NOLAN REPLACES FRAPPELL - O'LONHRO SHARES FOR SALE - UNDOUBTEDLY SIRES FIRST WINNER

One of the most respected and widely experienced horse breeders in Queensland, Basil Nolan, is the new president of the Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland Association. This follows the stepping down from the chairmanship after nearly nine years of Bob Frappell, owner of the Clear Mountain Fairview Stud at Greenmount, Darling Downs.

Involved in the industry all his life and answering the call to steer its fortunes in Queensland for the second time, Basil Nolan has been conducting the Raheen Stud in the Gladfield Valley near Warwick for half a century. He has also been involved as an owner and as a bookmaker.

A member of a major breeding and racing dynasty in Queensland, Basil is also very well known in the breeding industry nationally.

Horses bred on Raheen have included winners not only in the home State, but also Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The Nolan bred War of the Worlds ran new track record time in winning the Hong Kong Premier Bowl.

Few horsemen in Queensland can match Basil Nolan’s experience in stallion and mare care. He has been a resident of Raheen throughout and a hands-on manager of matings and production.

In recent years now deceased sires at Raheen have included Crown Jester, Sanction and Shovhog. Currently in the stallion yards are the stakes winners Stromberg Carlson (Redoute’s Choice – Bo Dapper, by Sir Dapper) and yet to be represented Publishing (Testa Rossa – Sally Magic, by Keltrice).

Progressive Victorian stud owner Neville Murdoch, Larneuk, Euroa has provided an opportunity for breeders to own a share of the Lonhro magic. The first breeder to announce the retirement of a son of Australian racing giant and booming sire Lonhro, namely first crop Group winner O’Lonhro, to go to stud, Murdoch has made a small number of shares in his ownership available.

They are being offered at $38,500 each (including GST) under ‘O’Lonhro Private Stallion Syndication Deed’ and are available by contacting the syndicate manager Adam Tims of Stable Connect (03) 9629 3023 or Neville Murdoch 0418 105 706.

Each share entitles the owner to two nominations for each of the first three stud seasons and one annually thereafter.

Also available for use on normal service fee arrangements ($9,900 inc. GST), O’Lonhro was the best galloper in Lonhro’s first crop and is still his second best stakes winner, headed by only 2009-10 leading 3-year-old Denman, a new retiree to Darley in the Hunter Valley.

Almost a replica of Lonhro, O’Lonhro only went to the post on nine occasions, but suggested he had his share of ability by finishing in the first two (three wins) in his first five appearances. He opened up with wins at Canterbury (1250m, by 1.5 lengths) and then Rosehill Gardens (1500m), followed with close seconds at Rosehill Gardens (1200m) and Randwick (1400m, Group 2 Warwick Stakes) and then highlighted his career with an impressive win last spring at Randwick in the $151,000 Tattersall’s Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (in1600m race record time).

The Chelmsford goes back to 1895 and has been taken out by some of the greatest names in Australian racing, including Lonhro (twice), Might and Power, Kingston Town, Emancipation, Tails, Tulloch, Delta, Bernborough, Phar Lap and Gloaming.

An early indication that close inbreeding to Danehill can be rewarding was the victory of Luckyi’mbarefoot in the juvenile event at Cranbourne last Sunday week. As this Tracey Templeton, Moe trained gelding is in the first crop of the Redoute’s Choice sire Undoubtedly and from the handy Flying Spur Melbourne performer Vickers, he is inbred 3x3 to Danehill.

He is the first winner for Undoubtedly, but it wont be surprising if there are quite a few more over the next year. So far he has only had five of his offspring race, but there are at least forty others in his first crop and he has a lot of brilliance to transmit on.

A resident at Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, Eddington, Victoria, Undoubtedly was one of the best juveniles of his generation, a fact established by an authoritative 2.3 lengths win in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes. In the process became only the third winner to break 1.9 for the 1200m journey in the history of the event. The others were Redoute’s Choice and Hurricane Sky.

Undoubtedly’s nine start career also included a 1.8 lengths win in a Listed stakes on debut in Adelaide and thirds in the VRC Ascot Vale Stakes and MVRC Mitchell McKenzie Stakes.

Luckyi’mbarefoot, the youngster who put Undoubtedly’s name into the winner’s stall as a sire, had shown earlier promise with a second at Sale and fourths in two $250,000 Inglis events in Melbourne.

Like his mother Vickers and grandam Escapada, a leading Tasmanian sprinter by the Marscay sire Weasel Clause, Luckyi’mbarefoot was bred by the Whishaws at their Armidale Stud at Carrick in the island State. The fourth dam was a sister to the great racemare Leilani.