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Golden Melody gives Belardo first winner at Haydock; Another country cup for Heptagon;Marc Devcich appointed General Manager at Cambridge Stud; Opacity to have short break before spring; Windsor Park bids farewell to Falkirk
Golden Melody gives Belardo first winner at Haydock
Multiple Group One winner and Haunui Farm shuttle sire, Belardo recorded his first winner on Sunday when Golden Melody scored at the first time of asking at Haydock.
The juvenile filly, trained by William Haggas, started 4-1 co-third favourite in the seven-runner novice event over 1200m and ran out an eye-catching two and a quarter-length winner over Star Of Emaraaty.
James Doyle, the winning jockey, was impressed with the filly's professional attitude and ability.
"They said Golden Melody was quite professional in her work and she showed it there. Once she got organised she powered away nicely."
Belardo, a son Lope de Vega, was also a debut winner at two. He went on to win the Listed Washington Singer Stakes (1400m) at Newbury before capturing his first Group One in the Dewhurst Stakes (1400m).
His three-year-old season was marred by near-misses with a number of Group placings before he went on at four to claim the Gr.1 Lockinge Stakes (1600m). He then finished runner-up to Tepin in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) in what was voted the best male performance of Royal Ascot 2016 and resulted in him retiring with a Timeform rating of 126.
Belardo's first crop of southern hemisphere progeny sold in January at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Sales series where he achieved a Book 1 average of $106,000 with a top price of $210,000.
Belardo's service fee for the coming breeding season is $10,000 plus GST.
Another country cup for Heptagon
New Zealand-bred six-year-old Heptagon provided jockey Dean Yendall with an armchair ride to a popular win in Sunday's Swan Hill Cup (1600m).
Well-supported to start the $2 favourite, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Heptagon didn't disappoint his backers with an easy three length victory over Sircconi and Achernar Star.
Kent was full of praise for Yendall's ride on Heptagon and indicated the son of Jimmy Choux, who is prepared from the team's Warrnambool base, could be given a shot at next month's Listed Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Flemington.
"It was a perfect ride and he was given every chance," Kent said.
"That (Winter Championship) was in the back of our mind pending him going on with it.
"We'll get him home, he'll have a week at the beach and the aim will probably be to get him to Flemington."
Heptagon was raised and sold by Bradbury Park. He was offered on behalf of Nearco Stud at the 2015 Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka and bought by Price for $150,000.
Heptagon is the elder half-brother to Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) winner Emily Margaret and has now won nine races and A$478,000 in prizemoney.
Marc Devcich appointed General Manager at Cambridge Stud
Well-respected and widely-experienced horseman Marc Devcich has been appointed to the role of General Manager at Cambridge Stud.
Devcich has been involved in the thoroughbred industry since his school days and has previously worked at Highview Stud, Windsor Park Stud and Mapperley Stud, in various roles.
In Australia, he has enjoyed stints at Segenhoe Stud and Widden Stud and in the United States at Dixiana Farm in Kentucky where a highlight was foaling down the future Epsom Derby winner Benny The Dip.
Devcich, 47, will take up his role on June 15, leaving nearby Henley Park, a successful agistment and sale preparation operation, in the capable hands of his wife Sarah.
"It's exciting and a real privilege to be General Manager at Cambridge Stud. It's an iconic farm and a world-renowned nursery, I'm really looking forward to the challenge," Devcich said.
"I'm delighted and really looking forward to working with such a dedicated and passionate team of people."
Chief Executive Henry Plumptre said Devcich was a great fit for Cambridge Stud.
"I have known Marc and Sarah for 25 years and they are a quality couple. Marc is exactly the right person for Cambridge Stud.
"He has a great reputation and the experience we need. He has run a successful business himself and understands the fundamentals of running a stud farm properly."
Opacity to have short break before spring
Trainer John O'Shea has opted not to press on further into winter with promising Ocean Park gelding Opacity.
Opacity continued a rise through the grades with a narrow win at Randwick on Saturday in the third start of his campaign, taking his overall record to five wins from seven starts.
Immediately after the race O'Shea mentioned Opacity could back up this Saturday in a bid to further boost his rating, but the stable has announced the rising four-year-old will instead be sent for a short break.
"He's pulled up great and will head to paddock for short break ahead of a spring campaign," O'Shea said.
The Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) have been mentioned among the spring options for the rising four-year-old.
Opacity was purchased by Champion Thoroughbreds principal Jason Abrahams for $70,000 from the Landsdowne Park draft during Book 1 at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2018 National Yearling Sales.
Windsor Park bids farewell to Falkirk
Emotions stirred at Windsor Park Stud recently when their team said their final goodbyes and paid tributes to their old mate and resident sire Falkirk.
Succumbing to the infirmities of aging, 20-year-old Falkirk was laid to rest at Windsor Park, the farm where he was born and raised and where he had enjoyed a successful stallion career following equally successful exploits on the racetrack.
Falkirk was an unbeaten Group winner in four New Zealand starts before embarking overseas to win further Group races in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
His confirmation among Australia's best sprinters secured him an invitation to Royal Ascot where he finished fourth in the Gr.1 King's Stand Stakes (1000m) prior to his final start in the Gr.1 July Cup (1200m) and retirement to Windsor Park.
At stud Falkirk has sired winners in excess of $20 million, including numerous stakes winning gallopers headed by Hong Kong Derby (2000m) winner and $2 million earner Fay Fay.
"Falkirk is an integral part of Windsor Park's success story", Windsor Park co-owner and studmaster Rodney Schick said.
"We purchased and raced his grandmother, bred and raced his Group winning dam Madam Valeta with our good friend Alan Burnet, with whom we also bred and raced Falkirk.
"Falkirk has been very special to us for many years and we will miss having him around. We are fortunate to have a few of his daughters to breed on with now including Supreme, the dam of this seasons leading two-year-old filly Play That Song."
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