Alice Springs Turf Club

Queen of the Desert Sires

2009 SIRES

REAL JESTER | HAPPY GIGGLE | TAOS | FOMALHAUT | EL CUMBRES

The Centreracing Queen of the Desert Stakes, this year worth a most attractive $20,000, will be contested for the 15^th time on XXXX Gold Alice Springs Cup Day, May 4.

The 0-76 1200m for fillies and mares is one of the most sought after events on the local calendar, and with such winners as Rose Of Tirol (2), Tap Dance, Greimota, Cover Gal, Queen of the North, Lady Lyn and last year’s winner Gold Magic figuring on the roll of honour, it is abundantly clear that it is a “good horses” race.

As well as the worthwhile stake on offer, this year no less than the first six placegetters home receive the added bonus of a free stallion service, thanks to the generosity of three studs and their studmasters.

Lindsay Park Stud, for the third successive year, has donated a service to their Rory’s Jester stallion Real Jester, while John Hickmott’s Lakewood Stud has again offered two services to his fine winner-producing stallion Taos.

Mornmoot Stud, operated by Robert Thompson, is a newcomer to the Queen of the Desert Stakes, but the Victorian establishment has offered no less than three services, one each to their exciting stallions El Cumbres, Fomalhaut and Happy Giggle.

Real Jester, from a great Australian speed influence, is one of the new generation of sons of Rory’s Jester. Standing for a fee in 2008 of $5,500 (GST inc), Real Jester’s family is the definition of speed. His dam, Dangerous Seam, won the Maribyrnong Trial as well as finishing third in the Gold Coast Magic Millions.

Real Jester himself was an early winner of the Listed Merson Cooper, and gained placings in the Maribyrnong Plate and Blue Diamond Prelude. He then filled fourth place in one of the great Blue Diamonds in recent memory, finishing behind champions Redoute’s Choice and Testa Rossa.

In his first seasons at stud, serving small books of mares in Western Australia, Real Jester exceeded expectations. From just 30 starters, he has produced a stakes winner, three further stakes performers and five offspring with three or more wins to their name. Real Eagle was a late two-year-old and early three-year-old star in Alice Springs.

Taos, a son of Century and Cloud Pink, had an excellent racetrack record. He won eight times including the Gr III BATC Sprint, and he was second in the Gr I VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

At stud he has sired numerous good performers, including the evergreen Taos Pleasure, who has amassed 16 wins and over $350,000 in stakes. He was a recent winner at Morphettville.

Taos Pleasure stands at Lakewood Stud for a fee of $2,500 (GST inc). He produces winners on a regular basis, and is an excellent choice when breeding for the racetrack.

El Cumbres, a bay son of Weekend Hussler’s sire Hussonet, was a high-class racehorse in Chile and the USA. He won three times from 11 starts, and was placed second or third in his other eight outings.

He was a dual Group 1 winner, and was the champion two and three-year-old colt of his time in Chile. He served his first book of mares last year, and stands for a fee of $11,000 (GST inc), a record for a Queen of the Desert stallion service.

Fomalhaut ($5,500 GST inc) is an attractive dark brown son of Spinning World and the fine producing mare Coup De Folie. He was a winner and several times placed in France, and entered stud duties in 2005.

His dam was a Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed, but at stud she has really shone, leaving the champion Machiavellian, now a successful sire, Group 1 winner Exit To Nowhere and Group 1 placed Hydro Calido among her seven winning offspring.

The third stallion service on offer from Mornmoot is the great winner-producing son of Rory’s Jester in Happy Giggle ($5,500 GST inc).

A fine racehorse himself (he won the Group 2 Maribyrnong Plate among his four wins from just nine starts), Happy Giggle has been a tremendous success since taking up stud duties. He has left a host of winners, including the fine stakes-winning sprinter Snort, Dinkum Star, Grinful and Okay Oky. Seldom a week goes by that there is not a Happy Giggle winning somewhere!

His progeny are also most adept on the sand tracks of the Territory, with Gigglefit and Annoyed two that come readily to mind.

The Alice Springs Turf Club is indebted to Lindsay Park, Lakewood Stud and Mornmoot Stud, and their involvement should make this year’s Queen of the Desert Stakes the most keenly fought for many years.