Santa Ana Lane & connections after winning The Goodwood at Morphettville (AtkinsPhotography.com.au)
“遍寻我所到过的国家，从未有一个节日庆典能够被全民所热爱，能够将全民凝聚在一起。墨尔本杯就是有这种魅力，它使我震惊不已。”
Strange how things turn out. Many had thought a son of Lope de Vega would win Saturday’s $1,000,000 Group One Darley Goodwood over 1200m at Morphettville … just not THAT son of Lope de Vega.
On the back of his Goodwood victory last year, plus a Memsie win and Everest runner-up position last time in, Vega Magic was sent out a $4 favourite for Adelaide’s plum sprint.
Santa Ana Lane, on the other hand, was occupying the twelfth line of betting at $26, despite a Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes win last October and a pretty good run – second up – when third in the Group Three DC McKay Stakes on 5 May.
Still, with a little over 50 metres to go in Saturday’s Goodwood, the bookies appeared to have got the price right with Santa Ana Lane seemingly held up behind a wall of horses.
But Santa Ana’s Lane jockey Ben Melham managed to weave a route through and scooted home to win by over a length.
The Anthony Freedman trained Santa Ana Lane is raced by the successful William Street Syndicate. Syndicate manager Michael Ramsden was a little nonplussed at the starting price too, but, naturally, thrilled with the win.
“I thought when they were offering $13 about the horse midweek he was way over the odds, but I’m not complaining,” Ramsden points out.
Coupled with the Sir Rupert Clarke title, the Goodwood is Santa Ana Lane’s sixth win overall from 26 starts, while five of his six placings have also been at black-type level, with his earnings now shooting to $1,280,820.
The William Street syndicate was formed in the late 1970s by Ramsden’s late father, Andrew, a revered former Chairman of the Victoria Racing Club.
“Those in the syndicate are all members of The Australian Club which is situated in William Street, hence the name,” Ramsden adds.
“Over the years we’ve raced Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Gurners Lane, Paris Lane (Caulfield Cup), De Gaulle Lane (Queensland Derby) and now Santa Anta Lane … four Group One winners of seven Group One races.
“There’s around 30 owners in the Santa Ana Lane group and we usually race a couple at a time and also have a yearling coming through.
“They are a good bunch of people in Santa Ana Lane and he was selected for us by a good friend of mine, (leading bloodstock agent) Justin Bahen … an even better friend after Saturday!
“We’ll see how Santa Ana Lane pulls up from the Goodwood, but we’ll probably give him a go at the ($1.5 million Group One UBET) Stradbroke Handicap on 9 June.”
Meanwhile, a full 24 hours on from Santa Ana Lane’s ‘thriller’, Dyson Hore-Lacy was still shaking his head.
“That was an incredible win … I don’t think the racecaller saw him until the last few seconds,” Hore-Lacy enthused.
Although Santa Ana Lane was bred by Patinack Farm, Hore-Lacy purchased Santa Ana Lane’s dam, Fast Fleet – with a six week colt in tow – at the 2012 Patinack Farm Unreserved Broodmare Reduction Sale on the Gold Coast.
“I was looking to purchase some mares for Toorak Toff (Group One Golden Rose and Group One Sir Rupert Clarke) who I raced in partnership and had just retired to Rosemont Stud that year,” Hore-Lacy explains.
“(Then Rosemont manager) Dean Harvey had come up with a list of suitable mares and I really liked both Fast Fleet and her Lope de Vega colt.
“I’m only a hobby breeder and Fast Fleet was one of the first mares I purchased. The colt was a magnificent type and when he was sold (through the Rosemont Stud draft for $80,000 at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale) I was hoping to keep a share in him.
“I approached Troy Corstens, who the colt was knocked down to, but he told me the horse had been purchased on behalf of the William Street syndicate. Good luck to them: they’ve got a very good galloper.”
Santa Ana Lane is the only runner for Fast Fleet at this stage, but the mare has an unraced 2YO filly by Kuroshio – The Black Tide – that is in work with Steven O’Dea at Eagle Farm, while Hore-Lacy sold a Toorak Toff filly for $27,000 at this year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier.
Meanwhile, Hore-Lacy – who is paring back his broodmares – will offer Fast Fleet, in foal to multiple Group One winning Tapit stallion Frosted, at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast on Wednesday 30th May.
