Swettenham Stud capped a magnificent month of results with winners around Australia on the weekend. The Nagambie nursery has built a reputation second to none for churning out winners and there’s none better than Zipping.
Swettenham bred and sold Zipping for $190,000 at the 2003 Inglis Easter yearling sale. The old warhorse is a G1 winner of Flemington’s Australian Cup and Turnbull Stakes but his main claim to fame is the G2 Sandown Classic.
When Zipping won it for the fourth time on November 13, his bank balance topped $4.53 million!
Boom colt Moshe began last weekend on a winning note for Swettenham on Friday night. The younger brother to champion mare Black Caviar bolted in at Moonee Valley. He was a $75,000 buy at the 2009 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale but his owners can write their own ticket when he wins a stakes race at the autumn carnival.
Earlier in the evening, Act Of Faith kept his unbeaten record intact for Swettenham’s resident sire Keep The Faith.
Swettenham sire Dash For Cash chimed in for a winner of his own when Grand Britannia scored a debut victory at Sandown on Saturday. The grey colt is good enough for a crack at the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes in February according to trainer Robbie Laing.
Dash For Cash (Secret Savings) was a G1 winner of the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield and the Australian Guineas at Flemington before retiring to Swettenham. He has sired 144 winners of 350 races at a 58% strike-rate.
Over in Perth on Railway Stakes day, Swettenham graduate Premardal blitzed her rivals with a front-running victory in the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic at Ascot.
Swettenham owner Adam Sangster sold Premardal for $135,000 at the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and the Shamardal filly has already paid that back with interest for trainer Todd Harvey and her connections.
On Sunday, it was the turn of Swettenham’s proven winner-getters Hold That Tiger and Bianconi to take centre stage. Mauled (Hold That Tiger) won the Christmas Cup at Grafton and Jetconi (Bianconi) scored a career high victory in the Wodonga Cup.
Hold That Tiger (Storm Cat) has sired 242 winners of 614 races at a 58% strike-rate. His winners have lobbed in 20 countries and his best is the brilliant Californian based sprinter Smiling Tiger. He was a G1 winner of the Ancient Title Stakes at Hollywood Park last month and was third home in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs on November 7.
Bianconi (Danzig) covered his initial book in 2000 and his figures reflect the fact he had a four year head-start on Hold That Tiger at stud. He has sired 387 winners of 1075 races at a 58% strike-rate. And they have arrived in 17 different countries.
His flag-bearer is electrifying sprinter Nicconi. A G1 winner of The Galaxy at Randwick and Lightning Stakes at Flemington, he is currently covering his first mares at Widden Stud.
Bianconi is on track for a hat-trick of Victorian titles in the winners’ category this season. Jetconi was just one of seven individual winners for him in the week ending Sunday, November 28.
Bianconi has sired 51 winners of 60 races in Australia so far this season and has established a substantial lead over Bel Esprit (41 winners of 53 races) in Victoria.
He is also challenging Hunter Valley highflyers Redoute’s Choice (54), Lonhro (52) and More Than Ready (52) for third place on the Australian winners’ list. Coolmore champion Encosta de Lago (62) is wasting no time in his attempt to wrest back the winners’ premiership from Darley resident Commands (58).