LATEST NEWS FROM THINK BIG STUD P/L

100’s Of THOUSANDS

While the five and six figure fee stallions hold the attention carnival time our budget stallion Pendragon went about his business as usual this past weekend. His son Killarney Kid racked up his 14th career win pushing his earnings over $500,000 while Budderoo Knight won his 7th race and $160,000 in earnings also. Already the earner of over $150,000 Colour Of Money chalked up another metro placing. Other progeny Beaudragon & Our Dragon ran placings while $700,000 purchase Miss Gunpowder was unplaced this time, but she did take on the big guns in the Group 1 Rupert Clarke Stakes having herself previously earned over $550,000 in prizemoney.  At a four figure fee of only $5,500 Pendragon is still punching during spring carnival time with multiple runners earning 100’s of thousands.

For more information contact:
Fiona Mylan
BRISBANE MEADOW Pty Ltd
brisbanemeadow@gmail.com
0434634438

So You Want to Breed a Cup Winner?

Breednet - Media Release - Monday, 20 November 2017

Much has been written about the difficulties of buying or breeding the winner of one of our iconic Cup races here in Australia, but this stud believes they have the answer.

Now standing at Brisbane Meadows on the Southern Highlands, Pendragon is a proven sire of iconic Cup winners having sired Mercurial Lad to win the time honoured Snake Gully Cup at Gundagai last week, Alfred the Great to win the Bong Bong Cup for James Cummings last year and Colour of Money to win it the year before for Cummings in 2015.

Country racing has never had it so good and a good country Cups horse can be a great money spinner for the owner breeder.

Alfred the Great has won over $70,000 in prizemoney, Colour of Money has won over $112,000 and Mercurial Lad has won over $150,000!

It's been a great month for Pendragon, who has sired eight winners since November 1 including four on Melbourne Cup Day.

Among those winners is lightly raced Sky Boy, who scored a dominant victory at Canterbury on November 1 for Anthony and Edward Cummings before heading south for a crack at Black Type.

Sky Boy drew the outside in a field of 14 on Oaks Day at Flemington in the Listed VRC Seppelt Wines Stakes over 1800 metres and did a great job to grab third at just his fifth race start.

Given that Pendragon's stock just get better and better with maturity, he looms as a certain future stakes-winner as his career unfolds.

For owner breeders looking to produce a horse to have fun with over a period of years and collect cup type trophies to adorn 'the pool room', Pendragon is a low cost, proven option priced at $5,500.

He has 57.6% winners to runners with 71 of his 127 runners emerging as winners headed by Group II winner Miss Gunpowder, who sold for $700,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale this year as a racing/breeding prospect.

For broodmare owners considering Pendragon, time is on the wing, but it's not too late.

Breeding late in the season is not a negative with some of our best horses foaled on the cusp of summer. 

VRC Oaks queen Pinot was foaled on November 3, ten-time Group I winner So You Think on November 11 and the mighty Lonhro on December 10, so a foal born in late spring has no less chance of finding racetrack success than any other.

For more information contact:
Fiona Mylan
BRISBANE MEADOW Pty Ltd
brisbanemeadow@gmail.com
0434634438

PENDRAGON's CUP WEEk 2017

While the big gun stallions and their lesser regarded peers produced a nation full of runners, $5,500 fee Pendragon played his part in Cup week. From Derby day to Emirates day he sired 4 winners, 4 place getters and the promising lightly raced stakes getter Sky Boy who was placed in the Sepplet Wine Stakes Listed on Oaks Day. The latter Sky Boy won his second of four career starts the previous week at Canterbury which prompted the quick back up at Flemington. Bargain hunters can source Pendragon at Fiona Mylans Brisbane Meadows Stud in the Southern Highlands before the season is over on 0434 634 436 or brisbanemeadows@gmail.com. November born foals continue to excel in Cup week including Pinot (Oaks), Merchant Navy (Coolmore), Lulvaluva (Wakeful) and our former champion So You Think (born 10th November). 

THE FORMER BEER SALESMAN TRAINING HORSES FOR DATO

Story by Ben Dorries - Racenet - 04 Jul 2017

Former beer salesman Chris Anderson has to pinch himself he is training horses for Dato Tan Chin Nam in the famous colours carried by champions like Saintly and So You Think. Trainer Chris Anderson - from beer salesman to training horses for Dato Tan Chim Nam. The up-and-coming Brisbane trainer started with just one leased horse five years ago and before that had worked as a beer brand manager.

Anderson built business from virtually nothing to the point where he had his first Stakes winner with Elegant Composure at Eagle Farm last November. But he has been blown away by the support he has received from Dato Tan Chin Nam, the Malaysian-born billionaire global property magnate. Anderson trains three horses for Dato Tan Chin Nam's Think Big Stud, including Datuk Zadragon which won at Doomben last Wednesday. And he will race Colour Of Money in the 2040m Handicap at Doomben on Saturday.

"I honestly can't believe I am training horses for Dato which run in the most famous racing colours in Australia," Anderson said. '"It came about because I've been taking visitor's horses into my stables for the last four or five years during Queensland winter carnival time. "Bart Cummings was bringing up horses and then his grandson James has stayed with me. "From there I got to know Duncan Ramage, who runs Dato's racing business in Australia.

"I went to the Inglis Yearling Sales at Easter and bought a couple of horses from the Think Big draft and things kind of snowballed from there." Anderson has only had Colour Of Money for one start since the horse came north from James Cummings' stable. The Pendragon gelding ran a creditable fourth at Ipswich over 1666m but Anderson thinks he will be much better suited getting out over more ground at Doomben on Saturday. Anderson has another of Dato Tan Chin Nam's horses, Subsolar, entered for a 1600m Class Three Handicap at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

mISS GUNPOWDER MAKERS HER MARK

10 June 2017

Pendragon mare Miss Gunpowder made a fighting victory in Saturday's $100,000 Listed Makers Mark Hinkler Handicap (1200m) at Doomben.

With a little over half a length covering the first five across the line, it was Miss Gunpowder scoring by a short half-head from Too Good To Refuse with Jimmy Rea (Thewayyouare) a head back in third.

Ridden by Craig Williams for the Lindsay Park team Miss Gunpowder won the 2015 Group II Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield when trained by Phillip Stokes.

The Group One Tatts Tiara (1350m) at Doomben in a fortnight is on the cards for the 4yo mare who was runner-up in the Group III Proud Miss Stakes at Morphettville at her most recent start.  

"She is a multiple black-type winner who has won at the distance. There is some improvement in her and she deserves a chance at the best company," co-trainer Tom Dabernig said.

"That race is very tempting and I am sure she will be right up to it.

"She has done well since arriving in Brisbane and I am sure there is improvement still to come."

A $60,000 yearling purchase by Stokes from the Think Big Stud draft at the 2014 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Miss Gunpowder advances her record to 6 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds 16 starts with earnings of $380,500.

She was sold a fortnight back for $700,000 to a syndicate headed by Neil Werrett and Steve McCann.

She is the second foal of imported mare Forever Rafter (USA).

 A daughter of the Storm Cat stallion Delineator, Forever Rafter is a half-sister to Group I Winter Stakes winner Absolut Glam (Snowland) and Listed Eskimo Stakes winner and Group I Galaxy Stakes runner-up Nobby Snip (Snippetson).

Forever Rafter (USA) was covered by So You Think last spring. 

Story by Mark Smith - Breednet.com.au

Mercurial Lad ditches wayward tendencies to triumph in TAB Highway Handicap

15 April 2017

Paul Jones had double the reason to smile at Randwick on Saturday as Mercurial Lad (by Pendragon) not only won but he also went straight.

The untapped three-year-old ran off the track at his past two starts at Canberra and Goulburn and still won but many felt his wayward tendencies would hinder his prospects in Saturday’s TAB Highway Handicap (1200m).

But the addition of a near-side blinker and pacifiers did the trick as Mercurial Lad went straight as a die down the Randwick straight to win by one length.

“He doesn’t do it in trackwork and I just can’t explain it,” Jones said about the horse’s erratic behaviour. “On race day he spots things in front of him and ducks away from them. The pacifiers (helped) and we added the one eye blinker that I think was probably the key gear (change).”

Co-trainer Jones is now considering throwing Mercurial Lad in the deep end this campaign.

“Obviously we can aim pretty high but we will go away and have a think about it,” he said. “He is still a three-year-old and there are Guineas races like Hawkesbury and Scone (coming up).

“He is bred to go a mile to 2000m so if we can harness that speed over a bit of ground it will be happy days.”

Underrated hoop Brodie Loy celebrated his first Sydney winner this season and deserves plenty of credit for helping iron out Mercurial Lad’s issues.

“He went straight and he was good as gold (today),” he said “He loves heavy tracks and that takes the other horses a couple of lengths back to him.

“I don’t know whether he will measure up in a Hawkesbury Guineas and it’s a big step up but if he keeps improving he will turn into a nice horse.”

Owners of Mercurial Lad couldn’t hide their delight at Randwick on Saturday. A Think Big Stud Ready 2 Race graduate, out of Mercury Lady purchased by Barbara Joseph for $40,000, the gelding has won just over $100,000 for his owners with four wins from only 10 starts including two seconds.

Story by Brad Davidson - Daily Telegraph

MULL OVER OPENS HER ACCOUNT IN STYLE

17 March 2017

This talented daughter of So You Think carried the same colours as her sire when racing to an easy victory at Newcastle on Friday.

Prepared by James Cummings, three year-old filly Mull Over opened her account at her third start when bolting away to win by three lengths over 1600 metres.

Entered for the Group I ATC Australian Oaks on April 8, Mull Over will seek to get there via the Group III ATC Adrian Knox Stakes and certainly has the pedigree for an Oaks engagement.

Bred and retained to race by Dato Tan Chin Nam’s Think Big Stud, who enjoyed so much success with her sire, Mull Over is a half-sister to stakes-winning stayer Galizani and is the fourth winner from Zabeel mare Zahani, a daughter of Group I AJC Flight Stakes winner Danarani.

Zahani died in 2015 and Mull Over is her final foal.

Coolmore will offer a close relation to Mull Over at Inglis Easter, presenting an All Too Hard colt from her half-sister Galizani as Lot 150.

Champion racehorse So You Think goes from strength to strength and is the leading Australian Second Season Sire by earnings.

Story by Tara Madgwick - Breednet.com.au

MEGA MALL GOES BACK TO BACK

16 February 2017

Smart Think Big Stud bred 3yo filly, Mega Mall (Pendragon x So Sydney) has notched up back to back wins in Class record time when winning the Fillies & Mares Class 2 Handicap over 1350m at Newcastle this afternoon.

After jumping well from the gates for jockey, Glyn Schofield, she settled midfield and was called upon as the field rounded the home turn, peeling to the outside and sprinting away from the field at the 200m to score a very impressive win by 1.8lengths over Pinchme with Fleeteor finishing third. 

Mega Mall clocked the quickest late splits of the day at this track on February 4 when winning a Benchmark 63 (1350m) comfortably last start and that performance came on the back of two eye-catching runs prior.

Mega Mall will now go for a well-earned break after a successful preparation which consisted of 3 wins, a second and two fourths and her total prizemoney inc bonuses now stands at $86,525.

Footnote: Mega Mall's second placing at Newcastle on 21 January has been upgraded to first after Lady Sansa was disqualified due to returning a positive sample.

EXCEPTIONAL RACEHORSES MAKE EXCEPTIONAL SIRES

10 February 2017

The famous colours of Dato Tan Chin Nam were carried to glory by champion racehorse So You Think and the highly talented Eurozone, so it's not surprising to see their offspring in the Think Big Stud draft for the 2017 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

The BOBS eligible draft of five features one quality filly by So You Think and four youngsters by Eurozone, whose progeny at this sale are eligible to win the $100,000 Newgate Farm bonus paid to the recorded buyer of any of his yearlings that return to win the 2018 Inglis Classic race.

Eurozone was a stylish winner of his only two starts as a juvenile before training on to win the Group II ATC Stan Fox Stakes. He also confirmed his class at the elite level with placings in the Group I MRC CF Orr Stakes and ATC Randwick Guineas.

His sire Northern Meteor, was the Champion Australian First Season Sire of 2012/2013 with 18 first crop winners to his credit, so there is every reason to believe Eurozone can follow in his footsteps and make a quick impression next season when his first two year-olds hit the track.

See the draft at Stable 2 H2 – 6

Story by Tara Madgwick - Breednet.com.au

MELBOURNE CUP CHAMP SAINTLY DIES AGED 24

16 December 2016

"Saintly, the horse from heaven, has gone home. He gave us so much," Anthony Cummings tweeted.

Saintly lived out his retirement years at the Cummings family property at Princes Farm, at the foot of the Blue Mountains on the banks of the Nepean River.

Trained by the late Bart Cummings, Saintly was crowned 1997 Australian Horse of the Year for his racetrack deeds during the 1996/97 season which included wins in the 1996 Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

His first Group I success came earlier that year when as a three-year-old he toppled the older horses at weight-for-age in the Australian Cup before his memorable clashes with Octagonal, Filante and Nothin' Leica Dane in the Rosehill Guineas and Australian Derby.

In total Saintly won 10 of his 23 starts, four at Group I level, with earnings of more than $3.8 million.

Story Racenet