Hidden Dragon, Lyndhurst studs' "Rookie Stallion" proves his ability to produce winners. keep an eye on Hidden Dragons' young stars.

Hidden Kisses win at Eagle Farm-Photo courtesy of Trackside Photography.

Lyndhurst tops Queensland breeders’ Gold Coast sale

  LYNDHURST, the historic stud conducted by the Kruger family at Warwick for over half a century, topped the second annual Queensland breeders QTIS 600 Yearling sale when it was conducted by Magic Millions at the Gold Coast on Sunday and Monday when they attracted a bid of $140,000 from trainer Gerald Ryan for a filly by Starcraft and from the American mare If I So Desire.

  They also sold two of the other six lots which went for $100,000 or more. Both by Lyndhurst sires, they were Sequalo colts out of the Success Express mare Sparkling Success ($107,500) and the respected Grand Chaudiere producer Beating The Odds ($100,000).

  Also making $100,000 was colt in the second crop of Lyndhurst’s Danehill sire Hidden Dragon and from the Sequalo stakes winner Shysu offered for a client by Robyn Wise, Darling Downs. She also sold for $100,000 a colt by Glenlogan Park champion Queensland sire Show a Heart and from the Strategic Brisbane winner Vital Statistic.

  Glenlogan Park were Lyndhurst’s main rival for the highest price, selling Snitzel colts at $135,000 – Dynamic Syndications – and $110,000 – Kelly Schweida.They got good response for all their four sires represented with prices for Show a Heart headed by $100,000, $90,000, $75,000, $70,000, $65,000 and $60,000; Falvelons at $70,000 and $50,000; Jet Spurs at $75,000, $60,000 twice, $54,000 and $50,000; and Bradbury’s Luck to $54,000.

  Best prices for Lyndhurst sires were Sequalo $107,500, $100,000, $80,000 and $65,000 and Hidden Dragon $100,000, $85,000, $80,000 and $60,000. Raheen Stud’s Redoute’s Choice Stromberg Carlson sold up to $72,000 and Dr Green, a Fusaichi Pegasus stakes winner at Secret Hills stud, Beaudesert had a first crop colt go for $70,000.

  A brother by Clang to Sydney winner and Doomben Slipper third Adnocon was passed in at $100,000 and a reserve of $150,000.

Heathcote finds the Hidden formula

Larry Cassidy and Hidden Kisses time it perfectly to collect the QTIS 600 double-up bonus (Noel Pascoe photos)

Hidden Kisses firmly backed up trainer Robert Heathcote’s decision to run the two-year-old at Eagle Farm in the Mirvac Hotels and Resorts QTIS 600 2YO Handicap 1400m on Saturday, March 20.

Many said the filly would have opened as race favourite at the Gold Coast in the feature $250,000 QTIS 600 2YO Handicap 1200m on the same day, but Heathcote had a bigger picture in mind.

“It was always a tough decision not to go to the Gold Coast, as opposed to coming here (Eagle Farm),” Heathcote said. “I do believe we made the right decision, and of course winning vindicates that.

“People said to me, ‘you’ve got to go to the Gold Coast, it’s worth $250,000’. I said, ‘well the one in town is worth $110,000…I’m not greedy’. A bird in the hand so they say.

“I think it was the way the races would be run that determined the decision, and this filly gets well back.

“Actually I think she hit the line this time as hard as when she won over 1200m. So going to 1400m second up was really a super effort.”

Heathcote said it was always in the back of his mind to take her to the $300,000 Group 1 Sires’ Produce 1400m at Randwick on April 10, and her run at Eagle Farm has made this a certainty.

The trainer, a clear leader in the metropolitan trainers premiership, is also toying with the idea of a full raid on the south by starting in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes 1600m at the same track a fortnight later.

The Heathcote and Larry Cassidy combination struck again at Eagle Farm with Hidden Kisses, by Hidden Dragon out of Kiss an Angel, collecting her second win from only three starts. Her only miss being a third place in the filly’s first outing.

The QTIS 600 and QTIS registered two-year-old’s prizemoney has increased dramatically to $159,000, which includes $90,000 in QTIS 600 added stakes.

“The operative word is probably class,” Heathcote said after his new star thoroughbred overcame plenty at Eagle Farm.

“That’s the difference between good horses and very good horses, the level of class they have. From day one I’ve had a high opinion of her.

Robert Heathcote is pondering big plans for his promising two-year-old in the southern states

“On Saturday (March 20) she got back to last. A masterful ride from Cassidy saw him weave his way through the field and she ran them down.”

The trainer has a high opinion of the Hidden Dragon bloodline since they entered his stable. “I actually believe they’ll get better when they get over a little bit more ground and mature a little bit.

“So it’s actually a very nice bonus that she’s had three runs as a juvenile, which were three crackers.”

Hidden Kisses put a half length between herself and John Thompson’s Hour of Peril, who was ridden by Chris Munce.

Stephen Got Even finished in third a further one and a quarter lengths behind for Dalby-based trainer Matt Kropp and jockey Jason Taylor.

As a solely QTIS registered horse, Stephen Got Even picked up $3000 in added stakes, but missed out on the QTIS 600 double-up bonus.

Hidden Kisses was purchased for $25,000 at the 2009 Magic Millions Yearling Sales for “passionate racing man”, Richard Pegum, a businessman based in London who races thoroughbreds across Australia.

“He (Pegum) started to venture into Queensland because of the lucrative QTIS (600) scheme where he can race for such good prizemoney,” Heathcote said.

“Hidden Kisses is his first horse with me, but so impressed is he with the scheme that he lashed out and spent $80,000 on a Hidden Dragon colt from the QTIS 600 Sales. So he’s happy to reinvest in Queensland racing.”

Heathcote could be seen at the 2010 QTIS 600 Magic Millions Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast, March 21 and 22, looking to purchase his next ‘Hidden Kisses’ for the 2010/11 racing season.

He ended up with four yearlings from the QTIS 600 Sale to accompany the five that he picked up at January’s Magic Millions Sales. “There’s a nice little team of juveniles for next year,” he said with excitement at his prospects.

Heathcote added a win by Tabulate to his successful day in the Childhood Cancer Support Open Handicap 2200m.

The five-year-old gelding by Honours List (IRE) was in peak form coming off a win and a second from his last two starts. However, he had to overcome an unwanted spell for one month after the Tattersall’s Racing Club March 6 meeting at Eagle Farm was abandoned due to rain.

“Keeping a horse trained up for 2200 metres when they haven’t had a run for a month was a little bit of a ticklish problem, but obviously we got it right,” Heathcote said.

“I was initially going to give him a little let up after his win on Saturday, but with the rare form that he seems to be in at the moment it would be a waste to put him in the paddock. So we’ll strike while the irons hot.”

Queensland connections have unearthed some brilliant thoroughbred racing prospects in the 2009/10 racing season, as evidenced by Military Rose’s charge to the Golden Slipper and her stablemate Sweepstaking’s second at Rosehill on March 20. The Sunshine State also has the rise and rise of the John Wallace-trained Shoot Out, who has already bagged an Autumn Carnival Group 1, to be proud of.

Hopefully it won’t be long before we add Hidden Kisses to the growing list of horses making their name down south, and rightfully lifting the profile of racing in Queensland.

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Ross Dowd – March 23

TRAINER Barry Baldwin has revised plans for Burdekin Blues and the gun sprinter will tackle the George Moore Stakes at Doomben next month.

The Group 3 sprint (1200m), previously called the Summer Stakes, is the start of Brisbane Racing Club's Triple Crown series.

The Doomben Stakes (Listed 1350m) and Bernborough Handicap (Listed 1615m) round out the series.

The original plan was to keep the five-year-old in Melbourne and run at yesterday's Sandown meeting, but the lure of the richer Group race was far more enticing.

"There was a 1000m race at Sandown, but the Doomben race is a Group 3 and is worth $128,000 to the winner, so I thought we'd bring him home instead," Baldwin said.

Burdekin Blues arrived at Baldwin's Eagle Farm stables last Thursday and has thrived since his brilliant win at Flemington on Emirates Stakes day, the last meeting of the Flemington carnival.

The Sequalo gelding was an easy winner for jockey Shane Scriven in the Listed Grazia Stakes, down the straight 1100m.

Baldwin wanted to see if Burdekin Blues could handle the straight course as he plans to take him back in January for the Group 1 Lightning (1000m).

He now intends to run the gelding at Doomben and then in the 900m Bat Out Of Hell sprint at the Gold Coast, before again heading to Melbourne.

"He doesn't have time for a spell and then go back for the Lightning, so this race fits nicely into his program," he said.

"I won't even consider going into the second leg (of the Triple Crown). He'll run at Doomben and then the Gold Coast and then he'll have about a month before the Lightning. He's done well since he won the other day and we have three weeks now to get him ready for Doomben."

Burdekin Blues has been consistent throughout his career, but is yet to win at Doomben. Baldwin hopes the handicapper will take that into account.

He has been out of the money only three times in 16 starts and has won over 1200m three times.

Burdekin Blues' biggest win was in the Group 3 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill in February.

Queensland Racing's chief handicapper Lester Grimmett said he and colleague Nathan Bourke had already discussed a possible weight for Burdekin Blues in the George Moore.

Grimmett said it would depend on the quality of the field, which in the past has attracted some smart sprinters, but it was doubtful Burdekin Blues would carry more than 60kg.

The gelding carried 59kg when he won an Open sprint at Eagle Farm, before lumping 57kg in the Grazia.

"I would be disappointed if they gave him 60kg," Baldwin said. "He is doubtful at the 1200m and although he has run three seconds at Doomben he is yet to win there. I'll be making Lester aware of that."

Gillian Heinrich will aim Ghetto Blaster and Rasmussen towards the sprint and fellow Gold Coast trainer Alan Bailey is also likely to target some of the races.

Eagle Farm trainer Robert Heathcote is likely to contest the Bernborough with Our Lukas, but said his smart filly Funtantes would bypass the rich treble.

"I might look towards the Bernborough with Our Lukas, but Funtantes is having a good break," Heathcote said.

"I'm going to leave her out for the entire summer and let her fully mature."