Northerly was feted like a film star at the launch of the VRC Melbourne Cup carnival last week.  Arguably the best galloper to emerge from Perth, he was in his element parading around the MCG with fellow Living Legends Might And Power and Subzero.

The Fred Kersley trained hero won the G1 Railway Stakes at Ascot before leaving for the Eastern States where he claimed 13 Group events including two Cox Plates, two Australian Cups and a Caulfield Cup.

Northerly was one of 29 stakes winners sired by Serheed who stood in Western Australia from 1985 until 2001.

Serheed’s last stakes winner West River Charley staged a major form reversal to win at the final meeting of the Belmont Park season last Saturday.  He broke a run of 19 outs stretching back to the Listed Birthday Stakes in October 2007.

West River Charley has been under the care of south-west based trainer Monica Tyson since the start of the year.  She pre-trains the bulk of Eddie Rigg’s team at Geisel Park and looks after the veteran in her spare time at the Harvey property.

West River Charley (9g Serheed – Phornet by The Fort) is a three-quarter brother to former top-class colt Hard Act who was prepared by Lou Luciani when he was private trainer for former Burswood Casino boss Dallas Dempster.

Hard Act and his stablemate Timeless Action arrived in Serheed’s first crop and he never looked back after a ground-breaking year in 1989.  

Timeless Action won the Sunspeed 2YO Champion Stakes and returned in the spring to capture the G3 Strickland Stakes against older horses.  She passed the baton on to Hard Act and he matured into the State’s top three year-old winning the G3 Blue Ribbon Quality and Listed Melvista Stakes at Ascot.

He did best of the local brigade when runner-up to Better Loosen Up in the G1 Winfield Stakes and he had the G1 Australian Derby won for all money until nailed in the last stride by the T J Smith trained Key Dancer.

Serheed was sent to Australia by Prince Fahd Salman who also raced the 1991 English and Irish Derby winner Generous.  A son of Nijinsky, Serheed was Champion WA sire five times despite averaging less than 60 mares a season during his stud career.  

Serheed’s runners have gradually dried up since he was put down due to complications arising from an injured hoof in December 2001.  He was represented by 32 starters in 2007-08, 18 (2008-09), 8 (2009-10) and West River Charley is his only active runner so far this season.