The Willis family has been breeding horses from Mittagong since the early 1990s, and this week, at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, the Rheinwood Pastoral team will celebrate 30 years of breeding thoroughbreds on the Southern Highlands property.
It’s a marvellous milestone, one that recalls the likes of Group 1 winner Albert The Fat (Magic Albert), Dark Jewel winner So Anyway (General Nediym) and stakes performers Final Fantasy (Chimes Square), Dottoressa (Dr Grace {NZ}) and Insistence (Black Hawk {GB}), among others. All were raised on the paddocks at Rheinwood Pastoral Co.
Ray and Kirsty Willis invite you to inspect the Rheinwood Pastoral Co. draft at Riverside Stables, located in Barn F.
Lot 9 - Kermadec (NZ) x Rakitno (filly)
Lot 9 is a bay filly by Kermadec (NZ) out of the three-time city placed, two-time winner Rakitno (Not A Single Doubt). She is the first living foal for her dam, a half-sister to the stakes-placed Moonee Valley winner Zellindi (Bel Esprit) from the family of the G3 Aurie's Star H. winner Shanghai Warrior (Elvstroem) and the dual-Listed winner Perfect Feeling (Spinning World {USA}).
Her pedigree brings together the prolific full brothers Sadler's Wells (USA) and Fairy King (USA), giving her a 5 X 5 cross of the terrific mare Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}).
Her G1 Doncaster H. and G1 George Main S.-winning sire is proving to be a reliable source for quality performers; he was well represented by two Group 1 winners in 2022, Montefilia and Tuvalu.
Lot 192 - Russian Revolution x War Baby (filly)
Lot 192 is a chestnut filly by Russian Revolution out of the talented, tough and consistent mare War Baby (Warhead), a nine-time winner who also figured in the placings on 21 occasions - amassing in excess of $310,000 in prizemoney.
War Baby is out of a half-sister to the Listed Canterbury S. winner Paco Rabanne (NZ) (Kreisler {Ire}) from the family of the stakes winners Laura's Express (Prego {Ire}), Laura's Charm (Encosta De Lago), Corton Charlemagne (King Charlemagne {USA}) and Kugelhopf (Akaaber {USA}).
Her sire, Russian Revolution, has made a great start to his stud career with the dual-Group-1-winning sprinter represented by five stakes winners in his first two crops.
Bred on a 4 X 4 cross of the speed influence Snippets, this filly also boasts a cross of the prolific broodmare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}), a proven high-class line-breeding subject who appears via her high-achieving son Nureyev (USA) and grandson Fairy King (USA).
Lot 375 - Shalaa (Ire) x Dilemmas (filly)
Lot 375 is a bay filly by Invincible Spirit's (Ire) proven son Shalaa (Ire) out of the lightly raced placegetter Dilemmas (Lonhro) whose 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale colt - also by Shalaa - fetched $260,000 to the bid of Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA).
Dam of the durable and classy Morton's Fork (Ad Valorem {USA}) whose eight wins include the G2 Sandown Guineas and the Listed Christmas Cup, Dilemmas is a half-sister to the G2 Autumn S. winner Pied A Terre (Ad Valorem).
Dilemma's two-time winning dam Masonette (Grand Lodge {USA}) is a daughter of the fast five-time stakes winner Shavano Miss (Hand Crafted) who also produced the G3 Tokyo City Cup winner Graceful Encounter (Dr Grace {NZ}).
Lot 467 - Harry Angel (Ire) x Happy Pilgrim (colt)
Lot 467 is a bay colt by Harry Angel (Ire) out of the three-time sprint winner Happy Pilgrim (Congrats {USA}) whose first foal First Crusade (Nicconi) has won five of his 16 starts with more to come. The dam's second foal, Contarelli (Caravaggio {USA}), sold to Darby Racing for $210,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO's in Training Sale.
Happy Pilgrim is one of the 11 winners produced by the two-time winner Pilgrim (Danehill {USA}). Pilgrim is the dam of the stakes-placed city winners Snipzu (Snippetson) who is the dam of the talented G1 Golden Slipper-bound Don Corleone (Extreme Choice), and Paredo (Better Than Ready). She is also a half-sister to the G1 Ranvet S. winner and Rheinwood Pastoral homebred, Arkady (Myocard {NZ}).
By a dual-Group 1 winning sprinter whose first local crop has produced the stakes winner Arkansaw Kid, this colt can also claim amongst his relations the stakes winners Olonana (More Than Ready {USA}), Super Savings (Secret Savings {USA}) and Paris Petard (Mujahid {USA}).
Lot 508 - Astern x Jewelled Gate (colt)
Lot 508 is a bay colt by the in-form G1 Golden Rose S. winner Astern whose 3-year-olds Aft Cabin and Golden Mile have proven themselves amongst the best of their age this season.
His Listed Nivison S.-winning dam Jewelled Gate (Hurricane Sky) is doing a great job with all of her five foals to race being winners including the 2021 The Kosciuszko winner, Group 3 placed, multiple city winner and earner of in excess of $1.5 million Art Cadeau (Artie Schiller {USA}) and the metropolitan winners Beckoning Light (Sebring) and Lord Desanimaux (Dalakhani {Ire}).
This is also the family of the stakes winners Maestro's Mischief (Salieri {USA}), Master Vision (Scenic {Ire}) and this colt's third dam Signal To Noise (Baguette).
Lot 524 - Yes Yes Yes x Kishida (colt)
Lot 524 is a colt by the exciting first-season and The Everest-winning stallion Yes Yes Yes out of the lightly raced winner Kishida (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) whose family really know how to find the finishing line - her Japan based half-brother Up Bang (Jpn) (Eishin Flash {Jpn}) being an 11-time winner.
And it is a high-class family too, producing a number of Japanese topliners including Horse of the Year Air Groove (Jpn) (Tony Bin {Ire}), the Champion Older Female Admire Groove (Jpn) (Sunday Silence {USA}), the Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) and the G1 HKJC Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Rulership (Jpn) (King Kamehameha{Jpn}).
Kishida's dam is a granddaughter of Japan's Champion 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Filly Dyna Carle (Jpn) (Northern Taste {Can}) and this colt boasts crosses of the excellent mares Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}).
Lot 570 - Written By x Love A Rose (filly)
Lot 570 is a chestnut filly by Widden Stud's exciting first-season sire Written By, a G1 Blue Diamond S.-winning Written Tycoon horse who has already been represented by the G3 BJ McLachlan S. winner The Novelist and two stakes-placegetters.
Her dam Love A Rose (Magic Albert) is a two-time-winning half-sister to the stakes-placed, 14-time-winning Singapore-based galloper Super Winner (Kaphero) out of the Caulfield winner Millie Rose (Testa Rossa).
Line-bred to the great speed influence Vain, this filly also boasts duplications of the outstanding mares Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
This is also the family of the stakes winners Dancing Dynamite (Yeats {USA}), Salsonic (Hinchinbrook), Bump And Run (Kenvain), Razamataz (Prego {Ire}) and this filly's fourth dam Winter's Dance (Bogan Road).
