Non-Stop Demand: Have We Seen The Last Of Ricci?

WITH his popularity at stud growing by the day it begs the question if we've seen the last of superstar sprinter Flying Ricciardo on the racetrack.

KRISTY Sultana and her dad Sam left Wentworth Park on Golden Easter Egg semi-final night totally devastated.

It was the result of the pride of their kennel, Flying Ricciardo, breaking down and thus sinking their legitimate hopes of winning the coveted Easter Egg.

A vet check the next day found Flying Ricciardo injured with the likelihood of being sidelined for months.

But therein lies an opportunity few get.

The Sultana phone has not stopped ringing, his introductory stud fee $2200.

Broodbitch owners see their chance to tap into a record breaking Group 1 performer possessed with amazing racetrack speed to the very highest level.

And he comes to them with a pedigree to match.

But it begs the question – will he go down the path of the great Magic Sprite and be so popular at stud that we don't see him on a racetrack again?

Magic Sprite (Brett Lee-Glamorous) was a superstar on the rise winning 11 of his first 12 starts and the only way they could beat him was to knock him over.

John and Jane Carruthers put him to stud.

The breeding world embraced him so much that he stayed a stud dog and then went on to huge success.

Could the same be on the horizon for Flying Ricciardo?

A son of champion sire Barcia Bale, already the sire of stud successes Mepunga Blazer, Aston Dee Bee, Ritza Lenny and Raw Ability, his dam Megalodon (Glen Gallon-Blue Evening by Black Enforcer) was a quality race bitch at Group level.

Flying Ricciardo is the fastest son of Barcia Bale to win at Wentworth Park running a super 29.22 (second fastest ever) just outside the track record of 29.07. 

From 27 race starts, he is the winner of 22 and placed three times second for stakes of $237,000. 

He also ran a track record at Bulli over 340m in 18.91 on debut and his 29.16 victory at The Gardens is just .01 outside the record. 

As a very young dog, he was the winner of the G1 Dapto Megastar (29.48), G2 Black Top, Gold Muzzle Auction series and was a finalist in the Million Dollar Chase. 

All eight of his Wenty Park wins have come under 30-seconds. 

By the champion sire, his dam Megalodon (2nd G3 New Sensation, finalist G3 Richmond Riches) won 18 races and earned $59,000.

He is from a direct damline that includes city winner after city winner.

Flying Ricciardo is from a litter of eight named offspring and all have been winners.

He is bred on a 4×4 balance of the great Brett Lee, has a 2×3 cross of Go Wild Teddy and Black Enforcer who are bred on a reverse cross, and brings in the proven cross of Barcia Bale with bitches that carry Bombastic Shiraz. 

Flying Ricciardo comes from the direct damline of Kenthurst Kate, the famed Travelling Girl female family that continues with great success today.

His seventh dam, Calypso Kent (Admiral Lynch-Kenthurst Kate) was a litter sister to Clover Park the temperamental, but sensational race bitch who won the Association Cup, Gabba Gold Cup and XXXX Trophy in the mid-1980s.

Broodbitch owners are right to chase the Sultana clan for services to their dog while he is in an enforced layoff.

They might just find the demand for him too much of an opportunity to forsake by bringing him back to the track.

He has a pedigree demanding all sorts of line breeding via Hallucinate/Where's Pedro, via Bombastic Shiraz in his damline and the Brett Lee cross in his mother.

Daughters of Zambora Brockie will be an absolute MUST to go to him even though it will introduce a double of US racetrack great Flying Stanley.

Being a 33kg dog, he will be a MUST also for daughters of Fernando Bale whose dam has the Black Shiraz/Head Honcho cross able to link up with the same crosses in Flying Ricciardo's mother.

The fact he carries a daughter of Bombastic Shiraz in his damline, also means Flying Ricciardo can suit bitches by a SON of Bombastic Shiraz, including Fabregas, Velocette and Lochinvar Marlow.

The latter will be a special mating for Flying Ricciardo. That's because both of them trace directly to the Travelling Girl/Kenthurst Kate family.

I would implore anyone with a Lochinvar Marlow bitch to seriously consider such a mating.

Glen Gallon, as damsire of Flying Ricciardo, will greatly influence his offspring. Glen Gallon has done well at stud from limited opportunities.

His sisters and their daughters continue to produce quality race dogs.

The great Jury (G1 Nat Sprint, G1 Winter Cup, G2 Lismore Gold Cup etc) now a promising young stud dog, is from this damline.

His sire Cosmic Chief is bred on the same Brett Lee/Token Prince cross as Flying Ricciardo's 2nd dam Blu Evening.

It would make sense to mate daughters of Cosmic Chief to Flying Ricciardo.

Kristy and Sam Sultana are well aware of what an explosive race dog they had in their kennel in Flying Ricciardo.

With the immediate response to him at stud, they are fast learning he might be an even better “performer” now that he is looking at a stud career.

Remember the great sprinter Magic Sprite who was “briefly” put to stud. He never returned to the track … and became a sire success.

The same could be the future for Flying Ricciardo.

 

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