Rangiora breeder’s trans-Tasman treble
By Peter Wharton
Well known Rangiora breeder Shane Kirwan had a red-letter week when the close relatives Moonlite Dream, Serious Moonlite and Moonlite Blood saluted at Menangle, Gloucester Park and Kurow respectively.
One of the top bracket of mares in NSW, Moonlite Dream hoisted a fresh lifetime mark of 1:52 winning decisively against her own sex at the Sydney headquarters’ track, and, 24 hours later, Moonlite Blood took full advantage of the passing lane to post his maiden success at Kurow.
Moonlite Dream winning in 1:52.2 at Menangle – Club Menangle photo
Earlier in the week Serious Moonlite led throughout at Gloucester Park at his first outing for almost two years to trigger the family treble.
Moonlite Dream (by Always B Miki) and Serious Moonlite (by Art Major) are half-brothers, both being out of the talented racemare Miss Moonlite, while Moonlite Blood is a four-year-old Art Major gelding from the Bettor’s Delight mare Blood Moon, a half-sister to Moonlite Dream and Serious Moonlite.
Moonlite Dream won four races as a three-year-old last season for Rangiora horseman Andrew Stuart including the Robin Dundee Crown at Invercargill before being sold to prominent Australian owner Mick Harvey, of Go Racing Fame.
She has since won a further three races in her adopted country and lifted her stake tally to $90,540.
Kirwan, who trades as Wibble Holdings, bought Miss Moonlite for $25,000 at the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2009.
In a career spanning three seasons the Christian Cullen mare chalked up 13 wins and 14 placings from 67 starts for $213,165 in stakes. She put an exclamation mark on her scorecard when she disposed of Victor’s Delight, Bella’s Delight, Aussie Made Lombo and others in the $100,000 Breeders Crown Final for four-year-old mares at Melton.
Retired to stud, Miss Moonlite left the 2018 Queensland Derby winner Master Moonlite as her first foal. He won 10 races and $130,920 and took a mile mark of 1:53.5.
Next was Blue Moon, followed by the prolific Gloucester Park winner Moonlite Drive 1:55.4 ($160,560), Serious Moonlite (1:57.5), a winner of six, Moonlite Dream (1:52) and a lightly raced four-year-old in Moonlite (by Art Major).
Miss Moonlite’s dam, Dancingonmoonlight, won races in four different countries and $402,832 and was one of the best racemares of her day. Among her 19 successes were the NSW Oaks, Breeders Crown 3YO Final, Victoria Ladyship Cup and the Bathurst Gold Bracelet.
Dancingonmoonlight became the dam of seven individual winners – six in 2:00 – from 11 foals. Besides Miss Moonlite, she was also the dam of a cup class pacer in Moonrock 1:52.3 ($220,422), a winner at Group/Listed level in NZ and Victoria, and three others to earn in excess of $100,000 in Sea Change (1:55), Some Change (1:56) and Bettor Still (1:56.3), all winners at metropolitan level.