From NZ Thoroughbred NewsIf ever you wanted to know what it was like to breed a racehorse who was taking Australia by storm, talk to Mike Moran of Windsor Park Stud. As the co-breeder of So You Think (NZ) with Piper Farm's Cecile Smith, Moran was on hand to see his pride and joy rule supreme in the Gr.1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday. The impressive 3 ╝ length outcome would put him on an irrepressible high. "I flew back by myself. I didn't need a plane," said Moran. Wi

From NZ Thoroughbred News

If ever you wanted to know what it was like to breed a racehorse who was taking Australia by storm, talk to Mike Moran of Windsor Park Stud. As the co-breeder of So You Think (NZ) with Piper Farm's Cecile Smith, Moran was on hand to see his pride and joy rule supreme in the Gr.1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

The impressive 3 ╝ length outcome would put him on an irrepressible high.

"I flew back by myself. I didn't need a plane," said Moran.

Widely accepted as the best racehorse in Australia, So You Think (NZ) has achieved an aura of invincibility this term. Adding to his impressive Gr.1 Cox Plate win at three, the boom High Chaparral entire has simply blown away his rivals in his three starts this campaign; winning the Gr.2 Memsie (1400m), the Gr.1 Underwood (1800m) and the Gr.1 Yalumba (2000m) as though largely untested.

The Bart Cummings-trained galloper is now the odd-on favourite for the Gr.1 Cox Plate and connections are not ruling out a 3200m start afterwards in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup. As a yearling, So You Think (NZ) was purchased from Windsor Park Stud's 2008 NZB Premier Sale draft for $110,000 by Duncan Ramage's DGR Thoroughbred Services. Now raced by Dato Tan Chin Nam and Tunku Ahmad Yahaya, So You Think (NZ) has repaid his earlier investment in spades, with proceeds from his latest Gr.1 conquest lifting earnings to $2,774,05.

"It was just an unbelievable day," recalled Moran. "Early on Saturday morning I got a text from Roddy (Rodney Schick) to say So You Think's half-sister La Souvenir's was foaling. I got down there 10 minutes later, but by the time I got there, the colt foal was on the ground."

Bred by Mike & Helen Moran and Chris & Carol Chamberlain, the said colt is a noted ¥ sibling to So You Think (NZ) being by High Chaparral.

"He's thrown very much to High Chaparral's sire, there is a lot of Sadler's Wells about him," commented Moran. "After an hour or so, he stood up and got on the suck. It was just great timing really. I was able to head off to the airport having seen him before watching So You Think race."

Of timing, the mare seems to know a thing or two.

"She was served by High Chaparral on the Monday before So You Think won the Cox Plate." Moran said.

La Souvenir will visit the leading Cox Plate sire, Zabeel this season.