Chequered Flag bred at White Robe Lodge

Chequered Flag, bred at White Robe Lodge by Shane and Sahryn Anderton, won the $A126,500 Australian Hurdle at Sandown on Sunday. Chequered Flag(Raise The Flag - Star Of Mulwala) has now amassed $A430,000 in stakes from five flat wins and three unbeaten starts over hurdles. He was sold for $21,000  at the festival section of the New Zealand Bloodstock yearling sale at Karaka in 2010. Chequered Flag won a 2100m maiden flat race at Te Rapa in 2016 when trained at Cambridge by Mark Brooks. The gelding was transferred to Darren Weir at Ballarat early in 2017 and added flat wins at Ballarat, Sandown, two $100,000 races at Morphettville and a maiden hurdle at  Warrnambool. Now trained at Ballarat by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the 7yr-old Chequered Flag has also had another hurdle win at Warrnambool from four starts in a fresh campaign.

Star Of Mulwala, who won five races, four for the WRL stable, died in 2016 after  leaving three foals, the first of them Chequered Flag. Star Of Mulwala was by Seasoned Star from Bonnie Jay, a half sister to A Gordon For Me, winner of 26 races including two   group three and five listed  for the WRL stable.

Shane and Brian trained Dante Fire, a 4yr-old mare by Raise The Flag - Inferno  to win at Wingatui on Friday. It was the second win for Dante Fire, raced by the All Blokes syndicate with breeders Brian and Lorraine Anderton.

Brian said it is planned to start  the stable star jumper Jackfrost over hurdles at Wingatui on Sunday as a lead up to a steeplechase campaign in Australia.  Jackfrost, winner of the Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton and Great Northern Hurdles at Te Aroha last winter, has had three flat races in a fresh campaign and he recently earned his steeplechase ticket schooling at Wingatui.

Stable jockey Jacob Lowry, who can claim three kilograms has the mount on Sunday.

"He (Jackfrost) is booked to fly out of Christchurch a week later and will be based at Ballarat for his steeplechase campaign," said Brian. His main target is the $350,000 Grand National Steeple at Ballarat on August 25.

The grey Jackfrost (Gallant Guru - Vital Note) belongs to the family of Baghdad Note,  the grey gelding who won the 1970 Melbourne Cup when trained at Wingatui by Bob Heasley.