Petra Allen
PETRA Allen ran 30.24 when as favourite she won a fifth grade at The Meadows on Saturday night.
No, the daughter of Fabregas-Erica Allen by Surf Lorian will never be a legend unless she can stay ... which could be a real possibility when looking at her pedigree. She has won five races, all of them at The Meadows.
Her mother Erica Allen won eight races but was a finalist in the Zoom Top, Superstayers, Summer Plate, Bold Trease and McKenna Memorial. Her mother Maple Bale is a wonderful producer producing Group star Lamia Bale.
But what interested me about the pedigree of Petra Allen is her pedigree, yet another Fabregas out of a daughter of Surf Lorian proving successful.
Tina Womann and Dennis Trewin will beg to differ, but Surf Lorian probably should have won the 2004 Group 1 Winter Carnival Cup instead of running fourth behind Trewly Special.
Surf Lorian (Just The Best-Barrio Fiesta by West Cape) was held up for numerous runs during the race and was flattened on the home turn. But the dog struggled to walk properly for virtually six months after that.
Surf Lorian carried a sciatic nerve problem for ages. Weekly treatment was needed for six months when at stud before the dog could gallop properly again. Just how good was he!
After that Cup fourth, Surf Lorian retired instantly and went to stud where the Group winner and multiple track record breaker proved a huge success. His first season at stud saw him produce champion Slater and he carried on from there.
Surf Lorian has NOT been a sire of sires. His three crosses of SONS of Brother Fox were never going to allow him to do that. The best way to mate him was to bring in outcross influences.
And that virtually sealed the fate of his sons to moderate (at best) results at stud.
But, Surf Lorian was an absolute "cert" to become a great broodbitch sire. Being in-bred 3x2 to the litter brothers Amerigo Man and West Cape (out of the wonder bitch Promises Free), had to allow him to pass on this strength of female lines.
Surf Lorian's daughters are goldmines.
Those daughters are doing particularly well with Fabregas.
That's because Fabregas' third dam Star Witch is bred identically to Surf Lorian.
Star Witch and Surf Lorian both come from the Credibility sireline, both carry New Tears and also the brothers West Cape and Walkabout Sid. They are a fabulous "balance" for each other.
The 29.40 Wentworth Park winner Opus Forte (a Group finalist) is by Fabregas and his dam is a daughter of Surf Lorian.
The multiple feature race winner Fabulous Bill (Flying Amy Classic, Thomson Memorial and Group finalist) is by Fabregas from a daughter of Surf Lorian.
Vic Peters finalist Explosive Madame is by Fabregas from a daughter of Surf Lorian.
There are many, many more examples and the city winners bred on this cross are growing in numbers all the time.
Petra Allen is just one.
DUNDEE Calypso (Barcia Bale-Crown Poker by Boris Reigns) is building an impressive career, adding to her list of wins with a 41.93 victory at Sandown last week.
From 38 starts she has won eight and been placed 15 times for $46,000 in stakes (stats courtesy of the Recorder's fabulous new website).
The bitch has already been a finalist in the Group 1 Superstayers.
I love her pedigree, showing a 5x3 cross of the littermates Bobniak and Paris Willow (Farloe Melody-Paris Match).
Surf Lorian's studmaster Tony Apap got Paris Willow to breed with and naturally he put her to the stud's champion sire Just The Best.
From the mating came Chat Line a winner at Meadows over 600m and 720m, at Angle Park and a number of country Victorian tracks.
Chat Line was mated to Boris Reigns to produce Crown Poker a Sandown winner among her four victories and 14 placings. Her litter also included Many Talents (17 wins), Pakenham Lass (14 wins) and Jo's Got Jazz all very powerful gallopers.
Mated to Barcia Bale, Crown Poker is the dam of Dundee Calypso.
This is the direct damline of famed Osti's Shadow, dam of Paris Match but also of her litter sister Pilgrim's Star (G1 Albion Park Gold Cup and TR) and also Jessica Casey (GOTY, G1 Nat Sprint, G1 Egg).
Interesting that Jessica Casey was a very poor breeder having just a few pups from litters to Barneys Alarm, Farloe Melody and Hay Dinney.
The Jessica Casey branch of this famous family ended when her granddaughter Bondi Mary was mated to History Lesson (to bring in a 2x3 to half sisters Shadow Osti and Jessica Casey) but neither of the two bitches from this litter were bred with.
It is amazing how lines rise and fall. Dundee Calypso is intensely in-bred to the Osti family and this will prove to be a huge influence when she retires to stud.
Personally, I could not get her to My Bro Fabio quick enough. It will strongly link the litter brothers Where's Pedro and Hallucinate ... and reinforce the Osti family once again.
