Golden Greek for stud at Reporoa

Press, 21 July 1988, Page 36

Golden Greek for stud at Reporoa

Golden Greek, one of the best performed sons of North America’s leading sire for the last 18 months, Abercrombie, has been secured to stand at stud at Curtins Farm, Reporoa, Bay of Plenty.

With a record of 1:52.2, set in winning the $102,093 Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile last year, Golden Greek will be the fastest three-year-old at stud in Australia or New Zealand. The same race time also gave Golden Greek the distinction of being the fastest free-legged pacer in history. He often raced as a two and three-year-old without hopples.

Golden Greek is currently racing in North America, and after a minor setback in training, is now being set for the rich United States Pacing Championship series and Breeders’ Crown.

Back in May, while negotiations were underway with the Lou Guida-

managed syndicate which owned him, Golden Greek finished third in a leg of the Driscoll series at the Meadowlands, beaten a nose and a head by Call For Rain and Indian Alert.

Call For Rain equalled the world record for four-year-old pacers on a mile track with a time of 1:51.6, a time also credited to Golden Greek.

The rich bay is due to go into quarantine in September and will join McKinzie Almahurst (2, 1:55.8; 3, 1:54.8; $1,532,870), Tricky Dick (1:56.8, $460,014) and Tuff Choice (2, 1:56.6; 3, 1:54.2, 4; 1:52.4; $514,376) at Curtins Farm this year. His introductory. stud fee will be $3OOO plus GST. Golden Greek is just one of several outstanding performers sired by Abercrombie in recent years. With others such as Laag (3, 1:51.4; $642,995), Armbro Emerson (4, 1:51.8; SI.3M), Armbro Dallas (3,

1:52.6; SI.2M), Albert Albert (2, 1:52.8; $591,599), Armbro Cadet (4, 1:53.4; $693,392) and world champion filly Anniecrombie (3, 1:54.4; 1:53.8f, $615,030), Abercrombie became the first non Meadow Skipper-line stallion to win the North American Sires’ Premiership since 1974 in 1987. He was represented by 229 winners which won 914 races and stakes worth $8,616,906 — SIM clear of trotting stallion, Speedy Crown, and SI.4M clear of Albatross. Golden Greek is the second foal from the Meadow Skipper mare Classical Jazz (2, 2:01; 3, 2.00), whose first foal is another top pacer, In Horus (2, l:58.8f; 1.56 h, $300,000). Classical Jazz is one of nine winners from the Stakes-winning mare Little Mother (3, 2:00.6, $42,367), which in turn is a sister or half-sister to nine winners.