Wolf Cry Family in Demand

Hot on the heels of the announcement that the regally bred Wolf Cry is to make his stud debut at Larneuk Stud this spring, his family has been recognised as one of the best with great results in the sales ring.

At Australia's most prestigious yearling sale, the Inglis Australian Easter, a colt by Written Tycoon out of Brilliant Bisc fetched $1 million to the mid of respected bloodstock agent James Harron.

The Gimcrack Stakes winning Brilliant Bisc, 3/4 sister to Wolf Cry's stakes placed city winning Starfish.

Meanwhile at the Inglis Classic trainer Kelly Schweida placed a winning bid of $300,000 (the equal third highest priced colt at the sale) for an imposing More Than Ready colt out of Starwish.

Starwish is an unraced full sister to Starfish.

"Such is the strength of this family that people are prepared to spend a lot of money to be a part of it," Larneuk Stud's Neville Murdoch said.

Ancestress of this prolific family is the Group Three winner Eau d'Etoile who was part of the historic finish to the 1986 New Zealand Oaks which was trifected (Royal Heights first and Empire Rose second) by daughters of the great Sir Tristram.

What an amazing job Eau d'Etoile did at stud, producing eight named foals - seven of whom raced, all being winners including the dual Group One winner Filante who went oh so close in two W.S Cox Plates.

Before then Eau d'Etoile had already produced a topliner, her wonderful daughter Bint Marscay who raced away with the Golden Slipper enroute to a highly successful stud career - producing the Group One winner Bollinger and the Group Three winning juveniles Sheraton and Mannington.

The latter went on to produce the VRC Derby winner Benicio and the dual Group winner Romneya whilst Bollinger ventured to the United States where she was well represented by the three times Group winner Friesan Fire.

From limited opportunities at stud Friesan Fire is proving himself to be an upgrader siring 52 winners from just 81 runners including the stakes winner Morning Fire and the consistent two times stakes placed Flash McCaul.

Friesan Fire is not the only horse from this family to enjoy international success with Mannington's granddaughter, the Luca Cumani trained Rosental winning the Listed Prix Dahlia at Saint-Cloud last October.

Mannington is also grandam of the Sweet Embrace Stakes winner Always Allison.

Now back to Eau d'Etoile who also produced the Australian Guineas winner Kenny's Best Pal and the Gosford Guineas winner Eau d'Scay - as well as the stakes placed Temple Fire who made her own contribution to this wonderful family as dam of Stella Cadente.

The winner of five of her 13 starts, Stella Cadente at three easily won both the Furious Stakes and the Tea Rose Stakes before taking on the older, more seasoned gallopers in the Group One Australian Stakes at Moonee Valley.

The most lightly raced horse in the race, she recorded a dominant victory over Al Mansour and Spartacus.

Retired to stud Stella Cadente was represented by seven runners, six winners including Brilliant Bisc and the stakes placed fillies Moon Fever (dam of Hong Kong Group Three winner Dashing Fellow and dual Listed winner Aeronautical) and Starfish - dam of Wolf Cry.

Meanwhile Starwish, whose son sold so well at the Classic, is dam of the exciting two-year-old Deep Image who was second to Winning Rupert in the Gold Edition Stakes in mid-December, franking that form with a second up victory at Doomben recently.

"This is a family that just keeps producing high quality racehorses," Murdoch said, adding that the response to Wolf Cry has already been good.

"We are already fielding plenty of enquiries and we are confident that once people see him they will be all the more impressed - he is a magnificent animal."

A Group Two and two time Listed placed winner of Australia's richest maiden on Magic Millions Day, Wolf Cry stands at $4400 (incl gst).