A year after a rousing victory in the Doomben 10,000, Spirit of Boom has embarked on his second season as a stallion at Eureka Stud on the Darling Downs.
When the resilient dual Group 1-winning sprinter retired to Eureka last year it was a homecoming to the historic place of his birth. In the 80-year history of the stud, it was the first time a Group 1 winner bred and raced by the McAlpine family had subsequently stood at the property.
“To breed, raise and race a horse like him was a great thrill,’’ said Eureka principal Scott McAlpine.
“As a first-season stallion he produced a great result. He is a proud and happy old racehorse.
“I reckon if he’d known how good his life was going to be as a stallion at Eureka he would have won his Group 1s earlier and got here sooner …”
Spirit of Boom covered 154 mares in his first season with a 90 per cent fertility rate.
“We were delighted with those numbers,’’ said McAlpine. “He actually covered about 25 more mares than I’d hoped.
“Traditionally it is usually a bit slower for their second season and we’re hoping for about 125 mares this year.’’’
The Winter Carnival of 2014 produced a fairytale finale for Spirit of Boom’s racing career with the Doomben 10,000 win coming soon after his breakthrough G1 triumph in the William Reid Stakes in Melbourne.
A fortnight after the 10,000 the top shelf sprinter bowed out after finishing a gallant fourth in the Stradbroke Handicap.
“To come back from Melbourne with a Group 1 and then win the 10,000 was really the pinnacle,’’ said McAlpine. “He was a pure sprinter and if he can throw progeny as tough as he was they will be pretty good.’’
The famous McAlpine colours will be carried in this year’s 10,000 by Spirit’s half-brother Temple of Boom, a close second in 2014 in what was an memorable quinella.
McAlpine believes Temple of Boom, now an eight-year-old, is set for a bold showing in this year’s 10,000 over the 1350m.
“He wasn’t quite fit enough in the BTC Cup (1200m) and will be primed for Saturday,’’ he said.
Temple of Boom finished seventh in the BTC Cup, less than three lengths from the winner Hot Snitzel.
The ranks of Queensland “resident” stallions have been further this season boosted with the relocation of champion Victoria sire Bel Esprit to Eliza Park at Innisplain.
Famously known as the sire of the great Black Caviar, Bel Esprit has been a powerhouse in Victorian breeding since retiring to stud in 2003. Bel Esprit is one of only seven stallions to appear in the Australian top-20 for the past seven seasons.
The sire equalled the national record (155 winners) when capturing the Australian sires’ title in 2013-14.
Bel Esprit’s progeny have earned in excess of $40million.
This is not the first time Eliza Park has transferred a top-line stallion to its Queensland operation with Written Tycoon arriving in 2012.
Leading Queensland farm Glenlogan Park achieved a notable “first four” result last Saturday at the Sunshine Coast.
The first four placegetters in the QTIS 3YO Handicap (1000m) were sired by four different Glenlogan Park stallions.
Winning filly She’s Miss Devine, trained by Kelso Wood, is by Show A Heart, second-placed Outback Saga is by Real Saga, Falvelon gelding I Am Boss finished third and Jet Spur’s son, Beau Jet, charged home late to grab fourth.
Wood said the talented She’s Miss Devine, who debuted with an eye-catching seven-length Eagle Farm victory, would target some black type races in coming weeks.
“We’ve always known how good she is but haven’t really been able to ever get any momentum with her. She has now won or been placed in five of her seven starts and deserves a crack at the better races.
“We will chase some black-type for her over the coming few weeks and, is she can draw an alley and have some luck, she will be competitive against anything she lines up against.”
– Racing Queensland
