Owners' Newsletter - December

The highlight of our month was the great day’s racing on Boxing Day at both Caulfield, where Cocinero was successful in the Listed Christmas Stakes and at Moe where Sir Charlemagne and Dalooka were successful.

We have had a great December, with 48 starters (22% winners to runners) in the month to date, resulting in eleven wins, including two metropolitan winners (Cocinero and Kindrate) and nine country winners, namely Dalooka (2 wins at Moe), Rusky Ya Ya, Kindrate, Classy Lil, Midnight Blues, Satzero, Iwannabearichman, and Sir Charlemagne. Congratulations to all of those who have shared in these wins.

We trust that we have also contributed to the Christmas cheer of those owners involved with the other 17 starters who earned cheques during the course of the month. We have maintained our success ratio with 60% of our starters bringing home cheques.

The Stable Christmas Party was again a great success and our thanks go to those of you who were able to participate in this afternoon of fun and frivolity. Planning has already begun for next year’s event, which will be even bigger and better.

The coming days will see us all spending many hours in cars, please drive safely so that we can all continue to enjoy our racing in 2008.

On behalf of Shiranee and all of the staff I hope that you have a happy, prosperous and safe New Year.

Santa delivers

The fella in the red suit would have had to drop a fair amount of condition to fit down the Griffiths Racing chimney, but he’s certainly been trackside in the last week.

Between last Saturday (22 December) and Boxing Day, we presented seven runners at four venues for four wins (including a double at Moe with Dalooka and Sir Charlemagne), two seconds and a third. Boxing Day was particularly memorable with three winners and a third from four runners which included Cocinero’s Listed Christmas Stakes victory at Caulfield.

All up, the month of December has produced 11 winners – 28 money earners – from 46 runners for a ‘cheque’ return of over 60%.

I’m also happy to report that we’re currently sitting eighth on the Victorian Trainers’ Premiership with 25 winners for the season and, coincidentally, eighth in terms of winners to runners strike rate. It’s the latter figure that I’m especially pleased about ... we might not have the numbers compared to some stables, but when at least 53% of your runners bring home a cheque you know you’re heading in the right direction.

A Cocinero Christmas

Well, if you’re going to wait almost three years for a ‘drink’, it might as well come at Christmas!

The win of Cocinero in the Listed Christmas Stakes at Caulfield on Boxing Day was a tremendous result for his owners and, indeed the whole team at Griffiths Racing. Much has been made in the media about the 33 months between stakes victories for Cocinero but it should also be taken into account that during this period he has won at Flemington, Caulfield and Sandown, ran seconds in a Group Two (beaten a neck at weight for age) and a Listed race, ran thirds in a Group Two (again beaten a neck), a Group Three and Listed event, fourths in a Group Three and a Listed event and was only just over a length away when fifth in a Group Two. In fact, of the 28 starts to date, Cocinero has brought home a cheque in 23 of them.

I have to say he hasn’t always had the best of luck, but a couple of stakes wins and a neck second to El Segundo in a Group Two is pretty handy to have on your resume and the Christmas victory will definitely build his confidence.

Jumping from a good barrier at Caulfield, Cocinero ran the opposition a merry chase from the 200m and clocked 1.8.46 for the 1200m journey – just 0.72 seconds outside Miss Andretti’s course record. Great effort.

Meanwhile, Danzylum surely isn’t far off another win and produced a terrific third at Caulfield on Boxing Day: he was beaten a whisker at his previous outing and has now run two seconds and two thirds since winning at Geelong on 24 October.

Another consistent performer with four wins and nine placings from 20 starts.



Photo courtesy of Slickpix

Kindrate lands 'double'

Highly consistent mare, Kindrate, landed the Griffiths stable a double – 12 months apart – when taking out the Savoir Handicap over 1600m at Sandown on Saturday 22 December.

Destina won the same race for us last year and, ironically, had also won 2 of her previous 3 outings coming into the Sandown assignment.

Kindrate has certainly improved leaps and bounds this campaign with wins at Stony Creek (9 November) and Cranbourne (9 December) leading up to her Sandown victory. Prior to Stony Creek, she had recorded five placings from eight starts.

Part-owner and form guru, Deane Lester, has been sharing the ‘spoils’ with his 1900 disciples, tipping the mare at her last four starts: if you’d had $10 a win on her at her past four outings, there would now be $109 in the cunning kick. Not enough to retire on, but as a famous man once said, “you won’t go broke making a profit”.



Photo courtesy of Slickpix

Rich Man sales through

Iwannabearichman ... crikey, don’t we all?

Well, we had our chances at Sale on Monday (17 December) when the lightly raced Iwannabearichman was sent out a $5 hope in the 1200m sprint and won with a leg in the air. This son of Success Express is building up a nice race record and has now started on 9 occasions for 2 wins a second and a third. And he certainly appears to have an affiliation with Sale, racing there four times for two wins and a second.

Iwannabearichman is owned by the Brown family who sponsor a lot of races at Cranbourne (including the Cranbourne Cup) via their company – Brown’s Sawdust and Shavings.

Iwannabearichman is due to go around at Seymour on 2 January or Bairnsdale on 6 January and let’s hope the Browns can turn some more of those shavings into savings.

PS. I resisted the urge to use any puns, so I’ll leave you with a couple of lines from Fiddler on the Roof:

Tevye: As Abraham said, "I am a stranger in a strange land...”
Mendel: Moses said that.
Tevye: Ah. Well, as King David said, "I am slow of speech, and slow of tongue."
Mendel: That was also Moses.
Tevye: For a man who was slow of tongue, he talked a lot.

And just one more:

Perchik: Money is the world's curse.
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.

Satzero to hero

Big effort by Satzero to score at Tatura on Sunday (16 December), winning comfortably over the 1400m trip.

The 5YO by Danzero was trained to the minute and has been knocking on the door since resuming in mid-November after a six month break.

Running 7th first up (beaten only 1.5 lengths), Satzero should have won at Pakenham on 27 November where he was beaten less than a length into second place, but well and truly atoned with the Tatura victory.

Well done to all the owners and fingers crossed he can repeat the dose at his next outing.

Nothing Blue about this win

First off, I know I shouldn’t have horses running in races called the Cheesecake Shop 3YO Maiden Plate! (fortunately the cheque doesn’t come with a year’s supply of product).

All jokes aside, the win of Midnight Blues at Mornington on Friday (14 December) was a tremendous effort and Danny Brereton rode her superbly to snare the cream (OK, enough of the puns).

It was some run: Midnight Blues almost fell at the start and she looked gone for all money. But in the most miraculous performance since Lazarus sat up and asked who won the fourth at Jerusalem, Midnight Blues flew home and grabbed the verdict right on the line.

Part-owned and bred by Rob Crabtree, Midnight Blues has only had the three starts and this was the filly’s first run since July. And she’s certainly bred to be anything: a daughter of Champion European 2YO Distant Music, her mum is the Sydney stakeswinner Midnight Sun.

It’s a great family. Midnight Sun is a half sister to stakeswinners Frosty The Snowman, Russian Tea Room and, significantly, the 4-times Group One placed Scandinavia, dam of this year’s Group One winner Magnus, who will stand at Eliza Park Stud in Victoria next spring.

Kindrate flew late

What an incredible win by Kindrate in the Farmhand Fillies & Mares at Cranbourne on Sunday (9 December)!

She was seven lengths off the leader with 150m to go but absolutely flew to the line for a three quarter length win. Getting well back from the start, Kindrate would have been the greatest certainty beaten.

With 11 starts, Kindrate now has two wins and five placings – a very consistent mare.

It was great to see her win this race as we buy all our feed from the race sponsor (Farmhand at Cranbourne). What's more, the mare is also part-owned by form guru Deane Lester and fans of Deane's 1902 241 524 tipping service would have got the leg up on Kindrate if they'd let their fingers do the walking.

I have to say, Deano’s on fire at the moment, tipping the quaddie at the Valley last Friday night ... paying 44 grand! Nice little Christmas present there!

Danzylum - that stings

How unlucky was Danzylum at Caulfield last Saturday (8 December)?

He was home and hosed for all money, yet was beaten by 0.1 lengths. Well, that’s the official verdict – in my opinion he was beaten a bee’s dick and a circumised bee’s dick at that.

Gee, he’s been a good horse this bloke. Danzylum has now won four and finished in a place on eight other occasions from just 19 starts and we’ll be given him another bout at Caulfield on Boxing Day.

‘Bee’ ready for a win!

The Gift of Music

From my perspective, there’s two ways to buy Christmas gifts :

1. Wait until the last minute, head to the shopping mall and spend an hour trying to find a park, fight with the great unwashed to get served and then end up with something that has a ‘used by’ date of 26 December!

2. Get on the phone to me (0418 349 539) and buy yourself a share in a Distant Music 2YO colt – the gift that keeps on giving.

I’m not kidding, how can flowers, chocolates or jewelry compare with a share in a racehorse? (well, maybe jewelry finishes a short head second).

This Distant Music is so new on the books we haven’t even had an opportunity to put up a photo or many details at this stage, but I wanted to give you the heads up because I reckon the shares will go very quickly – especially at $2,000 per share.

I will say this – typical of the Distant Musics, he’s a lovely type and his dam, No Comparison, has already produced a winner and is from the family of multiple Group One winner and Champion Sire Imposing.

C’mon, be a little different this Christmas. Flowers don’t cut it and as for you girls, I can assure you, without any hesitation at all, that he’ll prefer that to socks!

Ya Ya ... yeah yeah

Rusky Ya Ya broke through for a deserved victory at Ballarat on Thursday (6 December), winning comfortably at the ‘mile’.

I’ve always had a high opinion of Rusky Ya Ya – he’d had four outings leading up to his Ballarat victory and I believe he’s got the ability to step right up to city class. In fact, such was the authority of his win on Thursday I might back him up at Flemington this Saturday or the following Friday at Moonee Valley.

Rusky Ya Ya is by the exciting young stallion, Delago Brom, who is off to a great start at stud. A son of the brilliant Encosta de Lago, Delago Brom stands at Eliza Park at Kerrie, Victoria and from all reports is again having a very busy season with a full book of mares.

Rusky Ya Ya, whose well-named mum Russian Ballet (by Baryshnikov) is closely related to the stakeswinners Dancing Dynamite and Winter’s Tale, was purchased from the Eliza Park draft at last year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale for $70,000. It was the most expensive Delago Brom sold in Melbourne in 2006 and if he goes as well as I reckon he will, he’ll be worth every cent.

Part owned by the Hair of the Dog Syndicate, there’s every chance that’s exactly what they’ll be looking for next Sunday morning!

Photograph courtesy of Slickpix

Miss by a 'Kiss'

Gene Simmons ... where are you when we need you the most? For those of you who missed 70s music (a lot of you by choice) Gene was front man for the rock band Kiss and was renowned for the size of his Robert Young (aka tongue).

I wish Slip of the Tongue had of slipped a bit more out at Ballarat (6 December) because I reckon that was the difference on the line. What a super run it was though and there is definitely more wins in store for this guy. Many of you will remember Danzero’s Golden Slipper victory in 1994 and he has gone on to be a fantastic sire, breeding a Golden Slipper winner himself in Dance Hero.

Slip of the Tongue is by a son of Danehill in Dangerous, while his dam Secret Speech is a half sister to Danzero (by Danehill).

Look at that

Super performance by Dalooka at Moe last Tuesday (4 December) in his first run back since July.

Coming from the outside barrier in a field of 12, Dalooka jumped right to the front and from there on in it was a matter of ‘how far?’. He won, eased up, by a length, while the third horse was a further seven lengths astern.

He’s another lightly raced horse and has only had the six runs – for three cheques – since January. He’s likely to start again at Ballarat next Sunday and don’t be the slightest bit surprised if he repeats the dose.