First stakes performer for Dundeel
Nomothaj (royal blue) ridden by Mark Zahra trained by David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig winning the Listed 3AW is Football Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on 3 March 2018 - photo by Quentin Lang / Copyright - Sportpix
There were several Arrowfield stories out of Saturday’s $130,000 VRC Festival of Racing S. 1000m LR at Flemington, but the most significant result was the gritty effort by Dundeel’s son Irukandji for second.
The 2YO Hawkes-trained colt has been a star of Dundeel’s stud career since his $240,000 sale as a Magic Millions weanling by Riversdale, on behalf of breeders Roger Langley & Alison Hodges.
Purchaser David Kobritz’s Musk Creek Farm then returned to Magic Millions to sell Irukandji as a yearling for $500,000 to Spendthrift Farm whose Orange & Purple silks the colt carried to become Dundeel’s first stakes performer.
In fact, Arrowfield stallions dominated the finish of the race, won by Snitzel’s daughter Nomothaj with debutante Absaroka (by Redoute’s Choice) finishing strongly for fourth.
Watch Nomothaj & Irukandji quinella the VRC Festival of Racing S. LR.
Irukandji, New Zealand debut winner Cutadeel and twice-placed Sunreel have all emerged from Dundeel’s first seven runners and buyers of his second-crop yearlings have clearly been paying attention.
The 20 Dundeel yearlings sold at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast & Inglis Classic Sales averaged better than four times their sire’s $25,000 fee, with a top price of $280,000 paid for Arrowfield’s colt out of Opportunity by Duncan Ramage & Chris Anderson.
Dundeel’s likely affinity with Australian bloodlines is already evident in his first three performers. Cutadeel and Sunreel are both out of mares by Danehill sons Dylan Thomas & Danzero, while Irukandji’s Group-placed dam Cerberus Gal is by General Nediym from Danzero’s family.
Cerberus Gal has a yearling colt by Zoffany and a weanling full sister to Irukandji.
Dundeel has six colts on offer at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, which begins on Sunday, and they can be found in the Bombora Downs, Glentree, Henley Park, Phoenix & Three Bridges consignments.
The Inglis Easter Sale catalogue includes 12 Dundeel yearlings, among them five fillies & five colts in the Arrowfield draft – eight of them featuring Danehill sons as damsires or grand-damsires.
