Eight Ball

WHILE all the attention rightfully centred last Friday night on the trio of Group 1 stars on show at Sandown, I found the pedigree designed to make Eight Ball, a flying 29.33 victor at the track, something to relish.

By the luckless Kayda Shae from Taste Da Rainbow by Kinloch Brae, Eight Ball is a classy young dog, just turned two who has already been fourth in the Group 3 Speed Star and is a winner three times at Sandown and once at Geelong.

He is from a litter of eight named offspring and, despite their young age, all are winners already.

To say I found his pedigree fascinating is an understatement.

It is almost entirely Irish, with a smattering of Aussie and US tossed in for good measure.

I can remember being convinced his sire Kayda Shae (Kilty Lad-Cosmic Aphrodite by Premier Fantasy) was a tragedy beaten in the Group 1 Topgun finishing second to champion Fernando Bale. But, harking back now, it might also have been Fernando's will to win and track craft that stopped Kayda Shae in his tracks.

Kayda Shae retired not long after through injury and tragedy followed him. He lost his life not long after.

From the famed "Portrait" family, his immediate damline is that of much underrated stud dog Cosmic Chief. Of course this is also the family of Primo Uno, Shimaguni etc ... a galaxy of stars.

Taste Da Rainbow, dam of Eight Ball, started just once and failed to finish.

She had claims to a breeding career. Her litter sister, Sacramento Sal, won 18 times and was placed in 24 earning $85,000. She has since been mated to Fernando Bale to produce Diego Fernando (7 wins, $29,000).

Since then, Sacramento Sal has produced litters to Walk Hard and Shima Bar.

The pedigree of Taste Da Rainbow is mostly Irish. She's by Kinloch Brae the US sprint star who made such a name for himself in Ireland and England and then Oz. That was always on the cards because his damsire Fortress is Irish.

Taste Da Rainbow's direct damline is that of the champion Irish galloper Late Late Show. In fact, her second dam Kathy's Kitten (Spiral Nikita-Cathy Ann), is a genetic sister to Late Late Show (Spiral Nikita-Ullid Citrate). Cathy Ann is a daughter of Ullid Citrate.

Taste Da Rainbow is line bred 3x4 to the virtual brothers Fortress and Murlens Slippy. Both are by I'm Slippy and their second dams are the very famous litter sisters Miss Hilary and Slight Chill (Sand Man-Maythorn Pride).

Successful import Grove Whisper is in-bred to this very same family.

Kinloch Brae's champion Irish-bred son Ballymac Vic is also bred on the Fortress/Murlens Slippy cross. In 2018, Ballymac Vic sired first and third in the Group 1 English Derby.

What is of just as much interest in this pedigree is the fact Eight Ball's direct female family is the very same as Miss Hilary and Slight Chill.

When Taste Da Rainbow went to stud after her one-start race career, she was initially mated to Kilty lad (sire of Eight Ball's sire Kayda Shae).

It produced a handy litter headed by Bronelly Jet (6 wins, $29,000).

The mating to Kayda Shae, however, brought in a very special duplication, that of Irish legend Premier Fantasy 3x3 and along the direct damline on both sides of the pedigree.

This is one of the very first city class gallopers I have seen with Premier Fantasy duplicated so close.

It must augur well for stud dogs like the recently retired Mepunga Blazer (who has Premier Fantasy as his damsire) to be able to mate bitches that will provide another cross of Premier Fantasy. Generally Aussie breeders like to shy away from reinforcing outcross lines in this manner.

Eight Ball's second dam, Purely Tonic (Premier Fantasy-Kathy's Kitten) has been a very good producer. She is also the dam of the Black Enforcer dog Dodgy Dealer (30 wins, $65,000) and the Magic Sprite pair Let's Run (19 wins, $40,000) and Sub Zero Magic (22 wins, $36,000) etc.

Taste Da Rainbow whelped a litter to Unlawful Entry is January and that brings in a very special 3x3 cross of the virtual littermates Late Late Show and Kathy's Kitten.

I for one will be VERY interested to see just how this litter of six dogs and two bitches turns out on the racetrack.

I have always felt Unlawful Entry had just about everything to make it as a stud dog. A strong link to his damsire Late Late Show would be just one way to mate him in a bid to achieve racetrack success.

Eight Ball, and his promising littermates, are just babies with great futures.

The pedigree designed to create them was inspired.