Few domestic thoroughbred nurseries in the country would have taken more heart from Saturday's Victoria Derby result than Wattle Brae Stud, the Queensland home of exciting young stallion prospect Mahisara.
A stakes winning juvenile and multiple Group winning sprinter soon to be represented by his first yearling sale drafts, Mahisara is bred on almost identical terms as Saturday's brilliant 3-year-old Classic winner Prized Icon.
Both sons of More Than Ready (USA) produced by Danehill (USA) mares, each shares in common the pedigree make-up of no fewer than four individual Group 1 3YO Classics winners as well as a Group 1 winning open-age sprinter.
Prized Icon actually became the second Group 1 VRC Victoria Derby winner bred in such a fashion following the Classic victory of Benicio in 2005.
The same More Than Ready-Danehill cross also has a WATC Western Australia Derby (G1) winner to its credit in the form of Dreamaway, as well as a New Zealand Oaks (G1) heroine on its CV through the deeds of More Than Sacred.
Naturally enough, the More Than Ready-Danehill cross has also been responsible for genuine Group 1 sprinting talent.
Perfectly Ready became the second of the combination's quintet of top-tier winners either side of the Tasman when winning the 2006 SAJC Goodwood Hcp (G1) during a memorable racing career that also saw him finish runner-up in the MVRC Manikato Stks (G1) and place third in the MRC Blue Diamond Stks (G1).
It's also worth pointing out that the champion More Than Ready racemare More Joyous is very similarly bred as a maternal great-granddaughter of Danehill, while More Than Ready's Golden Slipper winning entire and champion sire-son Sebring is himself a maternal great-grandson of Danehill through his damsire Flying Spur.
Either which way you look at it, More Than Ready over Danehill is a proven formula for racetrack success in these parts and Wattle Brae Stud's Mahisara has a great deal to offer Queensland's broodmare owners and potential buyers alike.
And it's not just the top half of Mahisara's pedigree that is thriving.
The Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington at the beginning of October witnessed Mahisara's three-quarter brother Ullman (by Sebring) become the second stakes winner produced by their dam, Darsini.
The
Darren Weir-trained galloper scored a well-deserved victory in the Listed
VRC Paris Lane Hcp and joined the likes of Midnight Fever, Startling Lass,
Shovhog etc, when further enhancing a female family laden in black-type.
The 'page' of Mahisara just goes from strength-to-strength and will make for some pretty impressive reading when the yearling sale catalogues for 2017 start getting released.
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