Alert

“Alert is built for speed and raced accordingly, winning from 800m-1000m and he is a Gr.1 winner at two. By the same sire as proven success More Than Ready (USA), he offers breeders the chance to access the same sire line at a fraction of the price and his first crop yearlings sold to $100,000 in 2010.

WHEN Todman won the first Golden Slipper way back in 1957 he set the Australian breeding industry on a new course, one where speed, particularly early two year-old speed, was of the essence. Breeders and racegoers were captivated by this new race, and its growing importance in the racing year also signalled its impact on the breeding industry and the type of stallion who found favour at stud.

One modern stallion who encapsulates this need for speed is the handsome grey import Alert (ARG) who stands at Stuart Lamont’s Kooringal Stud at Wagga Wagga where he will cover his fourth book in 2010 at $8800 after books of 82, 84 and 84 in the past three seasons. His first yearlings have been well received at auctions this year including his two fillies at the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January fetching $100,000 (ex Granny Apple by Bluebird) and $40,000 (ex Octamistic by Octagonal).

Built for speed, this muscular sprinter came to hand early in his juvenile season, winning his first two starts over 800m at Palermo and then capped his season by winning a Gr.1 over 1000m at Argentina’s equivalent of the Breeders’ Cup meeting. However Alert has more than speed to recommend him as he is a son of Southern Halo, a horse well known in Australia as the sire of More Than Ready (USA), a Gr.1-winning sprinter in the USA and now an outstanding sire here where his progeny include the Golden Slipper winners Sebring (now at Widden Stud) and Phelan Ready.

Alert’s racing career produced five wins (800m-1000m) and saw him twice runner-up in 15 starts in Argentina where his major victory came in the G.P. Estrellas Juniors Sprint-Gr.1 (1000m) on June 25, 2005 at San Isidro. Alert won by a half-length from the filly Campi di Roma in 55.20 on the country’s major race day, with the third-placed Scooby three-quarters of a length back and the fourth horse La Leocida a further 3.5 lengths back. It isn’t hard to see how Alert could win so easily as he displayed enormous speed in his first two starts, winning these early juvenile events over 800m at Palermo before being sent for a break and then running a close fourth in a Gr.2 event over 1000m at the same track at his first run back (third-placed Sebastiano won a Gr.1 at his next start).

His three runs before his Gr.1 victory also signalled his class with a second in the Clasico Islas Malvinas-LR (1000m) at San Isidro to Vedette Roma, a win in the Clasico Hipodromo Argentino-Gr.3 (1000m) at Palermo and a second in the Clasico Velocidad-Gr.2 (to Scooby) at San Isidro. Alert had just three starts at three with his best run being a fourth in the Clasico Cyllene-Gr.2 (1000m) at San Isidro and he returned to winning form at four, running under 55 seconds when collecting the Handicap Sandal (1000m) at San Isidro from Vedette Roma.

Although he stood in Argentina and shuttled for a time to Kentucky (and one season in Japan), Southern Halo, who died in November 2009 aged 26, looks set to play an increasingly important role in the breeding industries of Australia and New Zealand.

The continuing success of his American-bred son More Than Ready – particularly his success as a cross with the dominant Danehill line – has prompted breeders in both countries to import sons of Southern Halo and to clamour to secure the best son More Than Ready. It is quite ironic really as breeders initially were very slow to embrace the Halo line, the perception being that most members were slow maturing types and generally suited over middle distance – hardly fitting the “go early, run fast” mentality that dominates our racing scene. More Than Ready’s success, particularly as a sire of juveniles, has changed all that.

Halo (Hail to Reason-Cosmah by Cosmic Bomb) won his only Gr.1 as an older horse and was at his best between 1600m-2400m. His outstanding son Sunday Silence was a Kentucky Derby winner who went on to dominate Japanese breeding in much the same way that Southern Halo was the dominant force in South America for so many years. However there are other strings to Halo’s bow and this twice Champion US Sire, whose dam is a half-sister to Natalma (dam of Northern Dancer and third dam of Danehill), had other influential sons as well. Devil’s Bag (ex Ballade by Herbager), a brilliant juvenile, and his Gr.2-winning brother Saint Ballado (a Champion Sire in the US) were stalwarts of the line in the US, but their blood has been virtually ignored here, although St Averil (Saint Ballado-Avie’s Fancy by Lord Avie), a Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed at two, shuttles to Goodwood Park in Queensland and deceased Hideyoshi (Devil’s Bag-Fanfreluche by Northern Dancer) met with limited success in WA.

Alert

The sons of Halo who came south included Don’t Say Halo (USA) (ex Never Babble by Advocator) a success initially in SA (getting Blue Diamond winner and sire Canonise there) and then in NSW and finally WA, while Ron Bon (ex Confirm by Proudest Roman) had some impact in WA and NZ-based Oregon (ex Three Troikas by Lyphard) left winners up to Gr.1 level. Irgun (USA) (a Gr.1-winning son of Halo’s other Kentucky Derby winner Sunny’s Halo and from Late From Lunch by Secretariat, shuttled to Queensland from 1998-2002 leaving about 250 foals, the best being Gr.3 winner Brief Embrace, while Widden has lately mined a different branch of the Halo line with Southern Image (USA) (Halo’s Image-Pleasant Dixie by Dixieland Band), a triple Gr.1 winner whose first southern season was in 2006.

The sons of Sunday Silence (ex Wishing Well by Understanding) who came here met with some success but were generally disappointing – the likes of Fuji Kiseki, Bubble Gum Fellow, Genuine and Tayasu Tyusoshi in Australia and Painted Black in NZ leaving stakes winners but no worthwhile sons to carry on that branch of the line, while Zenno Rob Roy, a Horse of the Year in Japan covered his first NZ book in 2006 and did a season in Australia in 2007 so perhaps he will have success here. In time their daughters could prove useful foils for the Southern Halo tribe as doubling Halo has already produced quite a few stakes winners. This could also be done using Halo daughters such as Glorious Song (dam of Rahy and Singspiel) or Rowdy Angel (second dam of Fusaichi Pegasus). Alert, with all his speed could provide a potent link for breeders wanting to duplicate Halo, and he should really suit daughters of Fantastic Light (by Rahy and from a mare by Nijinsky).

John Messara’s bold plan to send mares to Japan to be bred southern hemisphere time to Sunday Silence resulted in the outstanding mare Sunday Joy (who produced Gr.1 winner More Joyous to a mating with More Than Ready) and the very fast Keep The Faith, and the latter is just starting his stud career for Swettenham Stud in Victoria and had his first winner mid-January. The continuing success of the Sunday Silence line in Japan opens the door for more members of that tribe to eventually make their way to Australia and NZ, but for the moment Southern Halo has the numbers Down Under.

Southern Halo goes from strength to strength and at the time of his death had sired 57 Gr.1 winners (behind only Danehill on 88 and Sadler’s Wells on 73) among more than 160 stakes winners. His early success in Argentina prompted a reverse shuttle to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky for seven seasons from 1996 (and a brief shuttle to Japan) and his fee reached $US40,000 in 2001. Among the US-bred runners are More Than Ready and the Canadian Champion Two Year Old Colt Edenwold (who stands in NZ).

Foaled in 1983 and inbred 3fx4f to Almahmoud, Southern Halo (Halo-Northern Sea by Northern Dancer) was bred by E.P. Taylor and was a $US600,000 Keeneland July yearling. He raced for Stavros Niarchos and was unplaced in two starts in Ireland and then won five races and had 10 placings in 22 starts in the US for trainer D. Wayne Lucas, earning $US344,000 and was Gr.1 placed when second in the Swaps Stakes and the Supper Derby. His dam won the Test Stakes-Gr.3 and was a Gr.1 runner-up in the Frizette Stakes and Selima Stakes-Gr.1, while his second dam Sea Saga (Sea-Bird-Shama by Bold Ruler) counted the Aqueduct Ladies Handicap-Gr.1 among her wins.

The most successful sire in Argentine history, being Leading Sire there from 1994 to 2000 and then from 2004 and 2008 and the Leading Broodmare Sire since 2004, Southern Halo stood at Haras la Quebrada near Buenos Aires and was put down due to the infirmities of old age in November after being pensioned earlier in 2009. His sons and their descendants who have stood, or are standing, in Australia and New Zealand include More than Ready (USA) (plus sons Benicio, Ready’s Image (USA), Sebring and Perfectly Ready), Dubleo (USA), Alert (ARG), Taimazov (ARG), My Lad (ARG), Halo Homewrecker (USA), Masterpiece (ARG), Star Cross (ARG), Avispon (ARG), De Troy (ARG) Edenwold (USA), Mr Nancho (ARG) (who has sired a Gr.1 winner in his first NZ crop this season), My Halo (ARG) and Thano (ARG).

Stuart Lamont with Alert

Southern Halo’s second dam Sea Saga is a daughter of Sea-Bird, whose sire Dan Cupid is by Native Dancer and Southern Halo’s dam Northern Sea (Northern Dancer) carries a 3fx4m to Native Dancer, along with a 5fx5f of Discovery (sire of the dam of Native Dancer and Bold Ruler) and a 3mx5f of Nearco. All of this could help explain why More Than Ready (ex Woodman’s Girl by Woodman (USA)) and Danehill have nicked so well, three of his six Gr.1 winners are from mares by Danehill (2) and his son Flying Spur (1), the latter’s dam being by Mr. Prospector (a grandson of Native Dancer). More Joyous is from a mare by Sunday Silence (Halo) and her second dam is by Danehill, while Mr. Prospector is also doubled in the pedigree of More Than Ready’s Gr.1 winner Carry on Cutie (via Woodman and Conquistador Cielo), while Phelan Ready’s second dam is by At Talaq (by Roberto and doubling Hail to Reason).

Alert’s pedigree also brings in lines of Native Dancer and Buckpasser as his dam sire Senor Pete (USA) is by a son of Nijinsky (Northern Dancer) out of a mare by Exclusive Native (Raise a Native) and he should respond to similar inbreeding using mares by Danehill, El Moxie (by Conquistador Cielo and from the family of Danehill and Halo), or by using Mr. Prospector sons like Hussonet, Mr Henrysee or Woodman. Alert’s dam Augustina’s Dream, produced four winners including Gr.1 placed Ajedrez and is by the two year-old American Gr.1 winner Senor Pete (Belmont Futurity Stakes), sire of several Gr.1 winners in Argentina and also a successful sire in NZ. Senor Pete is by the French 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 winner Green Dancer (Nijinsky-Green Valley by Val de Loir), also winner of the Prix Lupin-Gr.1 and Doncaster Gold Cup-Gr.1 and also broodmare sire of more than 170 stakes winners, including Melbourne Cup hero Jeune (GB) and classic winner Quest for Fame (GB).

Senor Pete’s dam She Won’t Tell, by Exclusive Native (Raise a Native), is a sister to the champion Affirmed, 1978 and 1979 US Horse of the Year whose 22 wins included the Kentucky Derby-Gr.1. Senor Pete is also broodmare sire of Southern Halo’s Argentine Champion Two Year Old Filly of 2007 Batallosa (whose second dam is by Logical). His daughters have left 130 winners (63% of runners), 15SW (4 Gr.1). Also among Southern Halo’s Gr.1 winners are La Galerie (Champion 2YO Filly), Chevillard, Venusino, My Lad and Matthis –  all from Logical mares.

Alert’s second dam is the multiple Group winner Peanut (eight wins), also a daughter of Logical (Buckpasser-Smart Deb by Dedicate), while his third dam Nut is by Dancing Moss (Ballymoss-Courbette by Native Dancer). Logical, a stakes winner of nine races in the USA, was four times Champion Broodmare Sire in Argentina while Dancing Moss, winner of the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket and runner-up in the Irish St Leger, was Argentina’s Champion Sire in 1973. Alert is inbred 3fx5m to Northern Dancer, and his pedigree also features line breeding to Native Dancer and to Northern Dancer and Halo’s grandam Almahmoud.

Alert’s fifth dam Premiere Danseuse is by Phalaris and from Queen of the Ballet by Royal Realm (a son of Persimmon). Queen of the Ballet is a three-quarter sister to English St Leger winner and sire Prince Palatine (Persimmon) and half-sister to St James’s Palace Stakes winner Carrickfergus (Count Schomberg), all produced by Lady Lightfoot (Isinglass-Glare by Ayrshire), a half-sister to English 1000 Guineas winner Flare, Champagne Stakes, Coronation Stakes, July Cup and Middle Park Stakes winner Lesbia and Imperial Produce Stakes winner Vivid (all three by St Frusquin) and to Menda (Gallinule), taproot of the family which produced Rory’s Jester.

The Lady Lightfoot branch of Family 1m also features the sires Kenmare, Export Price and Ahonoora, who all stood in Australia, and the Australian bred sprinter and now successful sire Sequalo whose fifth dam Hora (GB) was produced by Nassau Stakes winner Coppelia (Son-in-Law), a daughter of Premiere Danseuse. As mentioned earlier, Alert also looks particularly suited to Danehill and Mr. Prospector line mares and he could also suit Royal Academy (doubling Nijinsky), Palace Music (The Minstrel) and his son Naturalism and mares with Storm Bird, Sir Tristram or Rory’s Jester in their pedigrees. The Nashua horse Farnesio and his son Good Manners are the dam sires of two of Southern Halo’s best runners (Team and El Compinche) and it’s worth remembering that Nashua is broodmare sire of Mr. Prospector and Roberto (whose sons here included At Talaq and Red Ransom).

Alert stands at Kooringal alongside Bureaucracy, Marwina, Zariz and Enemy of Average, the latter three moving across from neighbouring Riverdene Stud, which is no longer standing stallions. n