Stratheden Stud

Strathedens Assertive Lad relations at Gold Coast sale

December 22, 2008

By Brian Russell

Aassertive Lad, the best of the many good horses to come off the Marheine�s quality Stratheden Stud in Peel river country on the western perimeter of Tamworth in north western NSW, has two relations by top notch sires in their consignments for next month�s Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast that appeal as good investments for both racing and breeding.

One to be offered at the first session is a Commands colt out of Sounds Assertive, a three-quarter sister by Zeditave to Assertive Lad (an Australian champion at two and three, winner of eight races, including the AJC Sires� Produce Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Doncaster Handicap and Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic, a Golden Slipper third and earner of $3,358,275), and to his distinguished sister Assertive Lass.

One of the best fillies of her time at three, Assertive Lass won seven races, including the AJC Flight Stakes, Light Fingers Stakes and STC Coolmore Classic, finished second in the AJC Australian Oaks and picked up $749,800 in prize money.

Assertive Lad, an $110,000 investment for Gai Waterhouse at the Magic Millions yearling sales, was gelded and in consequence unable to transmit his excellence on, but his sister Assertive Lass, a mare now owned by Darley, is a very valuable broodmare. All her five runners from six foals have been winners and have included two successful in stakes races, one of them the unbeaten Zabeel product Reset, a sire of winners from use at the Darley studs in Australia and England.

Assertive Lass�s success as a producer also boosts the credentials of the other relation in the 2009 Magic Milllons sale catalogue. It is an August 30 foaled filly by the Danzig grandson Testa Rossa, a champion Australasian sprinter at three and six times Group1 winner now based at the Vinery Stud near Scone, and is from Quadrophonic Sound, a half-sister to Assertive Lad and Assertive Lass.

Stratheden are offering two fillies by Testa Rossa, a 12-year-old sire represented to date by over 200 winners of 500 races and $16.3million.The other is from Wadderwin, a daughter of Danewin and the Marscay stakes placed Nawadder.

Overall, the line up of eleven lots representing Stratheden in the Gold Coast select catalogue appears the strongest they have entered. One of two Flying Spur colts, Lot 155, shares with a Starcraft filly on account of the Kulani Park Stud, the distinction of being the oldest yearling listed, both being born on July 25. They are among nine late July foals in the select sale catalogue.

Stratheden�s early Flying Spur colt, one which is two to four months older than many of the other yearlings in the catalogue, is from the Sydney Listed winner Tivoli Dancer, one of the early daughters of the Snippets VRC Australian Guineas winner and first class sire Pins to go to stud.The yearling�s breeding is very similar to that which produced AJC The Galaxy winner Magnus, a son of Flying Spur and a Snippets mare.

Judy Marheine, the very accomplished horsewoman who runs the Stratheden stud and who has been prominent on the NSW Thoroughbred Breeders� Association for some years, is also contributing yearlings to the second section of the Gold Coast January catalogue, including all of the seven lots by the versatile galloper Manner Hill, a son of Danehill and the magnificent racemare Mannerism.

Raced by a partnership including the Marheines, Manner Hill had two light seasons in NSW and then was provided with commercial opportunity at Danny Rose�s Cherokee Rose Stud at Lancefield in Victoria. The 2009 Gold Coast yearlings were got at this stud, one at which he has had books of 93 (2005), 82 (2006) and 96 (2007).

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