HUGE START TO NOVEMBER

It was a big week at the office for Griffiths Racing, kicking off November with four wins, three placings and a Flemington fourth from just 10 starters.

Miss Bianco got the blood flowing at Kilmore last Sunday when she won her Maiden over 1207m after running a bold third at her previous outing.

She’s obviously a filly with potential as the Kilmore victory was only her third start. A daughter of Bianconi, Miss Bianco is out of a mare called Jesmond Tutu which has to be one of the best names I’ve heard all year.

Both Miss Bianco and Jesmond Tutu were bred by Rangeview Thoroughbreds, who have retained a share in the former. Hailing from the family of Canny Lad and Canny Lass, Jesmond Tutu was unraced so it was great to see Miss Bianco get up for Rangeview. Persistence pays!

Cup Day was definitely memorable for Griffiths Racing with Danzylum scoring at headquarters in the last event on the program, while Recipient (2nd) and Slip of the Tongue (3rd) both put in big efforts at Echuca.

Robbie has worked absolute wonders with Danzylum who was scoring his third win on the trot on racing’s biggest day. I was talking to part-owner Tony Penglase a week prior the race and he was lauding Robbie for all his efforts with Danzylum. I notice he didn’t tip me into his horse at Flemington though … thanks Tony!

Keep an eye out for Recipient by the way. A 3YO by Untouchable, he was having his first run for Kevin and Tanith O’Brien (of Gold Edition fame) and don’t be too surprised if he pops up in the winners’ circle at his next start.

Recipient is out of the Success Express mare, Pickabox, and is a full brother to … you guessed it: Bob and Dolly.

For those of you who can’t remember black and white TV – yep, that’s right, there was a time BP (before plasma) – Pickabox was one of the most popular shows on the small screen and was hosted by Bob and Dolly Dyer. Here endeth the history lesson.

Moving along to Thursday (6 November), Hold That Tiger filly Titian Star was having just her second race start at Warrnambool but obviously doesn’t like company much – leaving the pack behind by eight lengths over 1400m. And yes, I’ve checked the official margin: eight lengths!

Keeping with the theme, Titian Star is out of a mare called Opera which I reckon is fairly fitting the way she won at the ‘bool. The old saying “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings” originates from Richard Wagner’s 15 hour opera ‘Ring Cycle’ in which a, shall we say, largish woman dressed as a female Viking, ends proceedings by belting out a tune. As she is wearing a horned helmet and carrying a sword and spear you’d want to come up with the right answer if she asked: “does my bum look big in this outfit?”.

The roadshow shifted to Stony Creek on Friday and Sorority Girl, having her first run in four months, cleared out by three lengths over the 1100m to notch up a second career win.

Sorority Girl, a daughter of Storm Cat stallion Stravinsky, is a half sister to Group Two winning 2YO and sire Happy Giggle, and was purchased by Robbie at the 2006 Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Finally, to the last day of the Flemington Cup carnival and, while Griffiths Racing didn’t come home a winner, Robbie almost snared the last of the day (shades of Cup Day) with Count to Zero and also grabbed fourth with Midnight Blues in the Mares race.

Count To Zero came close to claiming win No. 10 at Flemington, running a bold second to Rightfully Yours.

It would have also been Robbie’s second win with a Danzero horse over the carnival and even more reason to check out the two Danzero 2YOs which Robbie purchased at sales earlier in the year.

Good way to book your seat at next year’s carnival!

DANZYLUM DOUBLES UP

What about Danzylum! Another great win at Geelong yesterday (22 October), following on from his victory at Wangaratta 12 days earlier and this evergreen 5YO just keeps getting better with age.
Danzylum now has six wins and 11 placings from 29 starts and this is only his third run back this time in.
We mentioned after his Wang win that Danzylum’s a half brother to dual Group One winner Landsighting, but it’s also worth pointing out that he’s a son of leading sire, Danzero.
Hailing from the first crop of the legendary Danehill, Danzero captured the 1994 Golden Slipper and was raced, in part-ownership, by Griffiths Racing client, David Kobritz, who also raced 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero.
Anyway, back to Danzero … retired to Arrowfield Stud in NSW, Danzero has subsequently produced over 400 winners including his own Slipper winner in Dance Hero, plus Group One winners Fairway, Niconero, Danglissa, Jymcarew and Sanziro.
Standing at a fee of $27,500 he’s probably about the best value sire in NSW and has a winners to runners strike rate of around 62%.
Robbie picked up a couple of Danzeros at this year’s sales and, surprisingly, there’s a couple of shares still available. One is from the Carnegie mare Dance Belle – “a real Danzylum lookalike” according to Robbie – while the other is Kenmare mare, Frisky Lady, whose dam is a half sister to Slipper winner and successful sire, Star Watch. Robbie snapped up this young miss as her reminded her a lot of another Danzero topliner in Permaiscuous.
Check out their details by clicking here.
By the way, the name Danzylum is obviously a combination of Danzero and his dam, Political Asylum and, to finish off, I scoured the internet for an asylum joke, but strangely enough I couldn’t find anything funny about trainers!
This will have to do:
A man decides to have a face-lift for his birthday. He spends $5,000 and feels really good about the results. On his way home, he stops at a newsagent and buys a paper. Before leaving, he says to the sales assistant: “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how old do you think I am?”
“About 35,” was the reply.
“I’m actually 47,” the man says, feeling really happy.
After that, he goes into McDonalds for lunch and asks the kid at the counter the same question.
The reply is, “Oh, you look about 29”.
“I am actually 47.”
Later, while standing at a bus stop, he asks an old woman the same question.
She replies, “I am 85 years old, and my eyesight is going. But when I was young, there was a sure way of telling a man’s age. If I put my hand down your pants for 10 minutes, I will be able to tell you your exact age.”
As there was no one around, the man thinks, What the hell and lets her slip her hand down his pants.
Ten minutes later, the old lady says, “Okay, it’s done. You are 47.”
Stunned, the man says, “That was brilliant. How did you do that?”
The old lady replies, “I was behind you at McDonalds.”

DAN'S THE WANG MAN

Danzylum made a welcome return to the winners’ circle with his victory at Wangaratta last Friday (10 October), running home solidly over the 1400m journey.
The winner of five and placed in 11 other starts, Danzylum had no luck in the autumn, but seems to produce his best around this time of the year.
Last spring, for instance, he won at Geelong, then ran third and second at the Valley and second and third at Caulfield.
The year prior he won his maiden at Wangaratta on 13 October, then ran seconds at Seymour and Moonee Valley.
A more mature horse now, don’t be surprised if Danzylum wins a couple more this time in.
After all, Danzylum’s half brother Landsighting was a winter 4YO when he won the Stradbroke and an autumn 5YO when he took out the George Ryder Stakes.

COOL CAT

Cat Storm was a good thing beaten on his debut at Seymour on 27 September, but turned it all around with an emphatic victory over 1100m at Bendigo on 9 October.
Robbie must have thought he’d run over a cat at Seymour with three seconds (all of them running the winner to within half a length), but knew Storm Cat would be tough to toss at his next outing.
And so it was with Ivan Culliver riding confidently and scoring with a panel to spare.
Robbie purchased this son of Tale of the Cat at last year’s Magic Millions on the Gold Coast and has a high opinion of the horse.
Robbie puts a lot of thought into yearling purchases, poring over catalogues until well into the night and inspecting them thoroughly at sales (and often times during private inspections at farms many months prior to a sale).
There was a lot to like about Cat Storm’s immediate family though, he before seeing him for the first time: four of Cat Storm’s half brothers and sisters had been to the track and four of them won.
Cat Storm has made it a full house and, based on his Bendigo victory, might well end up being the best of the five.