Unsung Heroes

KEYBOW was a superstar on the racetrack winning a Perth Cup and Brisbane Cup at Group 1 level, but being placed in the Australian Cup, Melbourne Cup and Winter Cup also at Group 1.

He initially struggled to attract the sort of numbers at stud needed for most stud dogs to achieve greatness.

But, Keybow has kept plugging away and is a fine stud dog. Yes, he can fly under the radar to a degree but he keeps coming up with quality gallopers.

On Saturday night at Cannington, Eagle Monelli (Keybow-Mamma Monelli by Fernando Bale) ran a slick 29.77 to win a graded race as he pleased.

Yes, he is from a fabulous direct damline tracing to WA greats like Bingle Monelli, Joanne Monelli and Foolish Girl. This is the famed Another Fool damline a Qld family that put Reg Kay on the map decades ago.

His dam, Mamma Monelli, won 15 races and $46,000. But, she is also a litter sister to G1 Perth Cup winner Trouper Monelli (24 wins, $303,000). All nine of that litter were winners, eight of them prolific.

Eagle Monelli has now won 12 races and $35,000.

His success follows on just a day after Milligan (Keybow-Velocity Charm by Mogambo) had sped to a 29.66 win in a heat of the G3 Rockhampton Cup. He will go into the final this Friday the raging hot favourite.

What is extremely interesting about Milligan's pedigree is that he too traces along his damline directly to Another Fool...just like Eagle Monelli.

Milligan also carries a 4x4 of identically bred Flo Jo Tears and Awesome McLaren.

Keybow has done great at stud, with such stars as littermates More Sauce, Casual Glance and Robbie Rotten all of them Group class sprinters.

AND, their mother Ness Quick is by Elite Blue Size, a son of Elite State who also just happens to be from the famed Another Fool direct damline.

Keybow is heavily in-bred to the Sabby's Image family. When he went to stud, I immediately thought he would do great when mated to bitches with Bombastic Shiraz up close in their pedigree. Bombastic Shiraz is in-bred 3x3 to the brothers Malawi and Buka Sunset, two of the best from the Sabby's Image family.

Keybow's best performing son, WA-based Stargazer (17 wins, $115,000) is the winner of the WA Spring Gift and a multiple Group finalist. He is Keybow-She's Majestic and the dam is a daughter of Bombastic Shiraz.

Keybow is also the sire of Steve Williams' grand performer Defy (Keybow-Velocity Storm) the winner of 37 races and $107,000. He too was a multiple Group performer. His dam Velocity Storm is a daughter of Bombastic Shiraz.

WHICH brings me to Hecton's Boy, a 42.17 winner at Cannington on Saturday night, a son of Hecton Bale-Dubliner by Bekim Bale, who has already been a finalist in the G1 WA Galaxy.

I always liked the chances of Hecton Bale (Fernando Bale-Searle Bale by Dyna Lachlan) at stud. He won the G1 Australian Cup and was a powerful runner. And, I'm told he is a very dominant greyhound.

Hecton's Boy (5 wins, $43,000) has a very strong Wheeler influence in his pedigree. His dam Dubliner (Bekim Bale-Flying Machine by Collision) won 20 races at $78,000 and ran a couple of tracks records along the way.

She is also the dam of a nice litter by Vanderworp which includes Ready For Magic (finalist G3 Perth Cup Consolation).

When she went to Hecton Bale, she brought in the proven Fernando Bale/Bekim Bale cross that has produced champion Tornado Tears and his glamour full brother Here's Tears.

It also brought in the highly proven Fernando Bale/Collision cross found in Dyna Patty, Whiskey Riot, Fernando's Riot and the above mentioned Trouper Monelli.

Searle Bale (dam of Hecton Bale) and Bekim Bale (sire of Dubliner) come into the pedigree 2x2 and are virtual sister and brother. They bring in the littermates Princess Bale and Bartrim Bale 3x3 and this too is a highly proven cross (check out G1 staying star Stanley Road's pedigree).

And they also bring in Benden Flex and Evonne Bale who saturate the Wheeler's famed foundation bitch Gail's Beauty. There are six crosses of this family in the pedigree of Hecton's Boy.

The Hecton Bale-Dubliner litter has provided three of the top five offspring sired to date by Hecton Bale.