When Andrew Forsman brought Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home) to Melbourne for the 2010 Spring Carnival as Murray Baker’s travelling foreman, he dreamed of one day celebrating similar highs of his own.
Never did he dare imagine, a dozen years on, he’d be on the cusp of doing so with a close relation to the horse who scored a 6-1/2-length Derby romp.
Forsman’s Derby hope this year, Mr Maestro (NZ) (Savabeel), is out of a half-sister to Lion Tamer.
Mr Maestro’s dam Let Me Roar (NZ), a daughter of Rip Van Winkle, is out of the Generous mare Lioness (NZ), who is also the dam of Lion Tamer.
“Obviously, being by Savabeel was a big leg-up for a start, but we knew the damside pretty well too,” he said.
“We raced the mother (Let Me Roar) and she was very brilliant, but she was related to Lion Tamer who had to win a Derby.
“He (Mr Maestro) had some good strong bloodlines and as a type I thought he was very similar to Lion Tamer.”
Lion Tamer, who was by Storming Home, proved the family have no issue with the Derby distance while there is stout staying blood even further back with Lioness a granddaughter of 1980 Melbourne Cup runner-up My Blue Denim (NZ) (A Chara), while Harris Tweed (NZ) (Montjeu) also appears on the pedigree page.
Finding who might be best-placed to run the Derby distance is often a head start to finding the winner and below is a brief look at the pedigrees of the other runners with a New Zealand connection engaged in this year’s race.
SHARP ‘N’ SMART (Redwood x Queen Margaret)
Bought out of Book 2 at Karaka for $55,000, last Saturday’s G1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) winner is out of a daughter of Swiss Ace who was a half-sister to Absalon (Mossman), a Listed winner over 1200m and 1600m. Second dam Danish Seaway (Danehill) is a sister to Sir Ernesto (Danehill), who was well-performed in Hong Kong, and a half to Angling (Lure), who won a Listed Dulcify (2000m) and ran third in a G3 Spring Stakes (1600m). Brise De Mer (Bering), the dam of Sir Ernesto and Angling, is a half-sister to Halling (Diesis), who was a champion in the Northern Hemisphere in the mid-1990s.
MANZOICE (Almanzor x Choice)
Member of the first Southern Hemisphere crop of Almanzor, a son of Wootton Bassett who is taking all before him in Europe. A $340,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast buy, Manzoice is out of the Mastercraftsman mare Choice (NZ), a G3 winner in New Zealand whose granddam Baroness Britney (Barathea) is a half-sister to Hasta Lueago (Kenmare) whose daughter Windin The Willows (Western Winter) has thrown G2 South African Oaks (2400m) winner Wind Chill (Silvano).
BERARDINO (Real Impact x Roseito)
Originally sold for A$50,000 out of Book 2 at the Magic Millions January Sale, he was later offered at the NZ Ready-To-Run Sale where Busuttin Racing bought him for $290,000. By a son of Deep Impact out of a Snitzel mare who is a three-quarter sister to South Australian Derby (2500m) winner Howard Be Thy Name (Redoute’s Choice). Second dam Bellini Rose (NZ) (Faltaat) won eight races, including a Group 2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes (1400m), but there is strength further back on the page with fourth dam La Tache (NZ) (Danzatore) a half-sister to Grand Echezeaux (NZ), a daughter of Zabeel who won a Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m). Grand Echezeaux is also the dam of Darci Brahma and is a three-quarter-sister to Romanee Conti (NZ) (Sir Tristram), who is the dam of Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), the most recent horse to complete the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double.
KING’S CROSSING (Almanzor x Spiriting)
Another by Almanzor out of a Montjeu mare who won up to 2000m. Spiriting (NZ) has already proven she can throw a handy stayer, being the dam of G3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) winner and G2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) runner-up Top Of The Range (NZ) (Savabeel). Spiriting’s half-sister Savsbelle (NZ) (Savabeel) finished third in Faint Perfume’s VRC Oaks (2500m) while another half-sister, Just Polite (Dehere), won a G3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) and is the dam of Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Ladies First (NZ) (Dylan Thomas), who won a G1 Auckland Cup (3200m).
