Long involvement
Breeder Brian Anderton has been reflecting on his six generation involvement with the family of Who Shot The Barman, who won the $152,000 Bart Cummings at Flemington on Saturday.
Who Shot Thebarman, winner of the Auckland and Avondale Cups this year, is in contention for the $3 million Caulfield Cup on October 18 and $6 million Melbourne Cup on November 4. He has 53kg, including a 1.5kg re-handicap in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and he is 20th in order of entry after the third acceptances on Tuesday (October 7). The final field is 18 horses and two emergencies.
He has 55kg (0.5kg re-handicap) in the Melbourne Cup at 19th in entry order. The maximum field is 24.
Who Shot Thebarman carried 57.5kg in the handicap race over 2520m in the Bart Cummings.
Brian and Lorraine Anderton, the proprietors of the White Robe Lodge stud at North Taieri, bred Who Shot Thebarman from a mating of Yamanin Vital and Ears Carol. Yamanin Vital stood at White Robe until his death in October, 2009. Who Shot Thebarman was bought by the O'Leary brothers, of Wanganui sight unseen as a yearling the following year.
"I got a phone call from one of the brothers wanting to buy a Yamanin Vital colt and I just picked him out of the paddock,'' recalled Wayne Stewart, the stud manager.
The O'Learys are neighbours of Mark and Raymond Conners, who raced the son of Yamanin Vital, Hypnotize, winner of the Great Northern Steeplechase - Pakuranga Hunt Cup double in 2007, 08 and 2010.
Who Shot Thebarman is the third foal of Ears Carol, an unraced mare by Carolingian from Auditive, by Random Chance from Auditory, by Noble Bijou from Attentive, by Ruddington from Lochlisten.
The Andertons began breeding from Lochlisten 49 years ago and she left them winners Attentive, Cock Your Ear, Charlar and San Mellay. She had earlier left Lord Fair for Jim Neilson. Lord Fair won 15 races on the flat and over fences. Lochlisten won seven races to mile and a quarter (2000m)when trained at Wingatui by Jim Wilson. She was Balloch from Listen In and thus a sister to Harken, the second stallion venture for Anderton, who bought him for 100 pounds in 1955. Harken had been restricted to three starts after fracturing a sesamoid. He left winners including St Jude, who was successful in Melbourne.
Attentive won four races and left 12 foals.
Auditory, her fourth foal, won the Riverton and Tapanui Cups, a weight-for-age 2000m at Gore and a Heathcote Hanficap at Riccarton in the early 1980s. Another of her foals was Treaura, the grandam of Prized Gem (2002 Brisbane Cup). Treaura Bijou, a half sister to Treaura, left Milly Bijou (2002 Dunedin Cup). Prized Gem is the dam of 2008 AJC Derby winner, Nom du Jeu and g2 2012 Counties Cup winner, Jeu de Cartes.
Auditory also left Auricle, the dam of Perceptible, winner of the 2002 White Robe Lodge Handicap, Dunedin, Southland and Gore Guineas.
Auditive won three races and Ears Carol was her first foal.
Yamanin Vital has embellished the record of White Robe Lodge stallions in major races. Mellay, Noble Bijou, Tawfiq, Trelay, Causeur, Personal Escort and Danzighill are other WR stallions to sire group race winners.
Mellay sired Princess Mellay, winner of the NZ Cup in 1970 and 71, the only mare to achieve the feat in the history of the race. She also won the 1969 NZ Oaks, a race won by Mellay filly, Brown Satin in 1972, the last time the race was run at Riccarton. The Mellay mare, Swell Time won the 1973 Caulfield Cup and another mare, Rose Mellay, the 1974 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Noble Bijou sired Lomondy (1986 Caulfield and Adelaide Cups); The Phantom Chance 1993 W S Cox Plate) Be Noble (South African Derby), The Phantom (Mackinnon, Memsie and Underwood Stakes).
Tawfiq left the 1989 Melbourne Cup winner, Tawriffic and Danzighill has left, Blood Brotha,winner of two NZ Cups and a Wellington Cup. Trelay was represented by Koiro Trelay, winner of the NZ and Wellington Cups in the 1980-81 season.
Personal Escort sired the Wellington Cup winner, Envoy and Causeur, sired Mellseur, winner of the gr one Penfolds Mile at Trentham in 1980.
Yamanin Vital has also sired the 2004 Wellington Cup winner Cluden Creek and Cut The Cake (2003 NZ Derby). The Wellington Cup was over 3200m until 2009.