THERE is an old saying that great minds think alike. Peppertide's berth in this week's Group 1 Sandown Cup final is the perfect example of that.

Peppertide is Barcia Bale-Diva's Shadow by Cosmic Rumble and he is a very, very good race dog having started just 18 times for seven wins and $35,000 in stakes.

He has already been a finalist in the Group 1 Super Stayers behind Blue Moon Rising.

At two and a half, he has a huge future ahead of him for trainer Brendan Pursell and his "Waratah" syndicate of owners.

His pedigree is a Barry Smith special tracing to the famed Wee Sal, his fifth dam, but coming through such breeding stars as Benji's Babe, Mepunga Shiraz, Mepunga Diva to his own dam Diva's Shadow the winner of 19 races and almost $100,000 in stakes.

While Peppertide has been biding his time strengthening into a staying star, his "genetic sister" Circle Of Dreams has been sweeping through Group victories over sprints for Angel Langton and her mum Sue Smith.

Circle Of Dreams is also by Barcia Bale and her dam Mepunga Mia is a litter sister to Diva's Shadow the mother of Peppertide.

For Angela and Sue, Circle Of Dreams has already won the Group 1 National Futurity, the Group 2 Laurels and Group 2 Qld Futurity.

Her dam Mepunga Mia started only nine times for four wins, three at Sandown (29.35) and one at The Meadows. She could obviously run.

Like many of Barry Smith's pedigree designs, the damline has a strong import influence. Mepunga Mia and Diva's Shadow carry the Irish star Spiral Nikita and the US strength source Flying Penske.

However, they are in-bred to Brett Lee's granddam Wee Sal 5x4 and she is positioned to greatly impact upon Mepunga Mia and Diva's Shadow.

It is no doubt Wee Sal has made them the broodbitch successes they have become.

With outcross influences already strong, both bitches needed to be mated to a good old fashioned dominant Aussie stud dog. Barcia Bale was perfect.

The result is Group 1 stars Peppertide and Circle Of Dreams.

WHILE on the subject of the Sandown Cup, 19-times winner Rajasthan (Kinloch Brae-Telling You by Go Wild Teddy) is also a finalist.

He's been a good dog for a long time.

Yet another produce of the famed National Lass direct damline, he is bred on the same Kinloch Brae/Go Wild Teddy cross as Group star Brad Hill Billy (now at stud).

For those who like to take notice of these things, check out just how many high class race dogs sired by Kinloch Brae have one or more crosses of Malawi's Prince in their damline.

Kinloch Brae works exceptionally well with bitches who have Collision, Bombastic Shiraz and Go Wild Teddy in their make-up.

All three have Malawi's Prince as their damsire.

Why is this so?

Because Kinloch Brae's ancestors Greys Julianna and Dutch Bahama are both saturated with Aussie bloodlines ... lines that have MUCH in common with Malawi's Prince.

UP in Queensland, there is a smart galloper called Glorious Izmir (Elite State-Skye Izmir by Magic Sprite) enhancing her reputation with a 29.81 win at Albion Park and a scorching 29.70 around Lismore.

The pedigree put together to produce Glorious Izmir was an absolute MUST.

Hark back to 2013 and one of the sprint stars of Victorian racing was Rona Izmir (Elite State-Adhara Izmir by Collision). He won the Ballarat, Warrnambool and Bendigo Cups and was third in the Adelaide Cup and a finalist in the Hobart 1000.

Ronan Izmir went to China for stud.

Ronan Izmir's dam Adhara Izmir is the second dam of Glorious Izmir (by Elite State).

Glorious Izmir boasts everything Aussie is her bloodlines. Spiral Nikita, on the fourth line of her pedigree, is the only outcross influence.

Skye Izmir, dam of Glorious Izmir, is by Magic Sprite who is really proving himself a broodbitch sire influence.

Being by Elite State, a 2001 whelp, proves that quality race dogs can be sired by "older" stud dogs if the pedigree designed is worth doing.

In Glorious Izmir's case it certainly is.