Left in Australia by his French owners, then offloaded from Arrowfield Stud to Victoria’s Woodside Park, Shalaa is now an Australian group 1-winning sire after comeback king Mornington Glory‘s impressive victory in the five-furlong Moir Stakes (G1) at The Valley Sept. 7.
Handing young trainer Gavin Bedggood his first top-tier winner, and jockey Ethan Brown his fourth, Mornington Glory led throughout to beat a hot nine-horse field in the first edition of the Moir since its move from late to early September.
The win will be an enormous fillip for Woodside Park, with Shalaa now covering his second book at the Victorian stud for a fee of AU$19,800 (US$13,202), down from the AU$22,000 he commanded in 2023.
Having shuttled for six seasons to Arrowfield, he was bought in April last year after a prolonged negotiation from his French owners Al Shaqab stud by Woodside owner Eddie Hirsch.
Bred by Gooree Park Stud, Mornington Glory became Shalaa’s ninth Australian stakes winner two weeks ago in claiming Moonee Valley’s Norman Carlyon Stakes.
And on Saturday he scored his fourth win over the course and distance in taking the Moir, as a $9 fourth-favorite.
He had a half-length to spare on the line from Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) winner Hayasugi, with Golden Slipper (G1) victor Lady Of Camelot further back in third.
Having risen to a personal best finishing position of 28th on the Australian general sires’ table last season, Shalaa is now comfortably in the top five early in the new term, and ranks second on stakes winners and stakes wins, with two of each.
The Moir triumph was an emotional one for Cranbourne-based Bedggood, the former jumps jockey who has some 55 horses on his books, and was previously best known for his five-time Group winner Just Folk.
Mornington Glory was the sale topper at the 2020 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale when offered amid the Gooree Stud reduction on behalf of the estate of the late Eduardo Cojuangco, and bought by his original trainer Matt Laurie and bloodstock agents Justin Bahen and Andrew Williams.
Raced by a syndicate headed by well-known owner Rob Cummings and former AFL stars Shane Crawford, Brett Ratten, and Fraser Brown, he won just one of six starts before being retired late in 2022 due to a heart complaint.
But after almost a year off, he was brought back into work by Bedggood, who’s saddled him to six victories from 14 starts.
“I’m pretty good. I felt a bit of pressure last time, but I was pretty comfortable coming here today,” Bedggood said. “We were the underdog and he seems to always be that way.
“He took bad luck out of the equation today. He’s begun really well his last two starts and he jumped a half in front of them (Saturday).
“There was no instruction to lead, but Browny just used his initiative and went with the horse and the rest is history.”
Bedggood thanked Mornington Glory’s ownership team for “throwing him a bone” in allowing him to train the gelding.
“It nearly didn’t happen. He was retired, this horse,” he said. “It’s a great ownership group and they’ll party hard tonight, no doubt.”
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