The Dennis brothers have multiple Group 1 successes to their credit in New Zealand and Australia, and now have a chance to crown all their achievements when The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel) represents them in Tuesday’s G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
They bred the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained 5-year-old and race him with several partners after he failed to meet his NZ$150,000 reserve at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.
The Chosen One was the first horse to carry the Dennis brothers' colours in the Flemington feature when unplaced, but only 5.2l off the winner Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}), 12 months ago.
The siblings have created a memorable breeding legacy, with virtually all their horses named with the prefix 'The', over the last 60 years. Three-time Group 1 winner The Phantom (NZ) and his full brother The Phantom Chance (NZ) (Noble Bijou {USA}) who won the 1993 Cox Plate, among the standouts.
The Phantom ran in three Melbourne Cups and finished runner-up to Kingston Rule (USA) (Secretariat {USA}) in 1990 after finishing fourth the previous year behind Tawrrific (NZ) (Tawfiq {USA}).
The Phantom (NZ) (pink silks, inside)
The Chosen One and The Phantom are distant relatives, with Tony Dennis hoping their current star might go one better than the old legend on Tuesday following a brave effort for third in the G1 Caulfield Cup.
“He was brilliant in the Caulfield Cup and he didn’t stop, I thought he was strong to the line,” he said. “He’s got a good barrier and the draw is so important in these big races and a big field.
“He was brilliant in the Caulfield Cup and he didn’t stop, I thought he was strong to the line.” – Tony Dennis
“Hopefully, he can get a nice possie and Daniel (Stackhouse) can get him to kick on again. He’s run second in the G1 Sydney Cup and was strong to the line that day as well.”
The Chosen One is a son of The Glitzy One (Flying Spur), who won eight races up to 2500 metres and was a Group 3 placegetter while his grandmother The Jewel (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) was a two-time Group 1 winner for the brothers and was successful in the G3 Doomben Roses.
Love of racing
The Dennis brothers inherited their love of racing from father Harold and prepared their first horse to race in 1960.
“The Budget was the first one we trained to win a race, but it all began when my father bought Eager Lady, I think he paid 70 guineas for it, to start it all off,” said Tony Dennis, whose son Robert is also a trainer.
“She was supposed to be in foal, but it turned out she wasn’t so he bred a Defaulter horse called Calm Fault and it won the Welcome S. at Riccarton at its first start. The next horse he bred was called The Wanderer and it won 18 races.
“We started his training when he was a 6-year-old and he was still winning open sprints as an 11-year-old.
“We’ve had this breed for seven or eight generations and it started with The Kurd, who was out of Eager Lady.”
“We’ve had this breed for seven or eight generations and it started with The Kurd, who was out of Eager Lady.” – Tony Dennis
Dennis, who shared the 2015 Outstanding Contribution to Racing award with his brothers, has no idea how many winners the family has been responsible for, but it’s well into the hundreds and climbing.
“A couple of the mares had over 40 wins between them and it has branched out so far now,” he said. “If you just take The Chosen One’s line, you go from The Kurd to The Pixie, who left The Dimple, The Twinkle and The Fantasy and others.
“Then there’s The Grin and they are all stakes winners and then it goes to The Jewel and The Glitzy One and on to The Chosen One.”
The Dennis brothers when awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Racing award at the Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards in 2015
When asked of the best of the family’s breed, Dennis was loathe to single one horse out, but placed The Phantom, his brother The Phantom Chance, The Jewel, The Winkle and The Fantasy in the top bracket.
“It’s hard to know who have been the best horses from these families and it’s hard to compare horses from different eras,” he said.
“The Phantom and The Phantom Chance were great horses, you don’t win Group 1 races in Australia without being a top horse.
“The Jewel was another top Group 1 horse and so was The Twinkle, who we trained, and The Fantasy also won 18 races for us.”
Group-winning mares
The Twinkle (NZ) (Gate Keeper {GB}) won 15 times, including the G1 Chardon Mile, while half-sister The Dimple (NZ) won 16 races with three at Group 3 level and left the G1 Auckland Cup winner Irish Chance (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) and The Jewel’s stakes-winning dam The Grin (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}).
The Twinkle’s sister The Fantasy (NZ) , whose winning tally included four black-type races, produced former New Zealand Horse of the Year The Phantom and The Phantom Chance.
The Pixie (NZ) (Mellay {GB}), The Fantasy and The Grin all also won New Zealand Broodmare of the Year titles.
The brothers, who have also sold horses over the years to Australia, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Bahrain and New Caledonia, continue to breed from offshoots of the family from a boutique broodmare band.
“In all the years we’ve been breeding, we’ve only bred from six or seven mares a year. A couple of years we had 10 or 11 and then down to three or four,” Tony Dennis said.
“In all the years we’ve been breeding, we’ve only bred from six or seven mares a year.” – Tony Dennis
“This year, we’ll have five foals. The Precious One is in foal to Savabeel and so is The Diamond One – we’re in half-shares with Tony Rider on her.”
Milan Park’s Rider also shares in the ownership of The Chosen One and bred and sold Cup rival Oceanex (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).
“We’ve got The Pearler who is in foal to Ribchester. We’ve always tried to go to proven sires and that doesn’t put weak links in, but occasionally we’ll have a punt on a new season sire if we think it matches up and the price is okay,” Dennis said.
“The Lustre and The Sparkle went to Per Incanto and The Dazzler is in foal to Proisir and The Solitaire is in foal to Per Incanto.”
The siblings were on track at Flemington last year to watch The Chosen One, but for obvious reasons will have to stay put on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be an exciting day no matter what and we’ll all get together with family and friends at a function and see what happens,” he said.
