Newhaven Park purchased Odeum's dam, Movie (Red Ransom {USA}), through then agent Vin Cox for $65,000 at the 2008 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, and while her racetrack career did not quite live up to the Kellys' lofty expectations, she is experiencing considerable success as a broodmare.
From three horses to the track, Movie has produced the Listed winner Goodfella (Snitzel) and now a Group 1-winning filly in Odeum, who was dominant in victory in the Thousand Guineas on Saturday at just her fourth start for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
Newhaven Park sold Odeum for $400,000 through the 2019 Magic Millions Yearling Sale to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock and Kelly said the team at the farm has very much enjoyed the ride as she has progressed from a Moe maiden in August to a win against the best of her age on Saturday.
"It's obviously very thrilling for us. It takes a good horse to win a Group 1 at just their fourth start in their first preparation," he told TDN AusNZ.
"If you watch her in her three wins, she has won with her ears pricked every time. She looks like she might have a fair bit of potential. She's a lovely big, scopey filly and she looked terrific in the mounting yard yesterday. It’s quite exciting really."
"It takes a good horse to win a Group 1 at just their fourth start in their first preparation." - John Kelly
Kelly recalls a filly who always looked the part, and who created plenty of buzz when she was being prepared for sale.
"She was a lovely foal. We had two Written Tycoon fillies that year and they were both lovely. When Barry Bowditch and Clint Donovan came here from Magic Millions to inspect them for the Sale, they were really taken by her," he said.
"She was always very well-admired and Mick Price, Mick Kent Jnr and Sheamus Mills have done a great job with her."
Odeum as a yearling
What has impressed Kelly about Odeum's development is the patience her connections have shown with her. Despite it being a fast and precocious family, Price, Kent Jnr and Mills and the ownership group were prepared to wait until she was an early 3-year-old to take her to the track.
"They always thought she had plenty of ability and they have had the patience to develop that. It's a pretty early family that family, but they waited until she was three. They’ve done a lovely job developing her into a pretty nice filly. It looks like she has got a fair bit of improvement still to come," he said.
Odeum's victory on Saturday was one of a historic Guineas double for her sire Written Tycoon, who also had Ole Kirk win the G1 Caulfield Guineas. The last time a stallion had his progeny win those two races in the same season was back in 1976, when Sovereign Edition (Ire)'s Surround won the Caulfield Guineas and Savoir won the Thousand Guineas.
It was a fourth Group 1 success in the past 15 days for Written Tycoon, who also had Ole Kirk win the G1 Golden Rose S. and Pippie claim the G1 Moir S.
"He's always been a very good sire, Written Tycoon, and he came from pretty humble beginnings. He's had a few homes in his life, starting off in Queensland, then heading to Victoria and now Arrowfield," Kelly said.
"He's done a great job, and we have been going to him for quite a few years now. His last few weeks have just been phenomenal."
Movie's star on the rise
Kelly also sees Odeum's win was a fitting reward for Movie, who was a highly talented stakes-placed 2-year-old who was unable to reach her potential due to a setback in her first racing campaign.
"We raised her and she won her second start very impressively at Rosehill, but we probably raced her a bit quickly and she had a problem that took her a fair while to get over. She came back and she was never quite the same. We always thought she was very, very good," he said.
"As a broodmare, she has not let us down. Her first foal to the track, Savalas, he had a lot of potential and flipped over in the barriers at his first start. Danny O'Brien had a good opinion of him and he only had a couple of runs after that. She then had Goodfella, who was a very good horse, and then this filly."
Movie winning at Rosehill in 2008
Things weren't straightforward earlier on Movie's breeding career. She lost her first foal by Flying Spur, and then failed to produce a foal at three of her next five matings. However, things are firmly back on track now with three consecutive foals and another expected in the next few days.
Movie's dam Strawberry Storm (Thunder Gulch {USA}) was a Listed winner who only had two foals in her time with Torryburn Stud. She was a half-sister to Miss Barley (Fastnet Rock), the dam of Group 1 winner and leading The Everest contender Gytrash (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
Sticking with the family
With the profile of the page building considerably in 2020, Kelly said Newhaven is keen to continue to back the family.
It sold Odeum's half-brother by I Am Invincible at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $400,000 to Belmont Bloodstock but retained an interest in the colt, who is named Video and is in training with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
"Some guys bought him who are good clients and friends of Newhaven, Emmanuel Bloodstock, Seymour Bloodstock, Peter Kelly and Damian McEvoy. We're racing him altogether and they are all pretty excited," Kelly said.
Video as a yearling
"He's with Ciaron Maher in Sydney and he's in work. We are just taking him along steadily. They are very happy with him and I'd say with a bit of luck, he’ll trial in early November and if he is good enough, he'll get his chance to go north to the Magic Millions, or have a little break and get ready for the autumn."
Movie's Zoustar yearling filly is likely to be retained by the Kellys, with a view to continuing the family.
"She's not nominated for any sales at the moment and so we will likely keep her at home here. It’s a pretty exciting family when you consider Gytrash is from the third dam. It looks a family that is ready to come alive," he said.
Movie is set to foal to Zoustar in the coming days after which point, Kelly said there is one next logical destination for the now Group 1-producing mare.
"I guess I might need to call Arrowfield and see if they have got a spot. She's a lovely mare to mate and Red Ransom is proving really good blood in Australia. Written Tycoon looks the one we'd like to send her to," he said.
