Best On Breeding

Fans of Josh Pons' engaging Country Life Diary would have been thrilled with the joy his Maryland based farm received from the success of the AP Indy stallion Malibu Moon.   

A homebred for B. Wayne Hughes, Malibu Moon's track career consisted of just two starts the highlight of which was a maiden win at Hollywood Park in May 1999.

He came out of that race with a career-ending slab fracture in his knee.

The Pons family purchased a half share off Hughes and Malibu Moon was off to stud in Maryland at a fee of $3,000.

After four years at Country Life and with his star on the rise, Malibu Moon was in the big league when the Pons family sold 25 percent of their interest in him to Kentucky's Castleton Lyons.

When Castleton Lyons farm owner Dr. Tony Ryan died in 2007, Hughes moved the stallion to his own Spendthrift Farm and he has been there ever since.

From his initial fee of $3,000, Malibu Moon was in rarefied air when commanding a fee of $95,000 in 2015 and 2016. It was dropped to $75,000 this year but that still puts him in exclusive company.

Out of Prix Mr Prospector's Group I Prix Marcel Boussac Criterium des Pouliches heroine Macoumba, Malibu Moon has sired 11 Grade 1 winner headed by the Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

The 19yo stallion has a rare southern hemisphere runner on Saturday when the Anthony Cummings-trained colt Euro Gold contests the valuable Inglis Nursey at Randwick.

Bred by Rob Crabtree's Dorrington Farm, Euro Gold (pictured as a yearling)  was purchased by his trainer for $130,000 out of the Eliza Park draft at the 2016 Melbourne Premier Yearling sale.

He is the first foal of the stakes-winning Latent Heat mare Ciguaraya.

Purchased out of training for $100,000 by David O'Callaghan Bloodstock at the 2013 Fasig Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, Ciguaraya is a half-sister to Listed winner Silver Time (Indian Charlie) and the stakes-placed Try to Remember (Include) the dam of multiple Stakes winner Holiday Soiree (Harlan's Holiday) who was placed in the Grade I Humana Distaff. 

Euro Gold looks certain to start among the longest priced runners in a contest dominated by Manhattan Rain's hugely impressive daughter She Will Rain and the unbeaten Sebring filly Serena Bay.

The second least expensive starter in the field at $20,000, She Will Reign cleared away to win by over 8 lengths at her career debut at Kembla Grange.

While Euro Gold will be making his debut, he displayed some promise in a trial at Randwick when he was caught deep and was not knocked about in finishing fourth.