sister to Sayahailmary. In the second dam there are progeny on the way by Bel Esprit x 2, Artie Schiller, Raheeb, Hotel Grand (sire of Fiveandahalfstar), Anacheeva and the South African Champion Argonaut.
VTB s first foal by Red Ransom s Group 1 winning son Duporth sold for $80,000 at this years Gold Coast Magic Millions, the third highest price Duporth filly in the sale. She is in the stable of Jason Warren, trainer of VTB and she has a weanling by Charge Forward, another Group 1 winning son of Red Ransom. Charge Forward is an established source of speed in Australia and is particularly effective with his two year olds. His best performers to date are the Group 1 winning Fillies Response and Headway. This season he has produced the Group 3 winner Cavalry Charge and the very promising Urban Groove who won the Reginald Allen Stakes and was also stakes winners Assail, Direct Charge and Crack A Roadie leading the way. 4 th in the ATC Flight Stakes. He is also 6 th on the two year old sires list with the Having a daughter of Charge Forward to sell at the 2014 yearling sales is a very exciting prospect. There are only 46 live foals by Charge Forward in this crop and reduced supply always influences demand. The other interesting comparison to make is that Charge Forward s daughters averaged twice that of the daughters of Duporth at the 2013 yearling sales, so you would be fairly certain the Charge Forward filly from VTB will sell for more than her older ¾ sister. In 2013 Charge Forward fillies averaged $107,307 and when you look at the Australian Easter Sale, the Magic Millions sessions 1 to 4, and Melbourne Premier, his fillies averaged $146,250. Sorellina Charge Forwards Daughter Headway Sorellina was a seriously talented racehorse in the John O Shea stable. She won her first two starts in decisive fashion before going amiss at her third start and she was subsequently retired to stud. She defeated a field of 13 on debut at Gosford by 2.3 lengths. She was then put away for the Sorellina
spring. After a strong trial win by 3.3 lengths over the good city winner Drinks All Round and the Group 1 performer Pane In The Glass, Sorellina went to Canterbury first up and defeated Magita (who then won her next two starts in Sydney) and the 4 time city winner Nash Rambler. A black type career was well and truly on the cards for Sorellina. Unfortunately she went amiss at her 3 rd start and being the beginning of the breeding season she was retired to stud. Sorellina was the highest price yearling filly by her sire Elvstroem sold in 2010. She made $110,000. Her sire Elvstroem is the Immortal Danehill s highest earning son at stud and is making a name for himself in the breeding barn. On the track Elvstroem earned $5,632,072 and won 5 group 1 events including the Dubai Duty Free, the weight for age CF Orr Stakes, the Underwood Stakes and the Caulfield Cup. At stud he has left 190 winners including the stakes winners Carrara, Go The Knuckle, Viking Hero, Shanghai Warrior, Viking Legend, Brilliant Bisc, Instalment, Innocent Gamble and Kullu. As a broodmare sire he has only had the one runner and it has only had 3 starts for 2 placings. Being from a Sorellina as a Yearling very successful broodmare himself in Circles Of Gold and being by Danehill, who is an incredible sire of broodmares, there is every reason to expect that Elvstroem will be a successful sire of broodmares. Sorellina is out of the unraced Bletchingly mare Bletchwyn, who is herself a daughter of the Stakes winner of 8 races Regal Affair. She was also placed at Group level on a couple of occasions. Bletchwyn is also the dam of the very talented and resilient sprinter Phoenix Park who won the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick. Other winners of the TJ Smith include Black Caviar (twice), Takeover Target, Apache Cat, Spinning Hill and Mahogany. Phoenix Park was a decisive winner of the TJ Smith defeating the Moet And Chandon Stakes winner Fair Embrace by nearly 2 lengths with the Group 1 winners Mistegic, Falvelon, Spinning Hill and Scenic Peak further back. Phoenix Park also won the STC Concorde Stakes defeating the tremendous gallopers Lord Essex and Spinning Hill. As a two year old Phoenix Park won his first two starts at Canterbury and Rosehill before placing in the Group 2 Todman Slipper Trial and he finished a close up 4 th in the Golden Slipper, only a length behind Belle Du Jour. In all Phoenix Park earned nearly $700,000 on the track. Bletchwyn also produced the stakes placed city winner Interefere who won races at Rosehill, Randwick and Caulfield and also placed in the Group 3 Missile Stakes and the Listed Sheraco Stakes. Now at stud she has a weanling by Onemorenomore, a yearling colt by Commands who sold for $190,000 to the David Hayes stable and a two year old by More Than Ready in the stable of Sorelina s trainer John O Shea. Sorellina s full sister also has a weanling by Sebring and is in foal
to Fastnet Rock s Group 1 winning son Wanted. There are horses from other half sisters on the way to the track by Rebel Raider, Bell Esprit, Reward For Effort and there is also a yearling half brother to Phoenix Park and Sorellina by the exciting young stallion Von Costa De Hero. Sorellina is in foal to the Golden Slipper winner Sebring who couldn t have started his stud career any better. With three months of the season left to run Sebring has already produced 3 stakes winners and 4 stakes placegetters. To put this in context, of the horses still standing at stud in Australia only Sebring,s own sire More Than Ready and Exceed And Excel have produced more stakes winners in their first two year old crop and only Fastnet Rock and Redoute s Choice have produced more Stakes performers. On the track himself Sebring was a revelation. He had 6 starts recording 5 wins as a two year old including the Sire Making Golden Slipper, the Group 1 AJC Sires Produce Stakes and two listed races at Randwick. He only once had his colours lowered and that was by the Champion Samantha Champion 2yo Sebring Miss and she only got him by a nose in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes. He is More Than Ready s best son and More Than Ready has been a great success at stud in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, producing 113 Stakes winners to date. Among these are the Champion Mare More Joyous, the Champion 2yo Phelan Ready, the Blue Diamond Stakes winner Samaready and a host of other Group 1 winners. Sebring has started his stud career as well as his racing career. He has produced 3 Stakes winners and 4 Stakes place getters in his first crop with only Exceed and Excel producing more stakes winning juveniles this season. The interesting thing to note is the caliber of the stakes winners. Criterion won the Group 2 Todman Slipper Trial, Dissident won a Blue Diamond Preview and Bring A Ring has added two stakes placings to his win in the Sporting Bet Stakes at Morphetville. There are quite a number of very smart Sebrings around and the demand for them is sure to continue. At the 2013 yearling sales the Sebrings sold to $300,000 and have been purchased by some of the most astute judges including Mick Price, Graeme Beg, Shadwell Stud, Gai Waterhouse, Peter Moody, Mick Kent, Malua Racing, Ricky Yiu, Tony McEvoy etc. He certainly looks a stallion on the rise and having a terrific broodmare prospect in foal to him is certainly exciting.
Our Dancing Babe Our Dancing Babe is a stakes winning daughter of Belong To Me. She won 4 races from 1300 to 1600 metres including the Listed Valdale Stakes at Turfway Park in Kentucky and was stakes placed on another couple of occasions. Her sire Belong To Me was an outstanding sire producing 70 Stakes winners, among them are the Group 1 winners All Silent, Bon Hoffa, Bull Borghese, Proprietor, Forever Together, Jersey Girl, Circle of Life and Lucky Roberto. Daughters of Belong To Me have produced 33 stakes winners including the Champion Lookin At Astronomer Royal x Our Dancing Babe Yearling Lucky, the Saratoga Hopeful Stakes winner Circular Quay, the Hollywood Oaks winner Nereid and the Cigar Mile winner Jersey Town. The dam of Our Dancing Babe, Back Seat Babe, won three races and was stakes placed at Santa Anita and is also the grandma of the Stakes winner Back Seat Roll. Back Seat Babe is a ½ sister to the U.S. Champion two year old filly Caressing and the Group 1 winner Platinum Blonde. Our Dancing Babe was an $85,000 yearling and then was offered at public auction at the end of her racing career but failed to reach her $220,000 reserve price. Our Dancing Babe s first foal is a yearling by Astronomer Royal and has gone to the stable of the astute trainer Niall Phillips at Geelong where he will get every chance. The colt was the 4 th highest priced colt at the VOBIS Gold sale and is a well made athletic individual. Our Dancing Babe is in foal to Fastnet Rock s Group 1 winning son Wanted, who has made a great impression with his first crop or yearlings. His yearlings have sold to $460,000 and averaged $130,000 with many of the countries best judges competing for them. Peter Moody, Gai Waterhouse, David Hayes, Mick Price, Ellerton /Zahra Racing and Joh