Having just blown out their birthday candles a new breed of three-year-olds will get a taste of group level racing at Tabcorp Park on Saturday night.
The racing marks the continuation of a trots journey for the horses and their owners, which includes Anne and Bill Anderson of Lauriston Bloodstock, who have plenty riding on the headline races.
Fresh from celebrating a Breeders Crown triumph, Mrs Anderson will watch Our Little General’s Smythes Creek stablemates Rocknroll Icon and Form Analyst step out in the Empire Stallions Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic for three-year-old colts and geldings.
Both geldings were born from mares bought, raised and raced by the farm, which was established in Euroa in 2006.
“When we were starting out building up our broodmares we were buying juveniles from the New Zealand yearling sales or proven mares from the US,” Mrs Anderson said. “The dams of these two were both bought as yearlings in New Zealand.”
They are National Gallery (Rocknroll Icon) and Shezacullen (Form Analyst), who respectively recorded 11 and 10 wins and $90,600 and $59,410 in stakes.
“They were both good race mares and when they finished racing we thought we would breed from them,” Mrs Anderson said. “When you buy them as yearlings it is all unknown as they go to the track and prove themselves.
“We have had a lot of fun, met a lot of nice people and then that has all started again as they become broodmares. (To have these two racing in a Group 2) is a thrill and an achievement for (the mares) and us.”
By Bettors Delight, Form Analyst is Shezacullen’s third foal and Saturday night marks his fifth start, having broken his maiden status last month at Cranbourne when resuming from a breather that followed his Vicbred tilt.
“Form Analyst was heading to the APG yearling sales, but then had to be kept back after he had confirmation issues,” Mrs Anderson said, resulting in Lauriston Bloodstock retaining ownership.
They also bred and own Rocknroll Icon, by Rocknroll Hanover, who was born via a surrogate mare, owing to National Gallery suffering a dropped hip. Sadly the replacement mare died during birth and so Rocknroll Icon was also kept out of sales having been born an ophan foal.
“They were both a little bit immature,” Mrs Anderson said. “Geoff Walker broke them in and Rocknroll Icon just took a little longer. Geoff thought there was not much between them, but Rocknroll Icon surprised us with what he did at Terang.”
Rocknroll Icon’s Terang debut on August 30 followed strong trial form of four starts for two wins and two placings, which saw him installed favourite. The faith was well justified with the then two-year-old streeting the field by 17.2m, stopping the clock at 1:54.2, the fourth fastest winning mile rate by a debutant in Australia.
“Emma and Clayton only had him for five or six weeks and they thought a lot of him, but his win at Terang exceeded everybody’s expectations,” Mrs Anderson said.
He then followed with a further win at Bendigo in the Gold FM Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic heats, cruising to an easy win when he was largely untouched by driver Chris Alford.
In the previous heat, Form Analyst ran third behind Marg Lee’s favourite Jilliby Chevy.
“Form Analyst is quite a good horse and I think he will continue to win races,” Mrs Anderson said. “He has the ability, he just doesn’t have the quick turn of foot that Rocknroll Icon has, but he has never disappointed.”
More will be learned Saturday night when both contend with tricky barrier draws, with Rocknroll Icon drawn inside on the back row, which she shares with Jilliby Chevy and stablemate Sirletic. Form Analyst starts in the widest gate on the front row, directly outside Mista Lombo and Jilliby Road Runner.
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