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Canny Lad – a stallion from a bygone era
Canny Lad (pictured) might be in his 23rd year and a “fossil” from the halcyon days of the Star Kingdom sire line, but he proved on the weekend that he still has a place to play in Australian breeding.
The Darley-owned stallion sired his 10th Group 1 winner when Small Minds, owned by Patinack Farm, put up a terrific staying performance to win the Schweppes Stakes (2000m) at Morphettville, to give trainer John Thompson and jockey Dean Holland their Group 1 success.
It’s Canny Lad’s first Group 1 winner since He’s No Pie Eater won the Chipping Norton Stakes and Rosehill Guineas double as an autumn 3YO in 2007.
The son of Bletchingly has produced 42 Stakes winners in a wonderful stud career that began at Woodlands Stud, Denman, in the Hunter Valley in 1991, a year after he won the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill. He transferred to Darley when Woodlands sold their operation to Sheikh Mohammed in 2008.
Less than 24 hours after Small Minds’ win, Canny Lad’s chunky son Sleepers, a 2YO colt owned by Darley and trained by Lee Freedman, showed tremendous speed to narrowly break his maiden at Yarra Glen.
Canny Lad’s legacy will live on through his daughters – he doesn’t have a commercial son at stud – and his memory will live on a long time after his passing, as he is best known as the sire of the dam (Shantha’s Choice) of champion stallion Redoute’s Choice, who threatens to leave a dynasty of sire-sons, just as his sire Danehill has done.
Last spring, Canny Lad covered only 53 mares at a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST), but he has a healthy batch of 90 yearlings on the ground.
Breeding lines: Canny Lad (b h 1987, Bletchingly–Jesmond Lass, by Lunchtime (GB).
Small Minds (br f 2006, Canny Lad–Princess Marigold, by Yeats (USA))
Sleepers (ch c 2007, Canny Lad–More Haste, by Brief Truce (USA))
Footnote: Canny Lad has five sons at stud according to the Australian Stud Book – Dodge, Grand Reve, Guiscard, Royal Charter and Spymaster.
my dad trained jessmond lass at pakenham. he could have brought her for $300.00
Ah, such is life. But would he have bred her to Bletchingly had he kept her?
I knew Jesmond Lass’ family quite well. Her dam Beautiful Dreamer,a grey, was a sometimes resident of a stud in Narre Warren that was owned by the family of racing writer Ken Coram, a good friend of mine. Beautiful Dreamer visited the Coram’s stallion Nareeb (by Star Kingdom-Pyrmont) three times.
My memories of Nareeb are that he was a rich, liver chestnut. He sired one Stakes winner Princess Paradise, who won at Dequetteville Stakes at Morphettville in 1980.
she was sold to the sangster stable for about 2 millon would have been a great investment with out breeding with her
ken newitt owned her at the time