IZZY DAGG SOLD TO RACE IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Impressive last-to-first Addington, August 3, maiden winner Izzy Dagg has been sold out of the Mark Jones team to join the Tim Butt stable at Menangle.
“It’s sad to see him go as he was going to turn into a lovely horse,” Mark said.
Izzy Dagg, shown holding on for a super maiden win at Addington on Friday, August 3. (Photo: Race Images).
The three-year-old A Rocknroll Dance colt had shaped well in five NZ starts for a large group of owners, namely Auric Limited (Pete Summerfield manager), Paul Summerfield, Mark Calcott, Dave Hunt, Gary McCormick, the horse’s namesake Israel Dagg, and wife Daisy, Randell Townsend, Matthew Lowe and Tony Stewart.
The horse was the first racing winner for All Black and Crusaders rugby star, Israel Dagg, with the race victory coming on the eve of the Crusaders winning the Super Rugby Final at neighbouring AMI Stadium a night later.
Izzy Dagg is from the four-win Christian Cullen mare Cantina, who time-trialled in 1:54.1, before embarking on a broodmare career for owner, Rodney Dickson.
He’s the fourth winner from five to race from the mare, who earlier left Bon Accord Babe (one win from five starts), (Our) Black Diamonds (1:55.5, Aust, five West Australian wins from 11 starts) and Sheeza Sport, who won three times for the Mark Jones stable last season.
Auric Limited purchased Izzy Dagg’s year younger half-sister by Art Major, re-named She’s A Dagg, at this year’s NZ Premier Yearling Sale.
Cantina has a bit going for her as a broodmare, being a grand-daughter of the unraced Reasonable, by Noodlum from 1973 Auckland Cup placegetter and subsequent 1990 NZ Broodmare of the Year, Black Watch (14 wins).
Reasonable, exported to Australia in 1998, is a half-sister to the “black type” winners, Bardon Bridge, Black Mark, Remarkable, Corbie, Esprit Noir, Tay Bridge, and the unraced Aberfeldy, later the 2001 NZ Broodmare of the Year after leaving top filly Megeara, while Aberfeldy subsequently became the grand-dam of 2015 New Zealand Cup winner Arden Rooney.
Another half-sister to Reasonable in Significant became the unraced dam of top pacer The Unicorn (1:57.8, 29 wins & $488,524) and the 1993 New Zealand Oaks winner, Pacific Flight (1:51.2, US), the latter herself becoming the grand-dam of Malak Uswaad (1:49.4, US).
Meanwhile, $300,000-plus winning racemare Rocker Band (1:52.1) will also now race out the twilight of her career at Menangle for the Tim Butt stable as a matter of convenience, before her pending appointment with champion sire Bettor’s Delight in the spring.
“Ashlee (Grives, Menangle stable forewoman for the Mark Jones Menangle team) has just gone back to Bathurst to have a baby and has taken some horses with her, so most of mine are spelling,” Mark said.