Rock Up Top
WAY back, even before Benjamin John lowered the colours of the immortal Zoom Top, the Hobart 1000 was a super race.
It's list of winners is impressive to say the least. Superstars have won it, Brother Fox being just one.
Rock Up Top (Spud Regis-Proven Wag by El Galo) added his name last Thursday night with a gutsy effort. The last few strides of that extra long Hobart home straight can test out the best of them.
No place for the faint hearted.
Rock Up Top has shown glimpses of class without ever getting there ... until now.
Spud Regis, his sire, has been flying well under the radar. A multiple Group 1 star, Rock Up Top is easily his best produce with 54 starts, 10 wins and 16 placings, for $134,000 in stakes.
Spud Regis' entire progeny earnings is $352,000 from 1228 starters for 147 wins at a winners to starters rate of a moderate 12% so it doesn't say much for his success, or otherwise, at stud to date.
The moderate success at stud by Spud Regis could partially be explained through a lack of opportunity, and in a number of cases, small pup numbers in those litters.
He is from the same damline as Banjo Boy, the same direct damline as Magic Sprite and Oaks Road, all of them successful sires, but all of them given their chance by broodbitch owners.
Spud Regis' dam Phiona is bred on the same Hotshot/National Lass cross as Leprechaun Yap (2nd in the G2 Laurels) and dam of legend Betty's Angel and second dam of Magic Sprite and Oaks Road.
What did drag Spud Regis down in his bid for stud success is his damsire Hot Chili (Hotshot-Out For Gold by Amerigo Man). The damsire of any stud dog can have a "make or break" impact upon that stud dog's success.
Hot Chili's best progeny, the speedy Orochi, was out of a sister to Phiona.
Rock Up Top is out of Proven Wag (El Galo-Blue Pie Girl by Collision) and she was a winner at Wentworth Park, Richmond, Dapto, The Gardens and Gosford among her 11 wins.
Rock Up Top is easily the standout of her litter. And the rest of the Spud Regis litter is pretty moderate (at best).
A 2014 litter by Bella Infrared was woeful.
But, Proven Wag is a litter sister to such smart performers as Cee Ronaldo (16 wins, $68,000), Taper Jean Girl (19 wins, $34,000) and Proven Juddy (21 wins, $24,000).
Proven Wag is a half sister to Proven Kodiak (finalist in the G2 Shepparton Cup, G2 Bendigo Cup).
Their dam Blue Pie Girl is a half sister to Wangaratta Cup winner Proven Wiz and a litter sister to Proven Diego winner of the G3 Bulli Gold Plate.
This is the famed "Proven" damline that runs to Proven Kani and that most famous of all foundation broodbitches, the Wheeler family's legend Gail's Beauty.
What interested me most is the fact the Hobart 1000 winner's dam is bred on the same Roxy Reason/Collision cross as High Earner. Proven Wag is bred on the up-close duplication of Malawi's Prince and also a double of the Osti Lee female family.
Also, Rock Up Top's damsire El Galo is proving to be a HUGE success via his daughters at stud.
This is not surprising considering he is in-bred to that most famous of broodbitch influences Malawi's Prince.
El Galo's daughters have already produced such Group stars as Fabregal, Fantastic Spiral, Maja Mahi Mahi, Fantastic Dotty, Kilty Express and Fantastic Skye etc.
AN interesting pedigree is that of recent Ipswich Gold Sovereign winner Sweet Karmar (Fabregas-Wedstar Dryva by Collision).
The second dam of Fabregas, Witch Magic, is bred on the same Awesome Assassin/Bearability/Head Honcho cross as Wedstar Dryva.
Doubling the Bearability family in progeny of Fabregas is proving quite a success.
Sweet Karmar is just one of them.
Sweet Karmar is also from the direct female line of Superman and Bentley Babe.
