The last of our broodmare centurions, Melvins Speed holds the unique position of having produced only one winning foal that on his own has won one hundred races.
MELVINS SPEED (1986 Melvins Strike/Carlotta Lopez), family of Miss Kate, CF N12) : 2:02.1, six wins, $33,700; four live foals, two raced plus qualifier, one winner in 1:52, $800k earner. Bred by Estate of Ben Grice which also bred all her progeny.
| DOB | FOAL/WINS BY LOCATION | NZ | AU | G/T | MR | $ ** |
| 2003 | Destreos (Astreos gelding) | 7 | 94 | 101 | 1:51.9 | $828,369 |
** Conversion: $A1=$NZ1
DESTREOS, sixteen year old Astreos/Melvins Speed gelding whose career record at mid-July 2020 stands at 486 starts for 101 wins, 72 seconds and 68 thirds, $828,369 ($59,208 in NZ), best mile rate 1:51.9 set at Albion Park (1660m).
His dam Melvins Speed, the winner of six races, on the grass at Motukarara and Methven and twice each on the all-weather surfaces of Nelson and Cambridge, bred was from Lopez Hanover mare Carlotta Lopez. Melvins Speed only raced at two (two wins, Addington, Hutt Park) and three (single win, Addington junior drivers event for Ross Payne) before producing fourteen foals, five raced plus qualifier with three winners. Carlotta Lopez is third dam of Im Massachusetts (1:52.4, $184,488, eighteen wins) and R Eleven, NSW Derby heat winner. Full sister Highland Dame is grand dam of Franco Hat Trick (1:52.0US, $659,210, NSW Derby, Chariots Of Fire) and Franco Heir (1:56.4, $392,272, NZSS – 3, NSW Derby); third dam of full sisters Our Sixpence (1:51.3, $613,977, Ladyship Mile, Queen of the Pacific) and Threepence (TAS Oaks) among many others.
Commencing racing at two from Geoff Small’s stable for the estate of Des Grice, Destreos won on two occasions at Alexandra Park (1:57.9, 1700m, best mile rate) and Cambridge, placing fourth in Cardigan Bay Stakes and fifth in Two Year Old Championship. At three, two stable changes first to Steve Phillips producing a further two wins at Auckland/Cambridge and then another at Alexandra Park for Michelle Wallis. At four, two wins were at Auckland and Cambridge when trained again by Steve Phillips. Except for a junior drivers race win for Matthew White, Peter Ferguson drove him in his other six NZ successes. NZ statistics show fifty starts for seven wins and eighteen placings, $59,208, 1:57.9.
Exported to Australia in late July 2008, Destreos joined Jimboomba, Queensland based trainer Ken Rattray and wife Sally Stingel, Destreos’s owner. Initial success for them came on his third appearance at the now closed Gold Coast Parklands Raceway in late August 2008. Dexter or “King of the Creek” (Albion Park) as he is known has amassed an astonishing record over the past eleven seasons, nine of which were spent in Queensland.
During this time, Destreos joined the Australian “400 starts” club now standing ahead of original 400 club member, Cane Smoke, a Northern Queenslander who raced over 11 seasons mostly in MacKay and Rockhampton winning on 120 occasions from 400 starts (10 August 1983 – 4 September 1991), 1:59.4, $79,810. There are three members of the Australian 400 starts club – Kiwi breds Destreos (486) and Pacific Rocket gelding Mister Skye Rocket) with 410 with Queensland local Cane Smoke on 400.
Several of Destreos’s feats are of worthy of repeating, they include :
- his 81st win and 62nd at Albion Park’s Breakfast Creek track on 25 August 2015, equalled Hal Thomas’s modern day record of 377 starts (trainer Mark Dux, 65 wins between 1998 – 2010, $261,443, 1:57.6) and established his equal fastest mile rate of 1:51.9 (26.8, 29.5, 27.4, 28.5/1:55.5 for 1660m) set as a late 10yo (Australasian season commences 1 September)
- winner of his four hundredth start at Redcliffe (win ninety) on 2 April 2016 driven by Shane Graham
- three times recorded winning mile rates of 1:51.9 over 1660m at Albion Park (25 August 2015, 22 September 2015, 17 November 2015 ), twice placed in 1:51.3
- winner at Menangle in 1:52.5 (5 July 2014, aged nine) and 1:52.9 (13 September 2016, aged twelve)
- 73 of 94 Australian wins at Albion Park (327 starts), six at Gold Coast (18), five at Redcliffe (17) and Menangle (18), three at Hobart (20), one each at Launceston (29) and Devonport (2) [two starts at Carrick; one start at each of Bathurst, Dubbo, Newcastle], added to seven NZ wins (50) equals 100 victories (486 starts) to date (mid-July 2020 2019), latest at Hobart, March 2019
- Claimed one hundredth victory at start number 450, winning at Devonport on 20 April 2018, aged fourteen (1:57.7/58.7, 1930m), winning driver Mark Yole. Win number 101 (1:57.8/2090m) at Hobart on 22 March 2019 for Mark Yole
- started in many Group (1, 2,3) and listed classic races – winner of Be Good Johnny Sprint (Gp3), QLD Lord Mayors Cup (Listed), City of Devonport Quality (Listed), 13 Albion Park FFA’s, placed second in Redcliffe Cup, second and third Flashing Red (Listed)
- handled by Kelli Dawson in 252 Queensland starts for fifty seven victories (drove him in 2018 Governors Cup, Hobart)
Since moving to Tasmania at the commencement of the 2017/8 season, Destreos has recoded four wins (all feature or listed races) from his latest fifty two starts (to 21 February 2020, even starting from the backmark of 30m in the 2018 Group Two Launceston Easter Cup ($75,000), finishing tenth of fourteen. Destreos has not been sighted since the onset of the COVID 19 restrictions but who’s to say he won’t be back again on the racetrack.
Peter Craig
15 Jul 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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