Sedanzer wins the Brisbane Cup (Trackside Photography)
By rights, Sedanzer probably shouldn’t have been out there winning Saturday’s Group Two Pages Event Hire Brisbane Cup over 2200m at Doomben.
After all, when the team at Bluebloods Thoroughbreds purchased the now 4YO mare for $125,000 at the 2015 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale, everything seemed to point at the youngster being an early comer.
She certainly looked sprinting material, according to Blueblood Thoroughbreds’ David Mourad, particularly given the filly is a daughter of Golden Slipper winner, Sebring, from a mare by Danzero (another Slipper winner) and a half sister to So Detached, multiple stakes placed at two.
However, Sedanzer didn’t race until an autumn 2YO – finishing sixth at Kembla – and failed to make an impression in her first start at three, before peeling off successive wins at Kembla and Hawkesbury in the spring of ’16.
While Sedanzer did show trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott enough promise to run in several stakes races as a 3YO – including a close fifth behind Egg Tart in last year’s Group One Schweppes Oaks – it wasn’t until Sedanzer turned four that she has really came into her own.
In her nine starts this season, Sedanzer has won five – including three in a row in Sydney plus the Scone Cup in May – and been twice Group placed, along with a second (beaten a lip) in January’s $1 million Magic Millions Trophy.
All up, Sedanzer has raced 18 times for eight wins, three placings and $786,221 in prizemoney.
“She certainly caught us a bit by surprise given that she’s doing so well over the longer distances, but it’s fair to say that no-one in the syndicate is complaining,” Mourad adds.
The success of syndicated horses throughout Australia this season has again been phenomenal and none more so than the gallopers racing out of Blueblood Thoroughbreds.
Commencing operation in 2010, Blueblood Thoroughbreds was syndicating around eight to 10 racehorses annually and upped the ante to 20 in 2017 and “will do around 20 to 25” this year.
Just in the last 10 months, Blueblood Thoroughbreds horses have notched up over $2 million in prizemoney and include Group One winners Secret Agenda and Seabrook, along with dual stakes winner, She’s So High.
“There’s around 15 in the Sedanzer syndicate and she was offered at $8,999 a (5%) share,” Mourad explains.
“Syndication becomes more popular ever year and all the horses we purchased in 2018 are just about full, but aside from the repeat business, it’s also encouraging to see so many new faces getting involved. There’s a handful in Sedanzer that are first time owners.”
Sedanzer is one of 44 stakes winners for the Widden Stud based, Sebring, and is from Voltdanze, a half sister to Group One Rosehill Guineas winner, Dealer Principal and closely related to Group One winning sprinter, Drum and Champion Miler, Grand Armee.
Bred and sold by Victoria’s Three Bridges – who also sold Sebring’s Hong Kong Group One winner, Lucky Bubbles and Group winner Supido for Gilgai Farm – Sedanzar has a weanling half brother by Unencumbered, while Voltdanze is due to foal another Unencumbered this spring.
Despite sadly losing Unencumbered in March due to complications from throat surgery, it’s been a remarkable couple of months for Three Bridges which has bred, raised and/or sold Group One Schweppes Oaks winner, Sopressa, Group One South Australian Derby winner, Leicester and now Sedanzer.
“We’re only a relatively small farm and raise about 40 a year on behalf of clients and ourselves,” Three Bridges’ Toby Liston points out.
“It was great to see Gai (Waterhouse) and Adrian (Bott) add another Group Two winner to the tally and we must be doing something right because Gai flies in to the farm every year via helicopter to have a look at our yearlings before the sales.”
