Gift mare produces promising Perth pacer
By Peter Wharton
Given away because her owner decided to quit breeding, Close Escape, an unraced mare by the champion New Zealand bred horse Christian Cullen, has produced a thrice Gloucester Park winning pacer and a Group 3 Menangle winning trotter since she became a gift.
Mandown, a four-year-old gelding by Vincent out of Close Escape, notched his fifth success from six starts on Australian soil when he led throughout over 2503 metres from the standing start at Gloucester Park on August 23.
Mandown
(c) PacePix
He has now won seven races and been seven times placed from 22 starts for $64,259 in stakes.
Escape The Pace, a five-year-old A Rocknroll Dance half-sister to Mandown, has chalked up nine wins including the Bulli Trotters Cup and four placings for $99,474.
They are the first two horses bred by globetrotting North Island horseman Nigel Fahy, the manager of Ken and Karen Breckon’s showplace Breckon Farms at Ohaupo.
“One of my good mates in Auckland Gareth Dixon, who trained for Bill Callaghan, told me that Bill didn’t want to breed any longer due to his age,” Nigel said. “He offered me a free lease of Close Escape.
“Gareth trained a lot of the progeny of Close Escape.”
Her second foal Mr Henry (by Mach Three) qualified as a two-year-old at Pukekohe and was later sold to Western Australia where he won five and took a mile record of 1:57.1.
Fahy bred and part-owned Mandown with his father Brendan, trainer Gareth Hughes and four close friends in Doug Houston, Jonathan Boyle, Mike Petas and Willy Johnston.
Nigel Fahy – Breckon Farms Farm Manager
“He was their first foray into horse ownership,” Nigel said.
Trained by Brian and Gareth Hughes, Mandown won twice at Alexandra Park as a three-year-old including a 1:56.2 effort over 2200 metres.
“We got a good offer from Australia and sold him earlier this year.”
Close Escape’s sixth issue, Collateral Beauty, a three-year-old sister to Mandown, finished runner-up at her third start at Cambridge last week.
“I might retain her and breed from her,” Nigel said.
An Always B Miki yearling colt out of Close Escape was knocked down to the Canterbury-based Tony Hickman Bloodstock for $24,000 at the NZ Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka in February.
“He’s broken in well and had a second prep with Benny Hill at Christchurch. I’ve got a 10 percent share in him,” he said.
Close Escape has since produced a weanling colt by Downbyseaside and is carrying a positive test to him.
Besides being by Christian Cullen, Close Escape has a wealth of breeding on her dam’s side, being out of the Jaguar Spur mare Delightful Paula, a member of the prolific Dusky Morn family.
Close Escape
Delightful Paula, who was unraced, was the dam of a quartet of high class pacers in Runrunjimmydunn (1:50.6), a winner of 42 races and $645,556, the exported Whambam 1:54.6 ($425,968), the NZ Yearling Sales Series winner Delightful Christian 1:52.1 ($297,501) and the dual Oaks winner Tosti Girl 1:58.2 ($190,301).
She was also the grand-dam of the 2018 NZ Cup winner and millionaire pacer Thefixer (1:50.7), a fine racemare in Honey Queen 1:50.3 ($177,447) and Sir Tosti Mach (1:56.5) and the third dam of Miki Montana 1:54.1 ($137,598) and the Menangle victors Girls Are Best (1:50.2) and Gooddealehemily (1:52.9).
