 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2011
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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The Group 1 $180,000 Garrard's Sires' Stakes Series Final was a feather in the young siring cap of the Life Sign horse, Real Desire. One of his first crop in NZ is Lets Elope, a surprise but convincing winner in the 2YO feature over Western Cullen at Addington last Friday night.
Lets Elope had not been further back than fourth in five starts, but a wide draw on the front line of the gate and some minor health concerns leading into the race had put trainer Frank Cooney on the back foot. "I know Frank was not happy with him for quite a few days and almost scratched him," said his wife, Anne. "It was only the twenty-four hours before the race that he turned the corner and he was happy with him," she said.
Cooney gave him a good run in midfield on the outer, while Western Cullen had no luck early and Orl Black went rough and broke. He ranged up on the corner, and the immediate dangers were the Ken Barron-trained trio of Chancellor Cullen, Midnight Dylan and Franco Hemmingway who all travelled well with cover. But Lets Elope laid down the law, pushing on strongly, and Western Cullen arrived well but too late to make an issue of the finish.
Lets Elope is half-owned by Anne, along with regular stable clients, Peter Haslam and Warren Outtrim. He was bred by the Cooneys from Alta Vista, a Soky's Atom mare they bought as a maiden from Geoff Small's stable. "She did a good job for us, and could be ratty, but she won a race and that was a bonus," she said. Her first foal, by Dream Away, was Belle Vista who went to Barry Purdon's stable and won four, and the open class pacer Five Star Anvil was next.
With no strong choice of a stallion for Alta Vista three years ago, they went along to an open day to see what Alabar had. "We liked Real Desire as soon as we saw him in the flesh; big jowls - an old fashioned head. And because we train as well as sell, sometimes we can take a little more risk with our breeding.
Like the others from the mare, Lets Elope was heading for the Sales and was in the catalogue. "But then Frank started grizzling that he didn't have a good one to train, so we pulled him out well in advance," said Anne.
What they liked about him was his strong temperament. "He gave the mare a hard time. He was stroppy, but had attitude."
And soon they could see he had the natural speed to be a chance as a 2YO. Trying them at that stage and racing them at two and three was nothing new for Frank. "Kurahaupo Eden was very smart, so was Areeba and Aqua Blast won a heat of the Sires' Stakes. But we don't race them unless they're natural."
This year the Cooneys sold a sister to Five Star Anvil to Gareth Dixon, which came after "a rough week". "The mare left a lovely colt foal by Mach Three who had a wrye mouth. That was tragic and a big loss. Within a day or two of that we also put down our old labrador Grace and Tammy, the old cat."
Alta Vista is the dam of a yearling filly by McArdle, and this year the Cooneys are hoping for a filly by Bettor's Delight.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 25May2011