PWJ Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 5 hours ago, Dancing Show said: Just to keep the thought processes going I'm going to make a wild guess here ... Tricia Ann ? Related sire .. Grosvenor? Grosvenor IS the related sire but the horse is not Tricia Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von Smallhaussen Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 Bloom? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 hmm 🙂 .. Bon Cher ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 19 minutes ago, Dancing Show said: hmm 🙂 .. Bon Cher ? Yep Bon Cher ! At the time she went through the Trentham sale ring (photo) she was the most expensive yearling in NZ's history at $800,000 to Arthur Williams. Exactly 12 months later I went to work for Williams at Otaki and was appointed Racing Manager, with this regally-bred Sir Tristram filly as my responsibility soon after. There's quite a bit more to the story which I will share this afternoon as I have an appointment now. Well done Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Found something that made me smile when I was looking through her progeny - shows there's life in the old dog yet - second in a trial at 19 🙂 Must have decided he was looking pretty chirpy in the paddock and worth a run at the local track 🙂 Star Dragon is a thoroughbred horse born in Australia in 1992. Race horse Star Dragon is by Bletchingly (AUS) out of Bon Cher (NZ) , trained by Grant Walker. Star Dragon form is available here. Owned by T B Thomas & D Venske. Pedigree Sire Bletchingly (AUS) 1970 Dam Bon Cher (NZ) 1985 [By Sir Tristram (IRE) 1990] Description 31yo CH Gelding Trainer Grant Walker Owner T B Thomas & D Venske Total PM AUD $4,475 Career 1 Win (14%) - No Places (14%) - 7 starts Wins 1600m (1) At 19 Years Old 2nd BT BT Results 19 Jun 2012 SUNSHINE COAST INNER TRACK : Margin 1.0L Distance 400m SOT S Trial Time 0:24.68 MS B ANDREW Trainer TREVOR THOMAS Winner Laluscious 2nd Star Dragon 3rd Luna Azzura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 2 hours ago, Dancing Show said: Found something that made me smile when I was looking through her progeny - shows there's life in the old dog yet - second in a trial at 19 🙂 Must have decided he was looking pretty chirpy in the paddock and worth a run at the local track 🙂 Star Dragon is a thoroughbred horse born in Australia in 1992. Race horse Star Dragon is by Bletchingly (AUS) out of Bon Cher (NZ) , trained by Grant Walker. Star Dragon form is available here. Owned by T B Thomas & D Venske. Pedigree Sire Bletchingly (AUS) 1970 Dam Bon Cher (NZ) 1985 [By Sir Tristram (IRE) 1990] Description 31yo CH Gelding Trainer Grant Walker Owner T B Thomas & D Venske Total PM AUD $4,475 Career 1 Win (14%) - No Places (14%) - 7 starts Wins 1600m (1) At 19 Years Old 2nd BT BT Results 19 Jun 2012 SUNSHINE COAST INNER TRACK : Margin 1.0L Distance 400m SOT S Trial Time 0:24.68 MS B ANDREW Trainer TREVOR THOMAS Winner Laluscious 2nd Star Dragon 3rd Luna Azzura Nice thought Maria but that was actually the Hidden Dragon 3yo named Star Dragon. Don't you hate it when data gets it wrong ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Yes, unfortunate, and considering it looped back to so many other links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 5 hours ago, PWJ said: Yep Bon Cher ! At the time she went through the Trentham sale ring (photo) she was the most expensive yearling in NZ's history at $800,000 to Arthur Williams. Exactly 12 months later I went to work for Williams at Otaki and was appointed Racing Manager, with this regally-bred Sir Tristram filly as my responsibility soon after. There's quite a bit more to the story which I will share this afternoon as I have an appointment now. Well done Maria Rest of story: Anyway, no sooner had I assumed the role than I realized it was going to be a running battle with Arthur, with him unbelievably impatient to get the filly to the races (in all honestly he knew nothing about horses) and me, noting the late maturity suggested by her physique and development, wanting to leave her until a 3yo to start getting serious with her. During the first 6 months there as Racing Manager Arthur employed and sacked 4 different trainers. When it was agreed we should trial Bon Cher we settled on a maiden trial at Foxton. I phoned up the club secretary to make the entry and she jokingly said "who is training the team this week ?" I then realized that we were between trainers and anyway it was me who was deciding the work schedule, feed, etc. I told her we didn't have a trainer this week and she said "well, I can't accept an entry without a name". She joked "how about I put your name down?" I said "well, I train the damn thing anyway so you might as well !" So Bon Cher went to the Foxton trials, I saddled her up with P Jenkins next to her name in the trial program and she duly won ! You couldn't get away with that sort of thing these days but things were a little more relaxed then. I still have the trial program tucked away somewhere ! So that was my training career - UNBEATEN - 1 start 1 win ! I finally had to concede to Arthur to give her a start at two otherwise he was going to fire me. He had already fired three trainers, the vet and the farm manager in the first three months I was there ! So I scouted around and found the weakest 2yo race I could pinpoint - a midweek maiden juvenile at Hawera. I think Arthur had taken on a very young Roydon Bergerson by then, so we traveled up to the 'Naki the night before but when I arrived at the hotel (I think it was The Furlong or whatever) you wouldn't believe it but there was a TV1 news crew there to cover the debut of NZ's most expensive yearling. So I got interviewed and it was screened on the evening news - PJ a TV star hahaha ! I tried to play everything down as I knew she wasn't ready to do much. An educational run in the purest sense but the media had her down as a Champion in the making, of course. I think she went out favourite anyway. Walshy rode her, dropped her out at the jump and in the short Hawera straight she ran on to finish midfield (8th I think). Arthur was gutted, he didn't even come to the farm for a week or two. How I kept my job I don't know. Bon Cher was turned out until the Spring and I suggested an experienced top-flight trainer for her 3yo campaign. She went to O'Sullivans at Matamata and managed to break her maiden at Avondale over 2200m and then a couple of starts later won a highweight as a 3yo at Matamata ! At this point, I had left Ashford Park employment but was back within a few weeks as a two-day-a-week consultant (!!). I suggested we try and get some black type for her and by then Bergerson had opened a stable with Arthur's backing at Riccarton. She went down there and won back-to-back Listed stakes races in the Autumn. Task achieved. My last involvement with the filly was an ambitious one. She had developed too late as a 3yo for the Oaks in NZ but I suggested to Arthur we aim at an Australian Gr1 for her. She was packed on a plane and sent to legendary trainer Colin Hayes. Colin only had her 6 weeks but targeted the South Australian Oaks (2400m) and she ran a cracker of a race to be runner-up to Heavenly Body, a daughter of her own 3/4 brother Grosvenor, and therefore got her Group One placing. Grant Davison, who had ridden her in her two Riccarton stakes wins, went over to ride her. She returned to O'Sullivans after this but did little in a 4yo campaign and was retired and sold privately to an Australian breeder. Her first foal was a colt by the leading sire of the time in Bletchingly. Named King's Gambit, he raced only once and was "retired due to injury" and ended up as a stallion at Dunsandel in Canterbury where he left 10 winners including the Waimate Cup winner Wunderfein ! Bon Cher went on to have another 13 foals (!!), her last coming at age 22. She did leave 10 winners but nothing of stakes quality so was considered a failure at stud. In fact not one of her descendants - and she has 41 of them, has ever achieved a stakes performance. That's a very poor outcome given the outstanding family she hailed from. Her best performed descendant was Noble Jon, her son by Star Way. Noble Jon won 5 of 68 starts, his best win coming in the South Australian Grand National Hurdle over 3474m ! A Star Way winning a major hurdle - now that's stamina ! Despite all I did for this girl, she very nearly ended my life once. While still a 2yo I was showing her off one day to a visiting group of Japanese at the stable. She was in her yard but wouldn't turn the right way to give her best profile, so I ducked under the rail and took her by the head collar and straightened her up. The clicking cameras spooked her and she very quickly lost the plot and started kicking out. With no bit or lead it was time for me to exit and just as I ducked back under the rail she lashed out with a hind leg and smashed the lowest rail where my head had been a second earlier ! Closest I ever came to a horse causing me serious injury. Well there was one other but that's a story for another day... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 Who is this horse enjoying the surf ? Today's clue - one of his grandsires won The Derby and the other won the Maribyrnong Plate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Just a point of clarification... do you mean Kentucky Derby or Epsom Derby... and an Australasian Derby? 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 4 minutes ago, Dancing Show said: Just a point of clarification... do you mean Kentucky Derby or Epsom Derby... and an Australasian Derby? 🙂 THE Derby is the Epsom Derby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Thanks 🙂 I'll have a stab then, yes one of my wild stabs, at .. Strawberry Road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 4 minutes ago, Dancing Show said: Thanks 🙂 I'll have a stab then, yes one of my wild stabs, at .. Strawberry Road That's a very good stab and you are half right regarding the grandsires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 \o/ hurrah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 (edited) Canny Lad won the Plate, is that another grandsire? Now I'm thinking Redoute's Choice.. but is it? I think I've got my grandsire's all mixed up 🙂 I've got Nijinsky and Canny Lad all on the same side 🙂 Edited November 23, 2023 by Dancing Show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 23, 2023 Author Share Posted November 23, 2023 11 hours ago, Dancing Show said: Canny Lad won the Plate, is that another grandsire? Now I'm thinking Redoute's Choice.. but is it? I think I've got my grandsire's all mixed up 🙂 I've got Nijinsky and Canny Lad all on the same side 🙂 Nijinsky is correct for this horse. Not Canny Lad Today's clue - his trainer is still active today and from the same location. This boy ran 3rd at Ellerslie on his debut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngakonui grass Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 Is one of the grandsires Vain or Biscay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I'll have another wild stab 🙂 .. Poetic Prince ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngakonui grass Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 10 minutes ago, Dancing Show said: I'll have another wild stab 🙂 .. Poetic Prince ? Yes i would say.Ran 3rd on debut 11/4/87 Ellerslie then won next 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 7 hours ago, Dancing Show said: I'll have another wild stab 🙂 .. Poetic Prince ? Yes it is Poetic Prince - trained by John Wheeler. What was his post-racing career ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 Do you mean after a stint as a sire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Show Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 He was a good looker so I'm going to have a guess at dressage or eventing ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted November 24, 2023 Author Share Posted November 24, 2023 4 hours ago, Dancing Show said: He was a good looker so I'm going to have a guess at dressage or eventing ? He was a truly awful sire starting his career at Stockwell Stud in Victoria. 5 Listed winners from nearly 500 runners. Bundled off to Korea at age 17 where he failed for the second time. Died in 2009 at the age of 25. Very sad end to a great racehorse. I had a mare booked to him in his first crop and changed my mind. Dodged a bullet there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 Horse and jockey please ! First clue - His brother won a major 2 mile race Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWJ Posted December 13, 2023 Author Share Posted December 13, 2023 Today's clue: The 3rd dam of this horse won a major steeple at Trentham in the 1950s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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