Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Her name is one synonymous with racetrack and breeding success, the wonderful mare Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar {Fr}) has her memory commemorated on Saturday by the running of the Listed Denise’s Joy S. - a $200,000 1100-metre dash for 3-year-old fillies.
Classy and durable, the Tommy Smith-trained mare won 13 of her 51 starts. She raced 10 times in Sydney and Melbourne two, winning the Listed Widden S. at debut en route to success in the G2 Bloodhorse Breeders S. at Flemington, also running second to Toy Show (Showdown {GB}) in the G1 Golden Slipper S.
Denise's Joy | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Her 3-year-old season was an even busier one; 18 starts in four states - five wins including the G1 VRC Oaks, the G1 Western Australia Derby and the G1 Queensland Oaks.
At four she kept on racing often and well, adding to her record a win over Balmerino (NZ) in the G2 Turnbull S. At five she won the G1 Underwood S. which attracted a particularly stellar field - behind her the likes of Vice Regal (NZ), How Now (NZ) (In The Purple {Fr}), Family Of Man, Gold And Black (NZ) (In The Purple), Ming Dynasty (Planet Kingdom) and Reckless.
At stud from 1977 until 1993, Denise’s Joy produced 10 named foals. Six of those made it to the track, three winners. Western Fantasy (Rancher) was a lightly raced city winner whilst Formidable Force (Kenmare {Fr}) made his way to a maiden victory in South Africa.
Joie in her 14th year at stud
It was looking for a while that Denise’s Joy was a rather disappointing broodmare but it was in her 14th year at stud that she struck gold in the shape of her G1 Queensland Oaks-winning daughter Joie Denise (NZ) (Danehill {USA}).
It has been in subsequent generations that Denise’s Joy has really made her mark - 81 stakes winning descendants including the Group 1 winners Bentley Biscuit (Peintre Celebre {USA}), Tuesday Joy (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}), More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}), Euphoria (Marauding {NZ}), Joie De Grise (Kenmare), Miss Danehill (Danehill {USA}), Arlington Road (Danehill), Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}), Thorn Park, Sterling City (Nadeem), Fenway (High Chaparral {Ire}), Secret Agenda (Not A Single Doubt) and Kementari.
More Joyous (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Thorn Park is one of her six descendants to sire stakes winners and she is ancestress of a stakes winner from just weekend - the G3 Ken Russell Classic winner Althoff (Written Tycoon) whose fourth dam is Joie Denise.
Denise’s Joy has descendants running with regularity and two of her stakes winners race on Saturday - Searchin’ Roc’s (Awesome Rock) lining in up the G3 Belmont Sprint in Perth whilst Wee Nessy (Snitzel) lines up in the G1 Doomben 10,000.
Fittingly last year’s running of the Denise’s Joy was taken out by Red Card (Ribchester {Ire}) who has the great mare as her sixth dam.
Red Card | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
She was the 11th winner of the race first run in 2013. So far only a handful of the race’s winners have had runners but one is already starring as a broodmare - Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock) taking this race out in 2017 as one of her four wins from just eight starts.
Her first three foals are all stakes winners including this year’s G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) as well as the four-time Group 3 winner Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) and the G3 Gimcrack S. winner Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar).
Miss Debutante | Image courtesy of Sportpix
A Classic race for a Classic broodmare
A $250,000 1400-metre event for fillies and mares, the G3 Dark Jewel Classic is named for a mare who didn’t set the track alight - though she did win three races - but who made a significant impact at stud.
10 of the 11 foals produced by Dark Jewel - a member of her illustrious sire Star Kingdom’s {Ire}) second-crop - made it to the races (the other sadly dying as a foal) - all but one of them being winners.
Between them they won 69 races, all at some stage of their careers trained by Fil Allotta who also trained Dark Jewel who was keen enough on her breeding prospects to buy her (for a reported 500 guineas) off the track before selling her on to Olly Tait’s grandparents Peter and Daisy Tait.
Dark Jewel did not hit the ground running as a broodmare though, her first two sons - Ginger Bread (Wilkes {Fr}) and Powella (Rawson {GB}) were both metropolitan winners.
Her first daughter Heirloom (Rego {Ire}) showed what Dark Jewel was capable of producing, winning five races at two - three of those in races now rated as black-type events. And at three she dead-heated with Anna Rose (Coronation Boy {Ire}) in the G1 1000 Guineas at Caulfield.
Betelgeuse (Wilkes) was Dark Jewel’s next runner; a 13-time winner who won every season from two till six with a couple of feature sprints on his resume.
Cabochon (Edmundo {GB}) was also classy and durable, winning 15 of his 70 starts between two and seven. Six of his wins are now black-type races including the G1 Stradbroke H. and the G1 Epsom H.
Amongst Heirloom’s feature wins at two was the G3 Maribyrnong Plate, a race won four years later by her sixth named foal Birthright (Rego {Ire}). Her next, Lucie Manette (Dickens {Ire}) was not so talented but did win twice in town - producing the cleverly named stakes winner Of Two Cities (Bold Tale {USA}).
Dark Jewel's masterpiece
Dark Jewel’s masterpiece was her eighth named foal Baguette (Rego {Ire}). Unbeaten from seven starts at two, he was the first horse to take out Sydney’s juvenile Triple Crown and he went on to win another five races which are now run as Group 1 events including the Newmarket H., the George Main S. and the Doomben 10,000.
Such was Baguette’s reputation that he was syndicated to stand at Kia Ora Stud for a then Australian record of $328,500. In the days of smaller books he was a successful sire represented by 19 stakes winners including four Group 1 winners.
The dam sire of 16 stakes winners, Baguette has had his name live on in pedigrees as the grandsire of the popular and prolific chestnut Rory’s Jester.
Rory's Jester | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Dark Jewel’s daughters continued on the good work of their dam and she is ancestress of another 38 stakes winners including the big race winners Cinder Bella (NZ) (Victory Dance {Ire}), Danglissa (Danzero), Spinning Hill (Dolphin Street {Fr}) and The Quarterback (Street Boss {USA}).
And she has one male descendant at stud - Kingstar Farm’s Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. winner Unite And Conquer. Her half-sister Nippy Vista (Port Vista {Ire}) also has a descendant at stud - Newgate’s dual Group winner Cosmic Force and she is also ancestress of the late Sebring.
Both Dark Jewel and Nippy Vista have descendants running on Saturday.
Regal Lion (NZ) | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
Last year’s Listed Ipswich Cup winner Regal Lion (NZ) (Jakkalberry {Ire}), who takes his place in the G3 Chairman’s H. at Doomben, has Dark Jewel as his seventh dam.
Descendants still running
And Razeta (Deep Field) - who is so aptly running in the Dark Jewel Classic - has Nippy Vista as her sixth dam.
Also apt is how many winners of the race have gone onto successful broodmare careers - six of them represented by stakes winners.
Sung (Anabaa {USA}) produced Darley’s G1 ATC Sires Produce S. winner Microphone whilst Chuckle (Danehill {USA}) is dam of the triple Group winner Crack Me Up (NZ) (Mossman) and the Listed winner Hoofit (NZ) (Mossman).
Microphone | Standing at Darley
Really Flying (Real Quiet {USA}) produced the G3 WATC Sires Produce S. winner Camporella (Exceed And Excel) whilst the popular mare Nanny Maroon (Alquoz {USA}) was represented by the Listed winner De Lightning Ridge (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).
Other winners of this race to foal Listed winners are Romare (Marscay) - Eramor (Stratum) and Rosa’s Spur (Flying Spur) - Members Joy (Hussonet {USA}). The latter went on to produce the dual Group 2 winner Pure Elation (I Am Invincible) who is in turn dam of Hip Hip Hurrah (Snitzel) who won the Listed Woodlands S. at this meeting last year.
