THE FREAKISH performance at the big spring meeting at Randwick on Saturday October 2 by Herculian Prince in taking out the $400,000 Metropolitan over 2400m, suggests he is good Melbourne Cup material. Reversing his poor showing on the same track the previous Saturday, the Gai Waterhouse trained 5-year-old gelding shot way out in front half way, dropped back to second near the turn, recharged, and took command again at the rise and went on to win by 3 ½ lengths. In doing so Herculian Prince became the100th Group1 winner for Waterhouse since she started training. Now winner of 9 of 16 outings, his effort on Saturday was a big advertisement for Gai’s fitness program and indicated he could handle a longer distance.
Herculian Prince is by Yamanin Vital, a New Zealand bred son of Sir Tristram who did all his racing in Japan, winning up to 2400m, Group 2 second placing and returned to the land of his birth to stand at stud. The fact that two of Yamanin Vital’s progeny have won the New Zealand Cup over 3200m is pointer to a Herculian Prince handling the Melbourne Cup distance. A big hurdle could be the Ilala stud, Scone bred Shocking, a Street Cry stallion who showed he is on line to win the Cup for the second successive year with a second to Danehill marvel 9-year-old Zipping in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Sunday.
Another impediment for Herculian Prince in a Melbourne Cup challenge could be his maternal breeding. A winner of one minor race at 1200m, his dam Sea Island is bred on the quality cross of the Mr. Prospector sire over the Danehill modest Melbourne winner Kailey Princess. She is a half-sister to the grandam of the champion Encosta de Lago miler Racing to Win and his lightly raced stakes winning Tale of the Cat half-brother Purrealist, a yet to be represented sire standing at the Makybe stud in Victoria.
Herculian Prince’s third dam Hula Gold was a half-sister to Hula Chief and Hula Drum, high class performers by the Kaoru Star Doomben Cup winner Marceau.They were from Hula Bend (by Never Bend), a sister to Never Hula, the third dam of Yamanin Vital. In consequence, the Metropolitan winner is inbred to their parents, Never Bend and Hula Hula.The latter mare was a granddaughter of celebrated American matriarch La Troienne. A good class American racehorse and Australian sire from this family was Don’t Say Halo, a half-brother by Halo to Yamanin Vital’s grandam Never Hula.
by Brian Russell
