Waihaha Falls (Tommy Berry, green & blue sleeves & cap) trained by John O’Shea wins at Randwick on December 23, 2023 – photo by Martin King/Sportpix copyright
Putting Kenmare Bay’s physical make-up to one side, economics told Suman Hedge that the two-year-old gelding who will debut at Randwick this Saturday was worth a punt.
A son of New Bay, who stands for €75,000 at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, Kenmare Bay was initially passed in at last year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
It was an opportunity Hedge and John O’Shea, who trains Kenmare Bay in partnership with Tom Charlton, could not resist after being able to purchase him for $75,000.
“We thought, ‘for what the stallion is doing in Europe, and what he stands for, this is good value’,” Hedge recalled.
“We thought it wasn’t a lot of money for him. He was strong and athletic, which really appealed to John, and Tom Charlton is very familiar with the stallions in Europe and he was very bullish about New Bay.
“There are not many opportunities to buy progeny by that stallion over here.”
New Bay has had limited runners in Australia but is the sire of New Mandate, winner of the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup, along with Group 1 Doomben Cup runner-up New Endeavour and New Energy, who is now based Down Under with Ciaron Maher.
Pentle Bay, the colt who was runner-up to Bedtime Story at Royal Ascot last month and will soon be joining Maher, is also by New Bay.
The son of Dubawi has had Saffron Beach win twice at the elite level in Europe, while Bay Bridge and Bayside Boy provided him with a Group 1 double on Champions Day at Ascot in 2022.
Kenmare Bay is out of the Nathaniel mare Anyana, who was unraced but hails from a family that includes a couple of stayers Australian racing fans would be familiar with.
Her dam Amore is a three-quarter-sister to the dam of Group 3 The Bart Cummings winner and Group 1 The Metropolitan runner-up Araldo and Listed Queensland Cup winner Araldo Junior.
It is a depth of pedigree that appealed to Hedge and O’Shea, given his physical make-up.
“I think he’s one of those ones horses that could go either way,” Hedge said.
“When you buy them, you think physically and by the sire throwing some early types that this could be a horse that could run early, but then he has also got that on the other side with the pedigree.
“You never know how a horse is going to express itself with these youngsters.”
Kenmare Bay impressively won an 800m Hawkesbury trial on a Heavy 10 track on June 3 before finishing fifth of six, beaten just over four lengths, at Randwick 11 days later.
He is the only first-starter in Saturday’s race has drawn barrier three in the field of 10 with Sam Clipperton to ride in the 1400m event.