LUCAS Miller is the first to admit breeding racehorses can be a bit of a lottery!
Especially when you have important “cargo” such as his broodmare Parraay (pictured), who twice missed to stallions and also slipped to another.
But there is also upside, especially at Sandown last Wednesday when one of her foals, the Melbourne-trained now four-year-old Freight Train, clinched a city breakthrough.
The Shamus Award gelding’s resumption victory in a Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) was at only his fourth start, and it was his second win – and his Newcastle breeder was understandably ecstatic.
Freight Train fetched a cool $250,000 at the 2022 Inglis Classic yearling sale in Sydney when offered on Miller’s behalf by HP Thoroughbreds from the former Empire Park property at Hilldale (between Dungog and Maitland) in the Hunter region.
After spending eight and a half years with leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees (who trained Parraay) as his racing and marketing manager, the former professional rugby league player took up a new role two years ago with NIB Group as Commercial Partnerships Manager.
He was in his Newcastle office and watched with intent when Freight Train proved unstoppable at his first start since contesting the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at The Valley in March.
“It was pretty exciting, and I almost felt as though I was at the track,” Miller said.
“I certainly didn’t expect Freight Train to bring as much money as he did at the Classic sale.
“Probably I thought he might fetch around $100,000 but the progeny of Shamus Award (who as a three-year-old in 2013 became the first maiden to win the Group 1 Cox Plate at The Valley) were going really well at the time.
“Freight Train was well received at the sale and races in the same colours as Yes Yes Yes, who won the 2019 The Everest at Royal Randwick as a three-year-old.
“It’s so satisfying to see a horse you have bred performing well, and obviously he is showing he has a good deal of ability.”
The Parraay story traces back to the early 2000s when Miller’s father Craig was able to cheaply buy a Bite The Bullet mare Acceptive, which was trained by the late Max Lees (Kris’ father).
She raced only seven times and won a 1200m Newcastle Maiden in June 2002, and then was runner-up on the Kensington track.
“Acceptive was sent to the stallion Beautiful Crown, and her first foal was Hilldale, a filly who raced only once and won a 900m Maiden at Cessnock in 2008,” Miller explained.
“Parraay is Hilldale’s first foal, having been mated with Excites, who I really liked when I saw him at Newcastle for the 2006 Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m).
“He had won the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick earlier in the year.
“Hilldale also produced Raay Of Dreams (by Dream Ahead) who won three races (including a Doomben 2YO Handicap in 2019), and Potent View (by Poet’s Voice), who won four races.”
Retired to stud after winning the Wauchope Cup (1500m) at Port Macquarie in June 2016, Parraay first missed to Denman.
Miller then sent her to the talented and lightly-raced Redoute’s Choice stallion Panzer Division – and Wardaddy was the result.
“Kris (Lees) trained him and he won twice (including a 1250m record-breaking four lengths plus romp at Newcastle in December 2021 when ridden by a then 2kg claimer Dylan Gibbons) from five starts before we were able to sell him to Hong Kong,” Miller said.
“He races there as Dancing Code, and Casper Fownes has won a couple of races with him at Happy Valley.”
After slipping to Shamus Award, Parraay then foaled Freight Train and the following season a Tassort youngster who races as Tasoraay.
“We kept him, and Kris hasn’t rushed him,” Miller said. “He is showing promise and ran third in a 900m Maiden at Newcastle on a heavy track in June late in his two-year-old season at his only start to date.
“Parraay then missed to King’s Legacy before foaling a lovely colt by the triple Group 1 (in the UK and France) winner Pinatubo (pictured below), and we expect him to go to one of the major yearling sales.
“She was served by Brave Smash last September, and we are awaiting the birth of her latest foal.”
. HOOFNOTE: Remarkably, the Parraay story would never have eventuated for Lucas Miller if her dam Hilldale had been sold as a yearling in Scone many years back.
“Tom Ollerton walked her around the ring for us, and we had a $3000 reserve on her,” he told us.
“We never got a bid, so we kept her.”
Yes this thoroughbred breeding caper is indeed a lottery! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Story John Curtis, August 19, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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