3 minute read
Covers come off well-related lightly-raced import at Sandown.
A Dublin Lad is a close relation to Sacred.
Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young will unveil an import who has form around one of the favourites for this year's Melbourne Cup and is closely-related to a former star American mare at Sandown on Wednesday.
A Dublin Lad will make his Australian debut over 1300 metres in benchmark 64 grade in Race 6.
The 1300-metre event will be his first start since breaking his maiden over 1709m at Wolverhampton in September last year, which was only his third start.
A Dublin Lad finished third at his previous two outings, including a 2011m maiden at Sandown that was won by Westerton.
Second in that race was Middle Earth, who quickly rose to become one of the most promising stayers in Britain and was partly-purchased by Ciaron Maher who will be his trainer when he campaigns in Melbourne this spring.
A Dublin Lad is by Ulysses out of the Blame mare Sacre Caroline, who is a half-sister to Exceed And Excel mare Sacred, a winner of the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes (1408m) who also finished a narrow second to Khaadem in last year's Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1207m).
Sacre Caroline is a daughter of Saint Ballado mare Sacre Coeur who also produced Lady Eli after a meeting with Divine Park.
Lady Eli is a five-time winner at the highest level, starting with a 2-3/4-length win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (1609m).
She also won the Belmont Oaks Invitational (2012m) and Flower Bowl Stakes (2012m) at Belmont, the Gamely Stakes (1810m) at Santa Anita and the Diana Stakes (1810m) at Saratoga.
Bought for 300,000gns (AU $608,000) as a yearling, A Dublin Lad was later sold to Go Racing for 28,000gns (AU$57,000) and sent to Busuttin and Young who have given him two Cranbourne jumpouts in preparation for his return, including an all-the-way win over 1000m on August 12.
Tom Prebble has the ride at Sandown with the pair, who will start from barrier seven, on the $11 line in a market headed by the Leon and Troy Corstens-trained Zoupurring ($4.20).
