Rowe On Monday – Breeding beliefs, big decisions for Asfoora team and another Group 1 reward for Foote and McGregor

Gun Runner belief could be about to pay off for Hale

Glenn Hale regards himself as a racing and breeding newcomer who is not afraid to look outside the square or defy convention.

The NSW Central Coast businessman had reason to celebrate on Saturday when two-year-old Genesis Runner won a Newcastle maiden at the weekend.

Why so many congratulatory texts, calls and hoopla for a maiden, you might ask?

For Hale, who made his money by building and running childcare facilities across the Central Coast, the victory by Genesis Runner was a reward for looking farther afield to acquire a quality broodmare.

That quest, which began without success in Australia, took him to Kentucky and South America in search of what he was looking for. 

Almost five years after Artie Schiller mare Originator was purchased at Keeneland’s 2021 November Breeding Stock Sale, her son by Three Chimney’s Gun Runner won his first race, a 1300m maiden at Newcastle for trainers Richard and Will Freedman. 

It was, of course, a significant result for breeder Hale, but so too for Genesis Runner’s sire Gun Runner, a leading North American dirt stallion, with the Yulong-owned colt his first southern hemisphere runner and winner.

“It started here in Australia and the mares were just out of our reach. Dave Mee, who was my bloodstock agent – and who still is – said he’d keep looking,” Hale told this column. 

“I have two sons who live in America, and I just said to Dave, ‘mate, is it worthwhile looking overseas?’ Luckily, he had some connections in Kentucky, and so the combination of both Dave and a breeder here in the State, a guy called Nathan McCauley.”

That led to the purchase of Originator, who was in foal to More Than Ready, and a South American mare, Grantland, who was acquired privately.

“We were looking for the right stallion (in America), but to southern hemisphere time,” he said. 

“At the time, there was a fantastic deal on Gun Runner to do a southern hemisphere cover. With that, Dave and I put our heads together and decided to buy another couple of mares.”

Once in foal, Originator and Grantland were imported to Australia. Originator was offered in foal at the Chairman’s Sale but Hale passed her in with a reserve of $600,000.

He’s glad he valued her at more than what the buying bench did, with the colt foal making $575,000 at last year’s Inglis Easter Sale.

“There was a bit of a whisper around – the horse community is very small and we’d already sold one Gun Runner at the Magic Millions for a little bit less – even at the (Gold Coast) sale, a few very good bloodstock agents said to me, ‘you’ve got a better one that’s going to come up at the next sale’,” Hale said.

“And I just, because I’m only new to the industry, ‘well, how do you know that?’ and they said that it was their job to know that.” 

The Gun Runner colt out of Grantland sold at the Magic Millions for $260,000 to the bid of Yulong who placed him in training at Flemington with Dom Sutton.

Named Dispatches, the colt won a Flemington jumpout in early May, but has not yet been seen at the races.

Genesis Runner’s dam Originator has a Zoustar rising two-year-old colt, whom Hale retained to race with Ciaron Maher.

Hale is considering sending Originator to Stay Inside this year, or, depending on what happens with Genesis Runner in the spring, he could hold her back to send her back to the United States next year.

“There were a lot of doubters along the way saying Gun Runner’s not going to work,” he said.

“‘They’re dirt horses’ and all that sort of stuff and it was from some pretty astute judges, so therefore, I couldn’t doubt them all.

“I just said, ‘well, fair enough. You might be right. We might be wasting our time’.”

There’s a long way to go for Genesis Runner, but by the end of the spring, Hale might be having the last laugh.

El-Fahkri wants Victorian stallion for Asfoora’s maiden mating

Akram El-Fahkri, the owner-breeder of Australia’s European darling Asfoora, is hoping his unlikely triple Group 1 winner can end her racing career on a high.

When that will be is to be determined, but he’s hopeful that the Henry Dwyer-trained seven-year-old mare can do so in the Group 1 Nunthorpe at York in August.

It’s a race she won last year and if she makes it that far – she is set to run at Sandown in the UK this weekend – she will then be on a plane back to Australia to be bred this spring.

“Henry’s position and even the jockey, Oisin Murphy, after the race (at Royal Ascot), was that she’s trending to peak form or a peak performance and they’re reckoning there’s a win in her,” El-Fahkri said. 

“So Henry’s permitted to attempt to get a win and there’s two opportunities in July. There’s a race this weekend coming up at Sandown in England and then there’s another race at the end of the month at Goodwood.

“If she performs to expectations, it’d be remiss of us not to let her run her in the Nunthorpe.

“But that’ll definitely – if things work out – be her swan song.”

As to what stallion is in line for Asfoora first-up is also undecided but as a parochial Victorian, El-Fahkri would like to support his state’s breeding industry.

“I’m very keen to support a Victorian stallion but my son-in-law George Yannis came over yesterday, actually, and his strong position is that she should go to the best (no matter where the stallion is based),” he said.

“There’s probably a handful, three or four stallions, that he’d want to send her to (in the Hunter Valley). But I’ll just keep that open for the moment. I’m wanting to be quite loyal to Victoria and choose a high-ranking stallion in Victoria.”

Asfoora is by Flying Artie out of I Am Invincible mare Golden Child, leading to contenders such as Zoustar, Too Darn Hot or perhaps an unproven stallion such as Anamoe could be in the mix. 

“They’ll be looked at, but I’ll check with my brother Daniel as well,” he said.

Foote on the money again for McGregor

As an agent, John Foote had already delivered owner Sandy McGregor with the ultimate, the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance.

But 11 years on from that defining Cup victory, which also changed jockey Michelle Payne’s life, McGregor’s mauve and white checkers and dark green sleeves and cap silks were in the Group 1 winner’s stall.

The French-bred and sourced Splash Back, who was selected by Foote and fellow agent Arthur Hoyeau at the 2021 Arqana October Yearling Sale, rounded out her Brisbane campaign with the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara in her keeping.

The Group 1 makes her a valuable broodmare prospect and also pushed her prize money earnings to $1.2 million, a nice return on the €100,000 she cost five years ago.

Adding to her residual value is the fact that she is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Chachnak and Listed winner Into The Mystic, whose black-type was earned at Woodbine in Canada.

Splash Back won three races as a three-year-old for Andrew Bobbin before being transferred to Grahame Begg as a four-year-old, winning another six races from 23 starts in total.