Westbury Park shuttler Captain Rio has found an unlikely avenue to black-type success in Ireland by siring the Group 1 jumpers Jumbo Rio and Hollo Ladies.

Jumbo Rio was a G1 winner of the Ballymore Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in May and Hollo Ladies also reached the elite level with a G1 victory in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last Sunday, December 27.

The following day Captain Rio gelding Kudu Country finishing fourth in the Group 1 Coral Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow.  He went into Monday’s event on the back of hurdle wins at Haydock Park and Catterick.

Captain Rio, who shuttles from Ballyhane Stud in County Carlow to New Zealand, was a G2 winner of the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at two and the Listed Testimonial Stakes at the Curragh as a three year-old.  He won both by eight lengths!

Captain Rio was the only son of champion sire Pivotal (Polar Falcon) based in Australia or New Zealand before Excellent Art began shuttling to Coolmore.

His oldest southern hemisphere yearlings are four year-olds and include the black-type winners Il Quello Veloce (G1 Awapuni Sires’ Produce Stakes), Alegrio (LR Southland Guineas) and Rio Fortune (LR Castletown Stakes).

Westbury Park will sell a full sister to Il Quello Veloce (Lot 73) at the 2010 NZ Bloodstock Premier Sale at Karaka on February 1.  There are another 15 Captain Rio yearlings catalogued for the Select Sale plus 20 more at the Festival Sale.

FORMER Westbury Park shuttler Pyrus has joined Spanish stud Dehesa De Milagro.  He was trained by Aidan O’Brien and was awarded the G2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood after Endless Summer was disqualified.

Pyrus (Mr Prospector) has sired 23 winners in Australian and NZ from his first two seasons standing at Westbury.  Like Captain Rio he was also based at Ballyhane Stud and, after southern seasons at Westbury from 2003-05, was shuttled to Haras Santa Mariana in Chile.

Another addition to the Dehesa De Milagro roster is Darley sprinter Diktat (Warning).  He was a G1 winner of the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville and Sprint Cup at Haydock Park.