Two-three-four for Hard Spun

In what was an excellent day of racing for Darley’s first-season sire Hard Spun, the G1 King Bishop Stakes winner achieved three new winners in the southern hemisphere on May 9.

Making his third trip to the races, two-year-old colt Hayleys Comet recorded a one-and-a-half length victory over 1200m at Matamata, New Zealand, to become the second southern hemisphere winner for his sire.

With a further four lengths to the third horse, the Andrew Scott-trained colt was bred in New Zealand by Monovale Holdings Ltd and is out of the Al Akbar mare Mezaire, a half-sister to Stakes winner Amazing Charm.

Arguably the best bred of Hard Spun’s treble was the Matthew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Crystal Web. A half-brother to the G1 Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily, the colt jumped from a wide gate to cross the field and sit outside the leader.

At the 200m mark jockey Chris Symons asked the colt for an effort and he responded, pulling away to record a length victory over Elusive Quality gelding Union Gap over 1000m on the Sandown Hillside course.

Bred and raced by Mr D Moodie and Mrs J Moodie’s Contract Racing, Crystal Web is out of the Snippets mare Crystal Snip, who has not only produced Crystal Lily, but fellow Stakes winners Amaethon and Crystal Wit. From the family of the G2-winning, G1-performed Carrara, Crystal Web is closely related to lot 242, the sole Street Cry weanling to be offered at the forthcoming Inglis Great Southern Sale.

With three winners from only three runners on the day, the final victor was the Peter Snowden-trained Coins. Stakes placed in the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at her second start, the talented filly settled on the rails, just behind the leaders, before slipping along the fence as the field turned for home.

Pulling clear at the 300m and holding the rest of the field at bay, Coins scored by one-and-a-half lengths over 1400m at her home track Warwick Farm.

Bred by Darley, Coins is out of the Diesis mare Monetary, a half-sister to the dam of Bernardini’s G1 Travers Stakes winner Stay Thirsty. Monetary was covered by Bernardini in the latest southern hemisphere season, with the resultant foal being a close relation to Stay Thirsty.

Hard Spun will be represented by eight weanlings at the Inglis Great Southern Sale that commences on May 22, and a further six mares will be offered carrying a positive test to him during the broodmare portion of the sale.

The sire of 20 Stakes horses, including G2 winner Red Duke, G3 winner Hierro and the G1 performer Hard Not To Like, Hard Spun is the only first-season sire since 1985 to have sired three winners in a single day.

Hard Spun will stand the forthcoming breeding season at Darley’s Victorian base Northwood Park at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST).