Thoroughbred breeding can be a numbers game, making it hard for stallions not serving hundreds of mares a year to compete with those who do.
Which is why the great run of form enjoyed by the Larneuk Stud pair O'Lonhro and Ilovethiscity is impressive, neither horse represented by big numbers but both well and truly getting the score on the board.
Between them the sons of Lonhro
and Magic Albert (themselves both reliably consistent winner getters) have
sired the winners of 45 races since the start of the year - much to the delight
of Larneuk's Neville Murdoch.
"Both stallions are doing the job," he said, "quietly but efficiently!"
"They are terrific owner/breeder horses whose progeny stand a great chance of getting to the track and they sire tough, honest performers who are giving their owners a lot of fun."
Over 80% of O'Lonhro's 112 named foals to date have made it to the track and 73.4% of those have won or placed with 50 being winners.
Amongst that tally are the smart last start winners Rose Of Capri (who broke her maiden by two lengths at Echuca at just her third start), Zeusman (back to his best with a dominant victory at Geelong) and Cutting Torch (too strong over 1200m at Perak).
And then there is the flying Mamzelle Tess who has been so impressive winning her last three for the Leon & Troy Corstens stable.
Rising in distance from 1100m to 1300m to 1411m and up in class to BM78 level at Sale, the talented mare looks set for bigger and better things having proven four lengths too strong for last start city winner Divine Chills.
"She is a really good example of how being patient can pay off," Troy Corstens said, noting that Mamzelle Tess has "really come into her own given a bit of time."
"She is an absolute pleasure to have in the stable and she tries her heart out every time we send her around. She is absolutely thriving at the moment and can definitely make the step to city class now."
Meanwhile the Larneuk Stud bred O'Lordy is already proving herself at metropolitan level, overcoming trouble in running to salute in tough fashion at Rosehill recently.
"She is a talented mare who can win better races," said trainer Danny Williams with jockey Jay Ford confident that the four-year-old will be all the better over further - "I think she is going to make a really nice miler," he said.
Also showing plenty of promise are the lightly raced O'Lonhros Scotopia (winner of two in a row over the summer) and Mr Bellagio (in the placings at both runs since a nice debut win at the Sunshine Coast).
Group One Randwick Guineas
winner Ilovethiscity is also proving his worth with his last two runners both
in the winner's circle.
Racing away to a soft 1 1/2 length victory at Echuca on Sunday, the Robbie Griffiths trained Son Of City impressed jockey Brad Rawiller who noted that "he was terrific... he is still raw but I like the way he quickens, he is a nice horse."
Two days later Ville Chanson created a good impression at Pakenham, the Marita Lawson trained three-year-old saluting at just his second start.
"I am over the moon," Lawson said. "I was a bit confident, he did a lot wrong at his first start. He has got a nice future and he should get 1400m or a mile."
Jockey Fabian Alesci was also happy - "it was a good win, today he was a lot more focused and he won well."
Meanwhile the talented Chapel City earned black type with a close up third in the Listed Adelaide Guineas at Morphettville whilst The Passage was unlucky at Flemington off a big maiden victory at Warrnambool.
On the back of an impressive trial victory City Of Dreams was sent out an odds-on favourite at her recent Tasmanian debut and she was never going to get beaten, racing away to win by four lengths.
The winner of her first two, Vivaldi's Quest was not far behind the placegetters when fifth in the Listed Redelva Stakes at just his fifth outing whilst also measuring up in town is Red Right Hand.
Ilovethiscity's first winner Moonlover has also been in great form as has Plenty To Like, a tough on pacer who was a winner at Caulfield in mid-April.
With this first runners being just three, Ilovethiscity has done a great job, from just 29 runners siring had 11 winners and nine placegetters.
"Breeders are really starting to take note of Ilovethiscity now," Murdoch said, "though his success is no surprise to us - he was a high class racehorse and a terrific type from a great family, the same one that produced the outstanding stallions Lonhro and Grosvenor."
For further information on O'Lonhro and Ilovethiscity who stand alongside Cluster and Wolf Cry contact Neville Murdoch on 0418 105 706.
