Very sad to learn that Noor Elaine Farm lost their much loved 22-year-old stallion
While the handsome chestnut son of Geiger Counter struggled for recognition in his 16 years at stud, he left a great crowd-pleaser in the Peter Moody-trained Mid Summer Music.
For all who barrack for the underdog, Mid Summer Music would hold a special place in their hearts.
The battle began the day she was born as we reported over 11 years ago.
Her dam, the Warwick Farm winner Samsara Lass (Nassipour), died after foaling Mid Summer Music. Subsequently, hand raised she was not the easiest horse to educate, with co-breeder John Ivill having the difficult task of breaking her in.
"She’d try to kick and bite,” Ivill recalled. She was the boss of everyone in her paddock.”
If it was not for the belief of jockey Lind Meech, Mid Summer Music may have had a very abbreviated career on the track.
Her first appearance came as a 4yo on the 20th February 2010 when she was a 5-length winner of the Warracknabeal maiden.
Trainer Peter Moody admitted at the time "when she won a maiden at Warracknabeal I suggested to the owners that she might have had a birthday. Thankfully at the insistence of Linda Meech and John Ivall, who is a friend of all the owners, suggested to me there was much more in her than I saw.”
There certainly was. At the conclusion of her career on the track, Mid Summer Music had banked almost $1.4 million for connections with 11 wins highlighted by a thumping of Buffering in the 2012 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.
Sent to the 2013 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Mid Summer Music was purchased by
Covered by All Too Hard, she was back in the ring a year later at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Bruce Perry Bloodstock, on behalf of Cressfield Stud, for $375,000.
Cressfield clawed back $225,000 of that when the All Too Hard colt was knocked down to Dermot Farrington at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Named See It Thru he has won twice to date. At the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Phill Cataldo Bloodstock outlaid $300,000 for Mid Summer Music’s Fastnet Rock filly named Fast Summer Rock who has made just one start in New Zealand.
Her third foal, Euphoric Summer (pictured as a yearling) , makes her debut in Saturday’s Listed Inglis Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield.
The daughter of Not A Single Doubt was consigned to the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $260,000.
Trained by Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr), Euphoric Summer runs for a ladies syndicate, however, Phoenix Thoroughbreds has another runner in the race in stablemate Rock Of Kryptonite a Fastnet Rock colt who was a $280,000 purchase out of the Baramul draft at the Gold Coast.
Much of the interest in the race comes from two runners by first-crop sire Pride Of Dubai who was quick off the mark when the Lisa Latta-trained filly Platinum Dubai saluted over 800 metres at Otaki. They are the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained colt Tanker a $170,000 Gold Coast purchase and the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained filly Bella Nipotina an $80,000 Inglis Premier buy.
Check out Breednet’s sale mail here for the 10 stakes races on Caulfield’s day of days on Saturday.