Satire Franco Clicks with All Sires

By Jonny Turner

For a mare Brent and Raewyn Shirley didn’t have big plans with, Satire Franco sure is doing an outstanding job at stud.

Satire Franco notched her ninth individual winner when Glorafilia (American Ideal-Satire Franco-Falcon Seelster) charged away from her rivals to score at Winton on Thursday for trainer-driver Nathan Williamson.

The three-year-old was educated by Brent Shirley and sold to Western Australians Jim and Wilma Giumelli as they were campaigning Ragazzo Mach from Williamson’s stable.

The Giumellis enjoyed more success at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Ragazzo Mach (Mach Three-Ragazza Bromac-Falcon Seelster), bred by Sean and Emmet Daly, took out a minor event on the WA Pacing Cup.

Ragazzo Mach is one of many good Southland three-year-olds to have headed to Western Australia at the peak of their powers.

Glorafilia post race – Source Winton Harness Racing FB Page

That list includes the horse Brent Shirley considers to be Satire Franco’s best foal in Rowchester (Bettor’s Delight).

“Rowchester would be the best of them, I think,” Shirley said.

“He was very smart, he won three here before we sold him to Gary Hall.”
“They never saw the best of him because he got laminitis when he arrived over there.”
Racing somewhat intermittently, Rowchester went on to take his career win tally to 11 and his earnings past $100,000 before his retirement.

If Rowchester was number one then Costa Del Magnifico (Mach Three) must rate a very close second among Satire Franco’s foals.

The pacer was a 12-time winner from Shirley’s barn, producing a Group Three Invercargill Cup win as well as running fourth in Locharburn’s Group One Easter Cup.

Satire Franco producing good horses like Rowchester and Costa Del Magnifico wasn’t exactly on Shirley’s mind after he and his wife purchased the mare in the early 2000s.

“We were on our way to Australia for a holiday and she was in the mixed age sale at Christchurch.”
“Vin Nally was going and I said if you can get her for less than $10,000 grab her for me.”
“She was in foal to Live Or Die and after she foaled I wasn’t actually that keen on breeding from her.”

“I put her back into work but we couldn’t win a race with her.”
“The Live Or Die started coming up quite nice so then I put her back in foal again.”

The Live Or Die foal was five-race winner When The Music’s Over.

A steady trail of winners followed, with Satire Franco seeming to click with almost any sire she was served with.

Those winners include Turbine (Tinted Cloud), I Smart (Santanna Blue Chip), John Coltrane (Real Desire), Dunrobin (Well Said) and now Glorafilia (American Ideal).

Shirley admitted he would have liked to have kept Glorafilia to have a well-bred daughter to go on with, but it was a better business decision to sell her.

He and his wife have bred from their good performer I Smart, who won six races before retiring.

I Smart has already left a 1.52.2 miler in Euro Beat (Rocknroll Heaven), as well as a promising American Ideal three-year-old called Smart I Am, who Shirley has put huge wraps on.

The Shirleys have also bred from Dunrobin in an arrangement with Macca Lodge.

Satire Franco has left colts, a two-year-old colt by Rocknroll Heaven and yearling colt by Fear The Dragon, for the Shirleys to go on with.

The mare has failed to get in foal in the last two springs but is still in grand order at the age of 22.