Written by Paul Vettise
Morning Rise Stud ended its week on a high with a double trans-Tasman strike and also had the added satisfaction of seeing its colours carried to victory by the promising 3-year-old Overkill (Fastnet Rock).
The McClure family’s boutique farm, located at Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, also enjoyed success in the auction ring on the opening day of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale to complement its results on the track.
The homebred Overkill is prepared by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and his success at Moonee Valley on Friday evening was his second win from three appearances. Ironically, he was to have been sold, but for a throat problem.
“He’s looking quite good and the trainers have an opinion of him so fingers crossed. He’s a colt who had a throat issue so we couldn’t take him to the sales, but it’s been no issue at all,” Robert McClure said.
Morning Rise's Barbara and Robert McClure
Overkill’s brother Packing Rockstar, trained by Lauren Brennan, won at Ellerslie on Saturday for the second victory of his brief career and they are sons of the dual Group 1 winner Anabandana (Anabaa {USA}).
“I bought her off the track at the end of her career. The first colt we sold went to Hong Kong, but unfortunately he was involved in an incident on a water walker there,” McClure said.
“I bought her off the track at the end of her career.” – Robert McClure
“Then Packing Rockstar was the second one and he went to Hong Kong and ended up in New Zealand. He was very strong at the line, he was just dominant.
“Anabandana foaled a filly by I Am Invincible and she’s had a history of problems. She’s a 2-year-old and had a fracture in her neck so she won’t be racing and I’ll be keeping her as a broodmare.”
Anabandana was subsequently offered in foal to I Am Invincible at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale last year and was purchased by Graham and Linda Huddy under their Peachester Lodge banner for $440,000.
“We have a two phase operation. We’ve got 20 broodmares at Red Hill on the Peninsula, which we own, and we also share a number of mares with Coolmore and they’re with them in the Hunter Valley,” McClure said.
The McClure's have 20 broodmares at their Red Hill property
Sale success
Morning Rise had a small draft at the Melbourne auction and highlighted by an American Pharoah (USA) filly, Lot 119, who was knocked down to Alderson Racing for $180,000 and its Astern colt, Lot 226, went to World Wide Bloodstock for $70,000.
The daughter of American Pharoah is out of the North American stakes-winner Dance To My Tune (Can) (Stravinsky {USA}), who also finished runner-up to the great Zenyatta (USA) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Santa Margarita Invitational H.
Lot 119 - American Pharoah (USA) x Dance To My Tune (Can) (filly)
Dance To My Tune, whose three foals to race have all been successful, sadly lost a filly by No Nay Never (USA) and is in foal to Churchill (Ire).
The son of Astern is out of Jessica Ann (Fastnet Rock), an unraced three-quarter sister to the G3 Nakayama Lord Derby Challenge S. winner Fiano Romano and the second dam is a half-sister to the G1 Santa Anita Gold Cup winner Cupid (USA) (Tapit {USA}).
Lot 226 - Astern x Jessica Ann (colt)
Morning Rise will also offer a pair of Fastnet Rock youngsters through the Coolmore draft at next month’s Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale.
Lot 296 is out of the winning Za Moulin Rouge (Street Cry {Ire}) from the family of Group 1 winners Tavago (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), and the siblings Grosvenor (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) and National Gallery (NZ) and the former Australian Horse of the Year Lankan Rupee (Redoute’s Choice).
Lot 452 is a daughter of the G2 Edward Manifold S. winner Fontein Ruby (Turffontein), who is a half-sister to the G1 Thorndon Mile winner The Mitigator (Master Of Design) and the family of the Group 2 winners Infinite Grace (Prince Of Birds {USA}) and Pretty In Pink (Sebring).
