Young horses with no, or limited wet track form can be hard to assess but here’s how I tackle it…writes Nic Ashman.
Race tracks retain moisture in winter and it doesn’t take much rainfall, or these days irrigation (insert eye rolling emoji) to push them into the soft range.
When a horse is being tested on the wet for the first time, what do I look for?
Trial form is misleading. As is trackwork. Breeding is far more reliable. And if you can find a “wettie” before the formguide does, prepare to be rewarded handsomely.
One thing I learned quickly in my search for wet track sire was lineage and the importance of a sireline that consistently produced wet trackers. Back in the late 90s I had a scrapbook of stallions that had won big races on wet tracks. I kept it for years and marked any sire that had a son who won a major race. Then I would follow that son’s progeny when they raced. In a nutshell, I looked for two generations of performance on wet tracks and backed the third generation.
Bloodlines laced with stamina are often the best to follow in wet conditions. The longer a race goes, the more a horse’s ability to handle the conditions becomes prevalent.
STAYERS
Back in the day ZABEEL was the sire of choice for wet distance races but he was the obvious pick and a stallion everyone gravitated towards. He and DANEHILL dominated the general sires list. But a personal favourite of mine was the SADLER’S WELLS lineage.
We got our first taste of SADLER’S WELLS in 1988 when he sired RUNYON to win the G1 Underwood Stakes. In 1990 and 1991 he produced BARATHEA and CARNEGIE, who later became terrific wet track sires in Australia.
THE KING OF MUDLARKS
Things started heating up in 1996 when SADLERS WELLS produced MONTJEU, sire of Melbourne Cup winner GREEN MOON and Sydney Cup winner THE OFFER. MONTJEU is one of the great mudlark sires of all time. Around two decades ago, MONTJEU’s progeny on wet tracks over 2000m or further would strike at 17% but less than half that in dry conditions. Often his progeny would win at big odds when stretched to a staying trip for the first time on a wet track. A champion sire in Europe, MONTJEU’s other notable stock to win G1 races over a trip on bog tracks down under include ROMAN EMPEROR (Australian Derby), GALLANTE (Sydney Cup) and SPEED GIFTED (Metropolitan Hcp).
MONTJEU is the sire of CAMELOT, who ploughed through testing conditions to win an Irish Derby back in 2012. This season alone Camelot has produced 12 winners on wet tracks in Australia at a strike rate of 22% thus continuing the mudlark lineage in his family.
One of Sydney’s most recognised wet-trackers at the moment is the Proven Thoroughbreds raced STOCKMAN and it will come as no surprise to learn he is by a son of MONTJEU (TAVISTOCK) and out of a ZABEEL mare.
PERSONAL FAVOURITE
SONG OF TARA, whose progeny’s strike rate doubled on wet tracks had a 20% strike rate for distance races on the wet, which for an unknown sire made him hugely profitable to follow on the punt. NO WINE NO SONG won a Sydney Cup and BUNDORAN BREEZE a Gosford Cup. Ahh the memories. Sadly, he doesn’t have any sons at stud in Australia.
SADLERS BEST DOWN UNDER
While GALILEO will be regarded as the best, it’s HIGH CHAPARRAL who is the wettie to follow. He was foaled in 1999 and won the Irish and English Derby in 2002. His first New Zealand crop produced Group 1 winners SO YOU THINK, MONACO CONSUL, SHOOT OUT and DESCARADO – all of whom won G1 races on wet ground.
SO YOU THINK throws plenty of wetties too. His winning strike rate sits at 14% but boosts to around 19% on wet tracks.
Because over 70% of Australian races are conducted over 1400m or less, we need to find some wetties on the sprinting front
SPRINTING
One of my favourite sprint sires on wet tracks was SEQUALO. His progeny pinged the barriers, led and relished wet ground with their grandsire RUSTIC AMBER a mudlark himself with a terrific stud record. SEQUALO’s passing left us with HIDDEN DRAGON and more recently SPIRIT OF BOOM but neither have really dominated wet tracks like Dad did.
NOT A SINGLE DOUBT
Probably the most reliable wet track sprint sire I’ve seen, who could also get them out to a mile and beyond. Over a five-year period, his wet track strike rate was around 20% – quite extraordinary. His son EXTREME CHOICE is a beauty and his stock are born with flippers. Another son, SQUAMOSA, was a true wettie himself and so were his progeny. Looking forward to seeing what his Golden Slipper winning son, FARNAN will do.
ALL ROUNDERS
SEBRING
Terrific versatile sire that throws plenty of wet track stars (hardly surprising being a son of MORE THAN READY). His progeny have won G1 races from 1400m to 2400m. DISSIDENT, FANGIRL, CRITERION, NETTOYER and EGG TART all won G1 races on wet ground. Unlike MONTJEU, where you have to wait until they get to a trip, you can back a SEBRING over any distance in the wet. His sons SEBRING SUN and SUPIDO are both striking at 20% in the wet this season.
In a bid to always adding to the ever-evolving list of “wetties”, I’ve noticed recently some of my “golden oldies” have got sires carving up wet ground.
JOHANNESBURG could throw a wettie back in the late 90s and 2000s. His sire, HENNESSEY threw plenty of mudlarks too including GRAND ARMEE, who smashed the clock beating LONHRO in the 2003 Doncaster Mile. HENNESSEY is the grandsire of JUSTIFY, whose progeny have struck at 19% on wet ground this season.
One of my all-time favourites, the British-bred PIVOTAL, was an interesting wettie. His stock often had a sharp turn of foot but could get a trip. You can see this with some of his recent stars in ADDEYB and AVILIUS, two middle distance gallopers with speed. PIVOTAL had a son called EXCELLENT ART, who will never go down as one of the great sires but I followed his progeny on wet track with good success. His best down under was UNDER THE LOUVRE, winner of the 2016 Stradbroke Handicap and he has taken plenty of that mudlark ability. UNDER THE LOUVRE’s progeny this season are striking 50% more frequently when they hit a wet track.
SIRES TO FOLLOW ON A WET TRACK
CAMELOT
SO YOU THINK
EXTREME CHOICE
FARNAN (First crop later this year)
SEBRING SUN
SUPIDO
JUSTIFY
UNDER THE LOUVRE