LOMAR PARK owner Fred Peisah bred an international double in Perth and Kyoto on the weekend and, not surprisingly, both winners descend from the stud’s foundation mare Social Smile.
Kid Choisir claimed the first leg when Damien Oliver railed through to win the Placid Ark Stakes (LR) at Ascot on Saturday and Setono Antaeus was just as impressive when scoring by a head in the Takaragaike Tokubetsu at Kyoto on Sunday.
Social Smile has been a cornerstone of the success the Peisah family has enjoyed at their Werombi nursery over the last 40 years.
Peisah sold Setono Antaeus for $120,000 at the 2007 Gold Coast Magic Millions and Kid Choisir for $40,000 at the 2008 Inglis Classic Sale.
Setono Antaeus (4c Rock of Gibraltar – Miss Chanel by Splendent) has now won four races in Japan for owner Sumiko Namba. The winner gives away six months to his northern hemisphere bred rivals but still carried top-weight (57.5kg) to win over 1400m in 1.21.20s yesterday.
His Japanese connections must have a high opinion of Setono Antaeus. They returned to the Gold Coast in 2008 and bought the Fusaichi Pegasus – Miss Chanel colt for $115,000 and were back again this year when purchasing the Encosta de Lago – Miss Chanel filly for $170,000.
Bill Prain trained Miss Chanel for the Peisah family and she won a Rosehill maiden from 19 starts before going to stud where she has foaled 6 winners including G2 MRC Tristarc Stakes winner Miss Fantabulous (Encosta de Lago).
She died a month after foaling the Encosta de Lago filly in November 2007.
Miss Chanel is a half-sister to the Mister C stakes winners Super Elegant (19 wins, G1 SAJC Goodwood Hcp), Elegancy (12 wins, G2 SAJC Angas Brut Classic) and Mister Elegant (14 wins, G3 VATC Victoria Hcp).
They are from Ever Elegant who was conceived in 1979 when Lomar Park’s Irish Derby winner Steel Pulse covered Social Smile.
KID CHOISIR (3c Choisir–Friendly Seas by Mister C) was also giving plenty of weight all-round to his rivals on Railway Stakes day. The Placid Ark victory improved his record to 5 wins in 8 starts since opening his account in the LR Supremacy Stakes at Ascot in February.
Kid Choisir hails from the Sea Holly branch of the Social Smile family. Sea Holly (Fair’s Fair) is a half-sister to Ever Elegant and she foaled 8 winners including the Steel Pulse sprinters Razor Sharp (15 wins, G1 VRC Newmarket Hcp-twice) and Steel Blade (11 wins, G2 AJC Challenge St).
Kid Choisir is owned by Les Andrews who also raced Perth record-breaker Stylish Lord back in the 1980s. He went on a winning streak that stretched to 14 in a row in WA.
Stylish Lord (Classic Style) hit the wall when he was beaten four lengths by the Wally Mitchell trained Western Pago in the 1987 Parrys Quality.
Western Pago was a stablemate of Placid Ark and he travelled straight to Melbourne and won the G1 Marlboro Cup at Caulfield just 12 days later.
Andrews raced Stylish Lord in partnership with Daryl Freame who won a VFL premiership with Richmond when the Tigers trounced Collingwood in the 1980 Grand Final.
Trainer Frank Maynard has to weigh up whether to back up Kid Choisir in the $500,000 G2 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot on Saturday. “He’s a December foal and is not a three-year-old yet,” Maynard said. “Taking on the older horse under weight-for-age conditions is a big ask. But he is a chance of starting if he does well this week.”
Kid Choisir’s dam Friendly Seas has a yearling filly and a filly foal by Lomar Park sire Valixir who was a G1 winner in England and France.
The Valixir – Friendly Seas filly is catalogued as Lot 67 in the Lomar Park draft at the 2010 Inglis Classic Sale on January 24.
KING PULSE is another top prospect bred at Lomar Park from the Social Smile family. He came within an ace of grabbing a Group 1 in the Coolmore Stakes at Flemington on Derby day.
King Pulse (3g Canny Lad – Pleasure Ground by Arena) is trained by Mike Moroney and he won at Geelong and Caulfield before Headway collared him right on the line in the Coolmore. Moroney bought him for $55,000 out of the Lomar Park draft at the 2008 Inglis Classic yearling sale.
His dam Pleasure Ground was prepared by Prain to win at Kembla and Rosehill before retiring to stud. She also earned black-type when runner-up to Ponte Piccolo in the 2005 Keith Nolan Classic (LR) at Kembla.
King Pulse’s second dam Palace Capers (Archregent) is a winning half-sister to Friendly Seas. Lomar Park has a yearling colt by Valixir from Palace Capers catalogued as Lot 209 at the 2010 Inglis Classic Sale on January 24.
Moroney will consider bringing King Pulse back in the autumn for a tilt at the G1 Newmarket in March. Lomar Park is already on the Newmarket honour-roll as the breeder of Razor Sharp who was a back-to-back winner of Australia’s premier sprint in 1982-83.