Champion Thoroughbreds and Danny O'Brien join forces

Successful syndicator Champion Thoroughbreds have joined with Cox Plate-winning Flemington trainer Danny O'Brien to race three quality New Zealand purchases in Victoria.

The Champion Thoroughbreds team and Danny O'Brien came away with three special colts from the New Zealand Sales and shares in each are now available.

The first was a highly sought after Thorn Park colt from the world renown stud farm Windsor Park.

Champion Thoroughbreds outbid several Australian trainers to secure him, but because he was within the first hour of the sale, he come at a bargain price for a smashing colt with a page full of Australian stakes winners and performers.

Danny O'Brien could not contain his surprise and excitement post auction by stating, "I think we have the best value Thorn Park of the whole sale".

The next colt secured was by first season sire, Rip Van Winkle out of the multiple Gr2 winning mare Ruud Van Slaats. He was a cracking mover, good size and scope, great attitude, and out of a young mare, whose first foal by Pins won its first start and then ran fifth in an unsuitable stakes race before heading to the paddock.

Rip Van Winkle was a true Champion on the racetrack, winning three Group 1s and being a son of Galileo, we fully expect our colt to get better and better with age as well, so the upside is tremendous. He was grown on the hills of Trelawney Stud, who have won breeder of the year in 2013 for producing the Cox Plate victor and now stallion, Ocean Park.

The third purchase for the newly formed combination came 12 lots after the Rip Van Winkle. This time a son of Makfi, who himself was a Champion three-year-old winning two Group 1 features and a son of the sire revelation of Europe in Dubawi. Dubawi's deeds will be folklore in years to come but physically he was a smaller and stronger type than most European stallions and he stamped many of his stock, including Makfi.

This colt is out of a Redoute's Choice mare, and you can see a lot of his broodmare sire in him, with the added scope and length. He has a real Redoute's head on him and a tremendous action. His family is littered with Australian performers, with his dam a half-sister to the Group 1 Golden Slipper winner in Polar Success.

To learn more about Champion Thoroughbreds and the three colts mentioned above click here

Photo appears courtesy of Mark Bradley Photography, to view his website click here