Caduceus
Photo NZTM website
Perth-based brothers John and Dean Brescacin have been in and out of race horses for years, but only ventured into the breeding game four years ago and have come up trumps with their first horse.
The pair bred Caduceus (Lucky Unicorn [AUS]- French Lion [AUS]), the winner of the Listed 1600 metre Windsor Park Champagne Stakes run at Ellerslie recently and race him with their good friend Mike Anghie, also from Perth.
"This is the first horse we have ever bred so it's pure luck. It's pretty exciting to get a stakes winner from your first foal. We haven't even seen the horse and we have never been to New Zealand," enthused John Brescacin.
"Dean and I own French Lion (Lionheart [USA]- Figure of Eight[FR]) - we bought her at Sydney and gave her to Mark Kavanagh. She won one race and hurt herself so we decided to send her to stud and we wanted to breed a foal with good bone in it so we sent her to New Zealand.
"Every time I see a picture of New Zealand it has beautiful green grass, so we thought that is where we want to breed horses. It has to be good for them. We are big fans of Redoute's Choice(AUS) but can't afford him so we plumped for Lucky Unicorn and sent French Lion off to Cambridge Stud. When she foaled a colt, Margaret Fife organised for her to go to Casey and Michelle Dando's Bradbury Park, and they grew him out for us.
"We haven't met the Dandos yet or the trainers of Caduceus, but I have to say that everybody we have dealt with in New Zealand has looked after us so well it's been a pleasure. Right from when we flew her to New Zealand to Cambridge Stud with New Zealand Bloodstock. We only chose the Shailers to train Caduceus because they were recommended by and had an association with the Dandos. The people at Rich Hill and Waikato Studs, it has made it a real pleasure for us. So far we have had nothing go wrong - it all helps.
"Maybe one day we will be able to leave our menswear shop in downtown Perth and get over to New Zealand for a visit. In the meantime we know our horses are in good hands, the people involved in the bloodstock industry in New Zealand can take a bow," he stated.
French Lion still resides at Bradbury Park and she is currently in foal to Rock'n Pop (AUS).
"We are big fans of Fastnet Rock (AUS) and once again we can't afford to go to him, but figured that a well performed son of him out of a Group One-winning New Zealand bred mare (Popsy) had to be a good bet. Who knows what that might lead to?"
The theory has worked with Caduceus who has won two from two from the stables of Kris and Paul Shailer and becomes Lucky Unicorn's second stakes winner, after Rock Diva won the Group Three Sunline Vase in March. Lucky Unicorn relocated from Cambridge Stud to Western Australia last year.
The Brescacin brothers still have one or two horses in Australia, but French Lion remains their only mare. At this stage things are going well with her and they have no plans to buy anymore broodmares, but are open to the idea of extending their New Zealand enterprise.
Bradbury Park will be offering French Lion's Shocking (AUS) weanling filly up for sale at the forthcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale in May, and they also have the yearling full sister to Caduceus in their care.
French Lion is a half-sister to Eight Street (Street Cry [IRE]), a winner of seven races in South Africa including the Group Two Victory Moon Stakes and the Group Three Clairwood Cup Trial. The Shocking weanling filly is therefore bred on the same cross with Shocking being by Street Cry.
Another half relation is Ottimo by Oratorio (IRE) and is also a stakes winner in South Africa. Their dam Figure of Eight is by Octagonal out of the stakes-placed Sadler's Wells (USA) mare Papago (IRE), who also left six winners including Meisho Beluga (French Deputy[USA])a multiple stakes winner in Japan.
- Michelle Saba
The pair bred Caduceus (Lucky Unicorn [AUS]- French Lion [AUS]), the winner of the Listed 1600 metre Windsor Park Champagne Stakes run at Ellerslie recently and race him with their good friend Mike Anghie, also from Perth.
"This is the first horse we have ever bred so it's pure luck. It's pretty exciting to get a stakes winner from your first foal. We haven't even seen the horse and we have never been to New Zealand," enthused John Brescacin.
"Dean and I own French Lion (Lionheart [USA]- Figure of Eight[FR]) - we bought her at Sydney and gave her to Mark Kavanagh. She won one race and hurt herself so we decided to send her to stud and we wanted to breed a foal with good bone in it so we sent her to New Zealand.
"Every time I see a picture of New Zealand it has beautiful green grass, so we thought that is where we want to breed horses. It has to be good for them. We are big fans of Redoute's Choice(AUS) but can't afford him so we plumped for Lucky Unicorn and sent French Lion off to Cambridge Stud. When she foaled a colt, Margaret Fife organised for her to go to Casey and Michelle Dando's Bradbury Park, and they grew him out for us.
"We haven't met the Dandos yet or the trainers of Caduceus, but I have to say that everybody we have dealt with in New Zealand has looked after us so well it's been a pleasure. Right from when we flew her to New Zealand to Cambridge Stud with New Zealand Bloodstock. We only chose the Shailers to train Caduceus because they were recommended by and had an association with the Dandos. The people at Rich Hill and Waikato Studs, it has made it a real pleasure for us. So far we have had nothing go wrong - it all helps.
"Maybe one day we will be able to leave our menswear shop in downtown Perth and get over to New Zealand for a visit. In the meantime we know our horses are in good hands, the people involved in the bloodstock industry in New Zealand can take a bow," he stated.
French Lion still resides at Bradbury Park and she is currently in foal to Rock'n Pop (AUS).
"We are big fans of Fastnet Rock (AUS) and once again we can't afford to go to him, but figured that a well performed son of him out of a Group One-winning New Zealand bred mare (Popsy) had to be a good bet. Who knows what that might lead to?"
The theory has worked with Caduceus who has won two from two from the stables of Kris and Paul Shailer and becomes Lucky Unicorn's second stakes winner, after Rock Diva won the Group Three Sunline Vase in March. Lucky Unicorn relocated from Cambridge Stud to Western Australia last year.
The Brescacin brothers still have one or two horses in Australia, but French Lion remains their only mare. At this stage things are going well with her and they have no plans to buy anymore broodmares, but are open to the idea of extending their New Zealand enterprise.
Bradbury Park will be offering French Lion's Shocking (AUS) weanling filly up for sale at the forthcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale in May, and they also have the yearling full sister to Caduceus in their care.
French Lion is a half-sister to Eight Street (Street Cry [IRE]), a winner of seven races in South Africa including the Group Two Victory Moon Stakes and the Group Three Clairwood Cup Trial. The Shocking weanling filly is therefore bred on the same cross with Shocking being by Street Cry.
Another half relation is Ottimo by Oratorio (IRE) and is also a stakes winner in South Africa. Their dam Figure of Eight is by Octagonal out of the stakes-placed Sadler's Wells (USA) mare Papago (IRE), who also left six winners including Meisho Beluga (French Deputy[USA])a multiple stakes winner in Japan.
- Michelle Saba
