 Julie Nairn and Jill Ross from leading Red Hill
based nursery Lynden Park Stud had mixed emotions when Magic Bird scored a gallant win in
yesterday's listed Anzac Day Stakes (1425m) at Flemington.While thrilled with the first Melbourne stakes race success for Ali-Royal, the
win also emphasised the tragic loss of a promising sire.
Ali-Royal had stood three seasons in Victoria at Lynden
Park and he was a popular stallion with local breeders.
But it's been the way his youngsters have begun to make
their mark on the tracks around the country, and in fact world, that is making the good
judges sit up and take notice.
Magic Bird is the only the second two-year-old from
Ali-Royal's first Australian crop to contest a stakes race.
The first was a promising youngster in Tasmania named
Fracas. The John Blacker trained filly has won five of her seven starts and is unbeaten in
two races at stakes level.
 That means that Ali-Royal's three stakes race
runners to date have all got the chocolate's a feat that has impressed Julie Nairn.
"You couldn't really have wished for a better
start," Nairn beamed after Magic Bird's win at Flemington.
"We had a lot of faith in Ali-Royal and he is starting
to show everyone exactly how good he is."
"His youngsters in the Northern Hemisphere have
already shown great ability and his early runners in Australia are also showing great
promise," she added.
Nairn said the loss of Ali-Royal from a severe case of
travel sickness while in quarantine, was a great shame but the opportunity to race a
youngster by the sire is not lost.
"There will be a handful of his present weanlings
which will be sold over the next year, either as weanlings or yearlings."
"We have some lovely types here at Lynden Park and
there will be a select group going under the hammer at sales in the future," Nairn
added.
A son of the hot siring sensation Royal Academy, Ali-Royal
was himself a star on the track. His best win came in the Group One Sussex Stakes at
Goodwood.
 He is from a great female family. His dam Alidiva
has also produced the stakes winners Sleepytime (a Group One winning full brother) and
Taipan.
Ali-Royal will have one yearling for sale at next week's
Adelaide Mixed Thoroughbred Sale at Morphettville. Catalogued as lot 116, the youngster
from Mill Park is a bay colt half brother to recent city winner Stretta.
Magic Bird, who showed great fighting qualities to narrowly
hold out the back to back winner Fraar Side, could be sent for a break according to his
trainer Dean Lawson.
"He's pretty coltish," Lawson, the man who also
put the polish on former Group One winning juvenile Testa Rossa, said. "I'd like to
be able to geld him and then turn him out for a break."
"I'm sure there's plenty more wins in store for him in
the future," Lawson predicted.
PICS - Quentin
Lang. |
