One door closed on Grant-Taylor when Abscond’s racing career was over before it had started, and a second opened when the mare quickly proved her broodmare value.
Abscond’s first foal was the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible) and her third foal Secret Blaze (Sizzling) won last Friday night’s G3 JRA Cup while another of her progeny, 3-year-old Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice), chimed in with victory at Sandown on Saturday.
“She has been a terrific mare for us and it seems to be with the odd numbers – the first foal, the third and the fifth have been the performers,” said Grant-Taylor.
Abscond is resident at Royston and Catriona Murphy’s Sledmere Stud and Invincibella sold under its banner for $185,000 to Star Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She went on to earn more than $3 million and was snapped up by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $1.3 million.
Invincibella, purchased by Tom Magnier for $1.3 million, is due to foal to Justify (USA)
Secret Blaze was bought out of Sledmere’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale consignment by McEvoy Mitchell Racing for $90,000 and his racing bank account now holds more than $710,000. Grant-Taylor wisely retained an ownership interest in both horses.
“An interesting snippet is that Invincibella is the highest stakes earner for I Am Invincible and Secret Blaze is the highest for Sizzling,” he said.
“An interesting snippet is that Invincibella is the highest stakes earner for I Am Invincible and Secret Blaze is the highest for Sizzling.” - Andrew Grant-Taylor
Extreme Flight was a $340,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale graduate with Anthony Cummings signing the ticket, but he is now in Anthony and Sam Freedman’s Mornington stable and has won two of his four starts.
Gallery: Extreme Flight winning at Sandown
Abscond is from the family of the G1 Adelaide Cup winner The Hind (NZ) (McGinty {NZ}) and the Listed Geelong Cup winner Oregon’s Star (NZ) (Oregon {USA}), but never got the chance to add further family racing honours.
“Abscond had plenty of ability and we thought she was a black-type horse. We had high hopes for her, but sadly she never got to the races," Grant-Taylor said.
“She got a cut on her leg from a bit of fencing wire or something and it must have nicked the bone and caused it to throw a spur at right angles.
“Abscond had plenty of ability and we thought she was a black-type horse." – Andrew Grant-Taylor
“The cut healed and she went to Greg Bennett to work her up and then sent her to the late Guy Walter. She was going to be my Oaks filly being by Galileo and from a stout family.
“He rang me and said what is this lump on her leg? I said I hadn’t seen her for two years and had no idea. It turned out that she’d had this bone spur and the muscle was running over it and causing all sorts of problems."
Abscond made just one public appearance, finishing ninth in a barrier trial for trainer Gordon Yorke.
“We got the spur removed and it took months to heal and we got her all the way back to make her race debut. On race morning after scratching time, she did a tendon and never started," he said.
The family continues
Abscond’s Spirit Of Boom colt sold this year to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $275,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale and she produced a Russian Revolution filly last year. She is currently back in foal to I Am Invincible through a foal share with Yarraman Park Stud.
“We had a lot of heartache with Abscond, but she’s certainly delivering in spades now,” said Grant-Taylor, who also had an ownership interest in dual Group 1 winner and sire Turffontein.
Spirit Of Boom x Abscond (colt), purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $275,000
He enjoys the breeding advice of Randwick Bloodstock Principal Brett Howard and the success of Abscond has put the spotlight on the future of the Russian Revolution filly.
“I posed that question to Brett recently, is this the one I should keep out of the family. I would like to make sure I have a filly out of Abscond,” Grant-Taylor said.
“It’s up in the air, if Russian Revolution comes out running with his 2-year-olds and Secret Blaze kicks on and Extreme Flight does a bit more she will be worth a lot of money. A bird in the hands is worth two in the bush, so I’ll probably take the punt.
“Brett has been instrumental in guiding me along for the last 10 years or so, he’s a wonderful judge I enjoy his advice and support.”
Secret Blaze, winner of the G3 JRA Cup
A decision will be made on Abscond’s next mate following the arrival of the I Am Invincible foal.
“We’re sitting on the fence at the moment. She’s a big mare and Brett was always of the opinion that we got away with Invincibella because she was a first foal so he wants to see what comes out,” Grant-Taylor said.
“If it’s a lovely foal we might be tempted to ask the boys at Yarraman to do another foal share.”
Karaka origins
The Abscond story dates back to a 2002 buying trip to New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale with Grant-Taylor purchasing her dam Luminata (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), a subsequent two-race winner, for NZ$250,000.
“I thought of it as a learning experience and came home with two horses,” said Grant-Taylor, with Kidnapper (Red Ransom {USA}) also secured for NZ$60,000.
“I thought of it (Karaka) as a learning experience and came home with two horses.” - Andrew Grant-Taylor
“Kidnapper’s been a wonderful mare and between her and her kids we’re up to 15 class records and her grandson Meet Mr Taylor holds the 1000 metre course record at Eagle Farm,” Grant-Taylor said.
The star of her brood has been Cape Kidnappers (Commands), winner of the Lightning H. and Chief de Beers H. at Listed level.
“We had a lot of fun with the family, Kidnapper was my sprinting mare and Luminata my distance mare,” Grant-Taylor said. “We decided not to put Luminata back in foal this year.”
Cape Kidnappers won nine races, as has half-brother and Listed placegetter Racecourse Road (Show A Heart), who was bred with Rob Zuttion and both parties are in the ownership group.
“Rob and I are still trying with Kidnapper, who unfortunately lost her foal in June and she’s gone back to Better Than Ready,” said Grant-Taylor, a pharmacist by profession.
“I’m still in the business and opened a new one last year, which I didn’t think I would be doing, but my eldest daughter is a pharmacist. My wife is also a pharmacist and it’s about handing the baton over now.”
