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A stream of late season results has highlighted the excellent progress made by young Arrowfield Stud sire Smart Missile this season.
The brilliant son of Fastnet Rock has ended the 2016/17 season with a series of eye-catching performances by his 3YOs Damaging, Special Missile, Launch Code, Brahmos and the Encore Boy and the 2YO Smart Coupe in Australia and Hong Kong.
Smarty Missile has sired 66 winners to place him second among Australia's second season sires.Exciting G3 winning juveniles [Debellatio and I'll Have A Bit and the stakes-winning 3YO Exocet are the main contributers to his $3.1 million prizemoney which has secured third position on the earnings premiership behind Foxwedge and So You Think.
His 57 second-crop winners place him fourth among all Australian 3YO sires.
His newest 3YO winner is the Gerald Ryan-trained Damaging (ex Sequinella by Catbird), who broke through at his fourth start at Newcastle on July 27.After two unplaced runs in his first campaign during the summer, Damaging has clearly benefited from development time. He returned to finish third at Hawkesbury eleven days before his Newcastle victory, which completed a sequence of three wins in three days for Smart Missile.
Smart Missile's latest Sydney metro winner of the season Special Missile (ex Quiet Meadow by El Prado) took his record to three wins from three starts with a stylish effort carrying 60.5 kg over 1550 metres at Canterbury on July 26.Gooree Stud's Launch Code (ex Dearness by Snippets) was impressive at Wyong on July 25 where he took charge of the 1000m Class 2 event round the home turn and raced away to score by 3.2 lengths in 56.96, cutting out the last 600 metres in 32.96.
He was transferred to Kris Lees after winning at Warwick Farm on May 31 for James Cummings.At Sandown on July 19 Brahmos (ex Jannah by Carnegie) produced a debut victory when he rocketed home over 1300 metres for a group of owners that paid $420,000 for him at the 2015 Easter Sale.
Melbourne filly Smart Coupe (ex Coupe by Spinning World) confirmed the promise of her 2.75 length debut win at Wangaratta with a slick win at Sandown on July 5.Prepared by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra for a First Light Racing syndicate, she will be set for the G3 Red Roses Stakes down the Flemington straight on Oaks Day in November.
First Light have celebrated 34 wins in 2016/17 and also has a rising 3YO son of Smart Missile in the Ellerton/Zahra stable, Fallen Empire (ex Annlea by Canny Lad).Arrowfield graduate Encore Boy (ex Miss Bellezza by Flying Spur) capped his first season in Hong Kong with success at his fifth start, over 1000 metres at Sha Tin on July 9.
Trainer Ricky Yiu bought Encore Boy for $210,000 from the 2015 Melbourne Premier Sale.Smart Missile has also been represented in Hong Kong by 2018 Derby prospect Rocketeer (ex Some Girls Do by More Than Ready), successful over 2000 metres in June for the John Moore stable, and Sam's Love (ex Dashie Diva by Dash for Cash), whose three starts this season included a win and a second.
Smart Missile has more than 450 foals in his first three crops.