3 minute read
Leading Sydney trainer Guy Walter took a lot of self satisfaction from the thrilling last stride win by his consistent four-year-old Canny Ballad in the Listed Albury Gold Cup on March 28.
Waller was quick to acknowledge that he had trained Canny Ballad’s sire Dream Ballad as well as the sire’s illustrious half brother Tie The Knot during their racing careers.
Tie The Knot and Dream Ballad were both bred by the Tait family, renowned for the many outstanding thoroughbreds to come off their property at Jugiong in southern NSW.
Not the least was Tie The Knot, got in New Zealand by the Blushing Groom sire Nassipour and foaled in Australia from the Tait-bred G1-winning mare Whisked (Whiskey Road).
Walter trained Tie the Knot for the Tait and Nivison family partnership to 21 wins and 17 placings for earnings of $6,212,835 from 62 starts. He won 13 G1 races and was placed in seven others.
As a gelding he was unable to transmit any of his genes but his eight-year younger half-brother Dream Ballad is now doing the job standing at Erin Park Stud at Tamworth.
Also bred and raced by Sandy Tait and his sister Jill Nivison, Dream Ballad was lightly races to win three races including the Listed Dulcify Quality at Randwick beating Grand Hotel.
He is by the Sadler’s Wells grandson Singspiel, a winner of the Dubai World Cup, Japan Cup, Canadian International and York International, and like Tie The Knot is from Whisked, winner of the G1 Caulfield Thousand Guineas, G2 Tea Rose Stakes and G2 Light Fingers Stakes.
Dream Ballad has had restricted opportunity at stud but his ability is being showcased by Canny Ballad, who has now raced 18 times for five wins, eight seconds and two thirds.
He has been one of Sydney’s most consistent and luckless performers this season, recording seven seconds and a third on city tracks before his Albury Cup success.
He is the only runner from three foals out of Briars Lass, an unraced daughter of Canny Lad and Jestress, a Sydney winner and stakes placed daughter of Baguette’s fast son Crown Jester, sire of Golden Slipper winner and leading sire Rory’s Jester.