Casino Prince is the ultimate breed-to-race stallion and that’s been exemplified with four qualifiers in The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Tuesday.
The Vinery sire’s feature winners Caesars Palace (Coonamble Cup), Casino Kid (Dubbo Cup), Bandersnatch (Tamworth Cup) and She’s All In (Nowra Cup) made the final cut for the inaugural edition of The Big Dance. It’s worth $2million and will be run and won a half-hour before the VRC Melbourne Cup.
Caesars Palace is a homebred winner of $350,000 for trainer Anthony Cummings and Casino Kid is a breed-to-race earner of $445,000 for Newcastle-based Dan Morice. Bandersnatch and She’s All In were both value buys when their breeders decided to meet the market.
Bandersnatch was bred by Penny Crowley and made $42,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. “He was a lovely foal and was cheap at that price,” Crowley recalled of the $760,000 winner. “I was even more disappointed when Gerald Ryan came back and said he was a super type and a beautiful mover.”
Vinery (as agent) sold She’s All In for $11,000 as a foal at the 2016 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. Trained by Barb Joseph and her sons Paul & Matt Jones, she’s an emergency for The Big Dance but is assured of a run an hour later in $500,000 The Little Dance (1600m).
Casino Prince weighed in with another three winners last week – Surfers Royale (Hawkesbury) on Tuesday, Dolphina (Gosford) on Thursday and Pokerjack (Rosehill) on Saturday.
Surfers Royale is prepared by Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith for the Mapp family of Hobartville Stud. His dam Myfavouritethings (Snitzel) descends from a Hobartville family going back to Champion Australian Filly Slight Chance (Centaine) and her sire-son Dane Shadow (Danehill).
“That was a tough win by Surfers Royale under a strong ride by Regan Bayliss,” Smith said. “There’s a lot to like about him with two wins and two placings in his first four starts.”
Dolphina is a homebred for the Tait family and races in their iconic red and white silks carried by Group 1 winners Spinning Hill and Tie The Knot going all the way back to 1960s stars Baguette, Cabochon and Heirloom.
“She is a trier and that’s important,” trainer Tim Donnelly said before she transferred to Ron Quinton. “She didn’t show us anything at all early on but she has a turn of foot and that always helps.”
Pokerjack overcame a nightmare run in transit to open the Golden Eagle meeting a winner of the TAB Highway Hcp (1200m) at Rosehill. Stewards reported he raced ungenerously throughout the early and middle stages and did not settle for apprentice Amy McLucas.
“That’s another reason to love Highway Handicaps,” trainer Tash Burleigh said. “Jack and Amy are a dynamic duo!”
Pokerjack is a homebred for Lakis Polyviou and David Smith from Princess Ailani (Myboycharlie) who completed a hat-trick at Hawkesbury in a lightly-raced career compromised by an injured fetlock.
Casino Prince’s progeny average $96,000 per runner and he’s the go-to stallion for anyone who breeds to race for a $5,500 (inc GST) service fee. For bookings or further information, please contact Adam White (0414 800 918) or Harry Roach (0401 970 006)
