Brought to you by James Harron Bloodstock
For any venture which sets out with the aim of producing stallions with commercial appeal in Australia, there is no race higher on the dream list than the G1 Golden Slipper, one which has shaped the breed in Australia now for sixty years. This was the path which we took at James Harron Bloodstock at the 2015 yearling sales, and in the first year of the project the dream has come true with one of those purchases, Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), coming home in front for a thrilling victory in the sixtieth Golden Slipper, in doing so becoming the first horse ever to take out the Breeders' Plate, Magic Millions 2YO Classic and Golden Slipper treble.
Capitalist, also a 'TDN Rising Star' comes from a pedigree and a family with a rich Golden Slipper history, with four separate Slipper winners within his first four generations. His sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia {Aus}) brings in Slipper blood through stallions Marscay (1982 winner) and Vain (1969), while his dam Kitalpha (NZ) (Fusaichi Pegasus) is out of a half-sister to 1996 winning filly Merlene (Aus) (Danehill), who is out of Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Bold Promise (Aus), a daughter of 1977 Slipper winner Luskin Star (Aus). A quick look at these Slipper winners can quickly highlight the importance of the race in breeding terms, along with a scene-setting mention of the very first Slipper winner.
The placing of the Golden Slipper as 'the' stallion making race of Australia was established in the very first edition, won by Todman in 1957. Todman was the first of an incredible five consecutive Slipper winners for his sire, the imported English sprinter Star Kingdom (Ire). Todman's exploits would lead to his sire taking out the 2-year-old sire's premiership that year, and Star Kingdom would go on to be the Champion Sire of Australia in the following season. This was the first of four successive sire championships for Star Kingdom, a title he would regain once more for five in total. Todman also established the Slipper as a source of important stallions by siring two winners himself, Eskimo Prince in 1964 and Sweet Embrace in 1967.
Star Kingdom's place at the top of the sire tables was interrupted for two seasons in the mid-sixties by another imported stallion, Wilkes, who came from France to stand at Newhaven Park. Wilkes would provide three Golden Slipper winners, the first of which was the first of those mentioned above in Capitalist's pedigree, Vain, who was a juvenile masterpiece. A winner of 12 of his 14 starts, Vain was unbeaten in four Melbourne starts prior to the Golden Slipper, though it was Sydney filly Special Girl who be sent off a 4/6 favourite in the main event. On the day Vain was imperious, accounting for his field by four impressive lengths. Vain would go on to become a Champion Sire himself in 1983/84, siring the Slipper winners of both those years – Sir Dapper in 1983 and Inspired in 1984.
A grandson of Star Kingdom, Luskin Star is the second of the Slipper winners in Capitalist's pedigree. Like Capitalist he began his career with an impressive victory in the Breeders' Plate at Randwick, taking out one of the two divisions by an astonishing twelve lengths. Despite a blip in one of his preparatory races, Luskin Star produced one of the all-time great 2-year-old performances in taking out the Golden Slipper by a widening seven lengths. He would go on to win 13 of his 17 starts, and become a Champion first-season sire in 1980/81. His leading earner was a filly called Bold Promise, who in the days where the Magic Millions race was split into a fillies and an open division, won both seven days apart.
Bold Promise leads into another of the Golden Slipper winners in Capitalist's pedigree, as she is his third dam, and at stud would produce three group winners. Chief among those was Merlene, winner of the 1996 Slipper. Merlene is a daughter of another import who would dominate the Australian leading Sires' list – shuttle stallion Danehill who filled the top spot on no fewer than nine occasions, and provided another Slipper winner and subsequent Champion Sire – Flying Spur.
The final Slipper winner to mention from Capitalist's pedigree is Marscay, winner of the 1982 edition. The first of four winners for legendary jockey Ron Quinton, Marscay would himself go on to sire a Golden Slipper winner when his daughter Bint Marscay took out the 1993 edition, clinching her sire the second of two Sires' premierships. In taking out the Golden Slipper in such impressive fashion Capitalist puts himself into this historic and elite category, marking himself as the most exciting stallion prospect in Australia. From the team here at James Harron Bloodstock we thank wholeheartedly everyone who contributed to this magic day. From the trainers Peter and Paul Snowden, who have got this colt to his peak three times, to jockey Blake Shinn who once again delivered an ice-cool ride and most of all to the owners who got behind the project and made the whole thing possible – Henry Field, SF Bloodstock & Matthew Sandblom of Newgate Farm, Belinda Bateman, Fergus & Delia Doyle, John & Fran Ingham, Donna & Rob Love, Gary Diamond, Danny Saab, Mary-Anne Holland and Dan & Linda Alford.
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