Australian-bred horses won 26 of the 37 races run at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week, including five of the eight Group 1 events.
The emerging sprinter Deep Field won his first Group 2 race for the locals, six individual G3 winners emerged and five runners had Listed success, making Cup Week 2014 the most successful for Australian breeders in a decade.
The chances of winning the Melbourne Cup in future years increased with the winner Protectionist to continue his racing career in Australia after which he will follow the 2013 Cup winner Fiorente to stand at a local stud.
The Melbourne Cup carnival also produced the first stakes winner for the ill-fated Beneteau when Prompt Return took out the G3 Maribyrnong Plate. Beneteau, who stood at Arrowfield Stud, died in January 2013. Prompt Return is from his first crop.
Beneteau is the 14th stakes-siring son of Redoute's Choice, who recoirded his 120th stakeswinner when Strawberry Boy won the Listed ladies Day Cup at Hawkesbury on November 6.
Prompt Return was bred by Ron Hamer and sold from the Newgate Farm draft for $60,000 to Blue Sky Bloodstock at the 2014 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale. Hamer, who retained a share in Prompt Return to race him with Mark Sowerby, also has a yearling full sister to the colt.
The colt's dam Prompt is a daughter of Exceed And Excel and the good New Zealand race mare Amnesia whose race record includes nine Group and Listed placings.
Prompt Return is the second of his dam's two runners to win, after Caulfield juvenile winner and stakes placed Diamond Glow.
Beneteau (Redoute's Choice-Slice of Paradise by Encosta de Lago) was sold by Arrowfield for $1 million to Blue Sky at the 2009 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and, in the hands of trainer Paul Messara, quickly proved to be one of Australia’s most exciting juveniles in 2010.
After a debut win at Randwick, he travelled to Melbourne to claim the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude G3 before finishing an unlucky third in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and fifth in Crystal Lily’s G1 Golden Slipper.
Beneteau joined the Arrowfield roster in 2011 and served 179 mares during two seasons at stud before his death in January 2013.
His second and final crop of yearlings will be offered in 2015.
The 6YO Strawberry Boy, racing for his owner-breeder John Singleton, was having his first start for trainer Chris Waller when he won first-up at Hawkesbury.
Strawberry Boy is the third stakeswinner out of US-bred Strawberry Girl (Strawberry Road), after Danroad and Newtown Jet. Strawberry Girl died last month, soon after foaling a colt by Not A Single Doubt.
Strawberry Boy's record now reads seven wins, five placings (four in Group company) and more than $380,000 prizemoney from only 17 starts.
Redoute's Choice has sired eight stakeswinners this season, including G1 winners Hampton Court, Lankan Rupee and Bonaria, and G2 winners Majmu (South Africa), Panzer Division and Scissor Kick.
