Stratheden Stud

Three Easter Fillies from Breeders of Assertive Lad and Snowland

Since the Marheine family of the Hunter Valley purchased the Stratheden Stud at Tamworth under a decade ago they have become synonymous for the production of some of the best bred and quality yearlings presented at the William Inglis Easter sale. In fact they have had the pleasure of creating a new national record price of $1,500,000 for a filly and in addition found buyers for other yearlings at $700,000, $650,000 and $550,000.

The demand has not been surprising for in the short time of operation the Marheines have bred many winners on Stratheden including the champions Assertive Lad and Snowland.

They only have three yearlings, all fillies, for Easter 2006 but each of them has credentials that suggest they have the potential to reach Group1 level. One of them is by Encosta de Lago, the sire whose reputation got a further boost when two of his fillies, De Lago Mist, the winner, and Ulfah, were the first two home in the $302,000 Sires' Produce Stakes at Flemington on March 18. With fillies of their consequence among his progeny, Encosta de Lago should become a very fashionable broodmare sire.

His Stratheden yearling filly, Lot 216, is the first foal of Calming, a tough mare who won eight races and was successful in both Adelaide and Melbourne. She is bred on a cross of two other leading Australian performers in Zeditave and Rubiton and her dam was a sister to two stakes winners including Sanhedrin's Pride. He won 10 races including the Group 2 WATC Sires' Produce Stakes.

A Stratheden filly who could put the Gone West champion American sire Elusive Quality, a Darley shuttle sire, on the map in Australia when his first progeny race here next season is the one appearing as Lot 201 at the beginning of the night session at the Easter sale. She is a half-sister to four metropolitan money earners, all the runners from the brilliantly bred Biscara. Biscara is a half-sister by the very good broodmare sire Bluebird to two stakes winners including Marauding, a Golden Slipper winner and sire of two Slipper winners.

The second dam, Biscalowe, was a Biscay stakes winner in Melbourne who has gone on to have seven winners from nine named foals.

Stratheden is to open its Easter selling by offering an impressive looking brown filly by Emirates Park Stud's highly successful sire Secret Savings and from the good Brisbane galloper Sister Theresa. Dam of the Sydney winner Kenjasper, Sister Theresa is a half-sister by imported Melbourne Cup winner At Talaq to the Success Express champion filly Savannah Success, a classic winner and dam of Savabeel, winner of the AJC Spring Champion Stakes and MVRC W.S.Cox Plate and runner up in the Victoria Derby.

This filly's grandam, the Semipalatinsk mare Alma Mater, won the AJC Adrian Knox Stakes and was from Sweetie, a winner got by Without Fear from a daughter of Todman.

At Talaq, the sire of the dam of the Secret Savings filly, has become a very successful component in the production of good horses. So far his daughters have been responsible for over 260 winners and earners of $22million with the offspring including Mummify, Danger Looms, Truly Wicked and Bradbury's Luck. #

Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service

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