More Than Ready (USA) logged more frequent-flyer points when he touched down in Australia on Saturday morning. Chris Burke at IRT summed his amazing shuttle record up by saying “I think we will need to find a new category of frequent flyer status for him.”

The Vinery champion arrived safe and sound for a 17th southern season in the Hunter Valley.  He will quarantine in Melbourne before travelling to Vinery in time for the Stud’s stallion parades on August 26 & 27.

He’s the world’s most experienced shuttle stallion and that all comes down to the phenomenal success he’s had in both hemispheres and his temperament. “To successfully travel stallions depends heavily on their temperament and More Than Ready has the best,” Quentin Wallace from IRT commented.

And it was business as usual on the racing front with 2yo debut winners in the USA and England on Friday following the appearance of another promising 2yo for owner-breeder Bob Peters in Perth.

Peters and his wife Sandra are staunch supporters of More Than Ready and have been rewarded with a black-type roll-call headed by Group 1 winners Dreamaway (WA Derby) and Perfect Reflection (Kingston Town Classic).

They have another promising filly on the horizon named Sally’s Realm.  The Vinery-bred 2yo won a Lark Hill trial last week and has been nominated to debut at Belmont this Wednesday.

Sally’s Realm is a sister to Better Than Ready who won four stakes sprints in Sydney and Brisbane before retiring to stand at Lyndhurst Stud in Queensland.  She cost $320,000 out of the Vinery draft at the 2016 Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Mayyasah claimed the first-leg of More Than Ready’s juvenile double at Newbury on Friday.  She seized control at the furlong for a smooth two-length victory in the EBF Fillies Stakes (1200m).

Trained by Richard Hannon, Mayyasah is owned by Al Shaqab Racing after making €160,000 (AUD 231,625) at the 2016 Arqana yearling sale.  Her dam Whipsaw City (Elusive City) won three races and was stakes-placed at Saint-Cloud and Churchill Downs.

Catholic Boy also won first-up in a Gulfstream Park turf maiden over 1500m.  He settled in the back-half of the field before making a three-wide move to challenge the leaders at the top of the lane.

Under strong handling from Carlos Montalvo, he drew off for a two-length score carrying the colours of prominent New York owner Robert LaPenta.  Catholic Boy’s dam Song of Bernadette (Bernardini) is a half-sister to Return To Paradise (Arlington Hatoof Stakes-LR).

It’s still early days for the North American juvenile division but More Than Ready has already sired four individual winners.  The Steve Asmussen-trained colt Copper Bullet has been the best of them seen out so far this year.

Copper Bullet was a runaway 8-length winner at Churchill Downs in May clocking a very fast 57.76s for 1000m.  He followed up with a Group 3 placing in the Bashford Manor Stakes under the Twin Spires on June 30.

More Than Ready’s stature as a sire of sires is also assured with Sebring notching his 31st stakes winner courtesy of Supido (MRC Monash Stakes-LR) last Saturday.  His Vinery associate Pluck is another furthering the sireline with Group 1 spring prospects Aspect (Caulfield Guineas) and Mongolian Wolf (Caulfield Cup).