31 Aug 2008 -
A meritorious second placing in the Listed S$200,000 Committee’s Prize in Singapore last weekend by Laurie Laxon-trained Waipapa (ex Chateau View) has added to Align’s wonderful start to the new season in Australasia and Asia.
Align has sired nine individual winners in four different counties, since the start of the new season (August 1).
And Waipapa’s latest black type placing has enhanced his reputation as one of the most exciting gallopers in commission in Singapore at the current time. Waipapa put a brave performance in the Committee’s Prize to beat all but Super Gold.
Previously Waipapa had scored the fourth win of his fine racing career at the Singapore race- meeting on August 2.
Waipapa’s dam, Chateau View, will be returning to Align this spring to add to the quality book the Highview Stud-based sire will cover in 2009.
Other winners sired by Align since the start of the new season have featured:
The Peter-McKay trained Denver (ex Tedzerror), kicked his new campaign off with a highly impressive win at the Taupo Racing Club meeting on August 12. His time of 59.2s was the fastest recorded 1000m of the meeting on a track rated dead.
McKay is looking forward to a big season ahead with Denver and believes the best is yet to come from the exciting four-year-old who has won three of his six starts to date.
"He has matured a lot this time in and keeps improving every day," McKay said.
McKay rates Denver up with some of the better horses he has trained which is a big statement given the quality of some of his previous stable stars,
“I think this fellow could be as good as Clifton Prince in time," McKay said.
Promising Align mare Pennacchio (ex Abenezra) gave a hint of bigger things to come with a stylish home-track win at the Matamata meeting last month.
Matamata trainer Andrew Scott believes Pennachio has the capability of going through to stakes company.
'She is a big mare, so she has taken time to mature we have needed to take our time with her,’” Scott said.
"The owners are long time clients and it is nice to see them with such a nice horse as her.”
The Group Three Fillies and Mares race at New Plymouth in October is a long term plan for the mare at this stage.
"We will run her on Great Northern Day, all going well we will have a look at stakes company after that,” Scott said.
Across the Tasman, the John McArdle-trained.Miss The Cut (ex Snipperts Miss) made it two wins from three starts with an emphatic five-length victory at the Geelong meeting on August 14 while in Brisbane the Laurie Mayfield-Smith trained Linear (ex Poeiti) was in the winners’ circle for the sixth occasion.
The stock of Align have also been racing with a high degree of success in other parts of the Asian circuit
In Malaysia, Consong and Victory My Command have both been successful in recent times in good company.
Consong (ex Rennaisance Girl) scored his first win on debut over 1200m in maiden company at the Perak Turf Club meeting on August 15.
Victory My Command (ex Miss Zoey) won over 1100m in a class four event at the Perak meeting on August 8 which represented his second race-day victory.
Brent Gillovic, studmaster at Highview Stud in Hamilton where Align stands again this spring, commented that such widespread winning results are very significant.
“When times get tough buyers increasingly look to proven stallions and Align is capable of getting runners at the elite level and we all know that this is something which most stallions do not achieve,” Gillovic said.
“His success in Asia, and in particular Singapore, is creating huge interest in his progeny with buyers from that region. He is being well received this year at his reduced fee and he certainly offers breeders the chance to make a profit,” Gillovic added.
At a service fee of only $7000 plus gst Align represents great value for a young proven sire.
