Goodwood Park owners Marshall and Joyce Boyd are looking forward to the return of St Averil for his third season shuttling to Queensland.
St Averil is currently in quarantine in the United States after completing his latest northern book at Bonita Farm in Maryland. He was very popular this year on the back of his first crop that included the brilliant stakes wining filly Jim’s Prospect.
Jim’s Prospect (3f St Averil – Pam’ssummerwind by Rodeo) is prepared by champion Maryland trainer Carlos Garcia and she was a Listed winner of the Wide Country Stakes (1400m) at Laurel to notch the first black-type victory for her sire. She has also been stakes placed in the Listed Marshua Stakes and Maryland Million Lassie Stakes.
St Averil (Saint Ballado) represents the Halo sireline and he was runner-up to Lion Heart in the Hollywood Futurity at two. He went into that Group 1 at just his second start after winning on debut at Santa Anita.
Returning at three, he won the G2 Santa Catalina Stakes and was then runner-up (beaten a nose) in the G2 San Felipe Stakes. He retired with over US$328,00 in earnings from a 13: 4-2-2 career line.
Goodwood Park has over 30 of St Averil’s first southern crop at its Allora based stud. “There’s no mistaking them…they are like peas in a pod,” Marshall Boyd said this week. “We will probably spread ours between the Gold Coast and Sydney for the yearling sales next year.”
Some good judges have been impressed with St Averil’s first foals. “Peter Moody was up here and he was really rapt in one of them but I better not say which one,” Boyd joked. “I don’t want to get offside with him.”
The Boyds race last-start Flemington winner Good Medicine with Moody. He has been a reliable money-spinner for the Queensland breeders winning 8 times in 16 starts for earnings of $157,000.
Good Medicine is by Goodwood Park sire Specialize who is a son of Robert Sangster’s Group 1 champions Bluebird and Special. He was a brilliant sprinter in his own right winning the Listed June Stakes at Randwick clocking 63.57s for 1100 metres.
St Averil will stand for a $6,600 (inc gst) service fee at Goodwood Park in 2010. He stands alongside Specialize (Bluebird), Legal Opinion (Danehill) and Duntroon Digger (Royal Academy) and there are discount for multiple bookings.