Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
Canterbury breeders Edwina Morris and Alan Jones are feeling a little overwhelmed from all the messages, calls and texts they have received since Spirit of Gaylard (Puissance de Lune [IRE]-White Dove) won the Listed TAB Trophy (1800m) on Tuesday.
“It’s quite unbelievable,” an excited Edwina Morris of Berkley Stud fame said with obvious pride.
“We were actually just excited to have him running on such a big day as Melbourne Cup day, we weren’t expecting much, even though the connections of the horse were really confident.
“He won first up then ran an impressive fifth at Group Two level in the Vase at Moonee Valley, and they have always been impressed with him.”
Trained by Mitchell Freedman in Ballarat, Spirit of Gaylard has only had four race day starts. He raced once at two in the autumn and then was not sighted until October when he won his maiden at Bendigo over 1500 metres before running over 2040m in the Vase. He was then dropped back to 1800m and was impressive in winning at Flemington.
Spirit of Gaylard is the second foal of the High Chaparral (IRE) mare White Dove, a winner of five races in Australia. She in turn is out of Angel Dream (USA), a Street Cry (IRE) mare who placed in Ireland before she made her to Windsor Park Stud for her date with High Chaparral. She has left one other winner in Express Dreams in Brisbane.
Angel Dream is a full sister Majestic Roi, the winner of three races including Gr.1 Newbury Fred Darling Stakes, and a half-sister Black Spirit is a Group Three winner of eight races and two stakes placed winners Heza Gone West and Hiddnah. Majestic Roi is also the dam of Noor Al Hawa (by Makfi [GB]) a Champion 3YO in Germany in 2016 and the Champion Older Horse in Qatar in 2020, as well as Majestic Jasmine (by New Approach [IRE]) a stakes winner of four races.
Their dam L’Extra Honor (USA) (by Hero’s Honor[USA]) won the Listed Prix Lord Seymour at Longchamp, and is in turn is out of the Le Fabuleux (FR) mare L’Extravagante (CAN) a stakes placed winner of three races. It is a family rich in black type winners across the globe and includes the Australian Group One winner Russian Revolution and another star of the VRC Carnival - the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Home Affairs.
Morris and Jones bought White Dove in foal to Puissance de Lune from the Great Southern Sale in Melbourne in 2018 and as well as her lovely pedigree, Morris was quite taken by the look of the mare.
Photo: Supplied
“She was a gorgeous big mare, a lovely bay with lots of white bling,” Morris said. “She is a good size, very correct with a lovely head and eye and has an outstanding temperament.
“Because she was in foal to Puissance de Lune there didn’t seem to be a lot of interest in her so we got her quite cheap. Paul Willetts bought her weanling which was her first foal at the same sale so we knew we must be on to a good thing if a good judge bought her weanling.
“As a yearling Spirit of Gaylard was impressive, big and raw boned with a fantastic temperament just like his mother. We loved him as a yearling especially with his white bling and white tail, but were not sure how he would sell.
“Unbeknown to us Puissance de Lune had had a few runners in Australia that were starting to show something and there was a lot of interest in him. He was purchased by Phil Cataldo for Mitchell Freedman for $120,000.
“White Dove’s next foal was a gorgeous filly with markings just like her mum by Highly Recommended (AUS) but she was kicked in the chest in a paddock incident and damaged her shoulder so had to be euthanised.
“We have a yearling filly by Inglewood Stud’s sire War Decree (USA) to go to Karaka which we are really excited about. Again she’s a bit of a clone of her mother. She missed to War Decree last season but she has an early cover to War Decree this year.
“Gus Wigley maintains that the best cross for War Front (USA), War Decree’s sire has been with High Chaparral mares so we will see. As well through the dam of War Decree, Royal Decree and Angel Dreamer we get a double up of Street Cry. With those two gorgeous sires how can she go wrong?”
Incidentally Spirit of Gaylard has a double up of Street Cry’s sire Machiavellian (USA) through Angel Dreamer (USA) on the dam side and Helsinki (GB), the dam of Shamardal (USA) the sire of Puissance de Lune. -Michelle Saba, NZTBA
