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Opalescence lands Bonecrusher and whilst Boomba wins in Singapore add to stallion’s tally
Former Hanuni Farm shuttler Showcasing (Oasis Dream) sired a stakes double on Saturday which saw his black-type tally climb to 49, with the first winner coming when the Jenna Mahoney-trained Opalescence (3 f ex Fairy Story by Pentire) landed the Bonecrusher Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, while Boomba (3 g ex Celeste by Pentire) later added to the stallion’s haul in the Golden Horseshoe (Listed, 1200m) at Kranji.
Opalescence sat behind pacemaker Explosively (Sweynesse) for much of the race and found the lead inside the final furlong before holding out a late challenge by Jason Belltree (Ferlax), eventually beating him by three-quarters of a length. Explosively was another two lengths further away in third.
“She had won over 1400 metres at her last start and was well challenged that day so I didn’t have any worries about the distance as she saw it out nicely,” said Mahoney.
“She can run the times that you need to be competitive at this level and she did it well.
“She isn’t very big, about 15.2 hands, but you don’t have to be big to be fast and she is very professional which can take them a long way.”
Mahoney will now look at races over the Ellerslie Christmas carnival with the filly but was delighted she could get a valuable black type win for both the filly and co-owner Carl Brown.
“I’m thinking about a race on either Boxing Day or New Year’s Day back here for her next,” she said.
“I think she will get over further in the future as she is out of a Pentire mare but we’ll just keep her around the 1400 metres at this stage.
“She’s proven to be a real little beauty after we only paid $1,000 for her originally.
“Her other owner is Carl Brown who works at the stable in the mornings. When we bought her, he took a real shine to her when she was being broken in and he took a ten percent share in her.
“He is as happy as can be and enjoying the ride.”
Purchased as a weanlings for a mere NZ$1,000 via the Gavelhouse online sale in March 2018, Opalescence is out of winning Pentire (Be My Guest) mare Fairy Story and she is the first stakes winner in four generations of her family.
Fairy Story’s colt by Haunui Farm shuttler Belardo (Lope De Vega) was purchased by Poplar Lodge for NZ$11,000 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka May Sale earlier this year and was then bought by Mark and Tarnz Racing for NZ$40,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale last month.
Meanwhile in Singapore, the Cliff Brown-trained three-year-old gelding Boomba beat Infinite Wisdom (All Too Hard) into second, while Relentless (Hallowed Crown) came home in third.
The gelding was purchased by his trainer for NZ$100,000 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale from the Haunui Farm draft and, like Opalescence, Boomba is also out of a daughter of Pentire in Celeste, who has produced one other winner.
Celeste herself is a daughter of Listed-placed Aria (Centaine), making her a half-sister to Group 2 scorer Floria (Savabeel), while further back this is the same family as Listed winner Agamemnon (Generous).
Celeste’s filly by Tivaci (High Chaparral) was purchased by Cape Schanck Stud for NZ$150,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock National Karaka Yearling Sale earlier this year, while she produced a filly by Windsor Park-based sire Shamexpress (O’Reilly) in 2019.
Showcasing’s progeny is headed by Group 1-winning trio Quiet Reflection, Advertise and Mohaather and he will stand at Whitsbury Manor Stud for a fee of £45,000 in 2021, while his son Mohaather will join Shadwell Stud’s Nunnery Stud roster for next year’s breeding season.
