Goulburn preview: Ron Quinton’s prowess as breeder on show with siblings

Ron Quinton heads to Goulburn on Tuesday with a couple of handy fillies that just happen to be full sisters bred by the Hall Of Famer himself.

Trainer Ron Quinton at his stables in Randwick. Picture By Ryan Osland/The Australian

Champion jockey and multiple Group 1-winning trainer Ron Quinton’s prowess as a breeder will be on show, not once, but twice, when equine sisters bred by the Hall of Famer step out at Goulburn on Tuesday.

Are Ee Que and Quein Step are the second and third foals of a mare named Skein whose career was brief but still somewhat spectacular.

“David Lamond and myself bred Skein,’’ Quinton said.

“She was a Dubawi mare so we raced her.

“She only had three starts. She won a race at Canterbury and was placed there two weeks later but she had some issues and could race further on so we had to retire her.’’

Skein’s first foal was the Quinton-trained Smart Little Miss who won three times together with several Sydney metro placings.

Skein’s next two foals are both by Sidestep.

“The reason I went there was because I was having a conversation with a few of the Darley crew at a Randwick race meeting one day and I said I’ve got a Dubawi mare and they pricked their ears a little bit because Dubawi is a great stallion,’’ Quinton said,

“I said, I don’t want to spend any money on her at stud and we talked about Sidestep.

“He was placed in a Golden Slipper and he sired a Slipper winner and you can’t get too many credentials than that.’’

Skein has a second Golden Slipper connection given she hails from the same family as 1990 race winner, Canny Lad.

Sidestep, meanwhile, has a Quinton connection via his fourth dam, Ammo Girl, the mother of (jockey) Quinton’s beloved mare, Emancipation.

Quinton, who bred Mnemosyne with Lamond before selling it to Woodlands as a yearling, will get a better comparison on the two Goulburn-bound siblings but has an inkling Quein Step might turn out to be the better of the duo.

“At the moment, you have probably got to think yes,’’ Quinton said.

“All the riders like her so she might be the better one. She has trialled well so hopefully she will run race well.’’

That’s not to say Are Eee Que can’t, or won’t, secure herself a third career win when returns to what is quickly becoming a favoured venue for the High Street resident.

Are Ee Ques’ current record at Goulburn is three visits, two wins and one third.

That second win came as recently as her last start when she ploughed through the slop for an all the way victory.

“It was probably an average race and she’s got 60kg too,’’ Quinton said.

“But she is in good order.

“A bit of rain would help her a lot, her two wins have both been on heavy tracks.’’

Port Macquarie preview: Quinn’s big plans for Tsunoda

Trainer Marc Quinn has long-term ambitions for a potential Country Classic appearance in 2025 with the lightly raced and consistent gelding Tsunoda, who steps out at home at Port Macquarie on Tuesday.

The Victorian-bred bay has won twice in his 11 starts, circa 1200m each time, but is sending out signs that he could develop into a “mile plus” in keeping with the odd branch of his family tree.

“He’s a funny horse,’’ Quinn said.

“He sort of tricked us. He had been working really well and I thought he was a seven-furlong (1400m) Highway type. I am still thinking Highways but I will be looking for one of those 1800m.”

While Tsunoda’s sire Overshare is a noted speed influence, Quinn’s gelding is well equipped to stay given his dam Treble was an unraced, Godolphin-owned daughter of English Derby winner and Galileo son New Approach.

Quinn has given Tsunoda the perfect build-up to what shapes an ideal race, having run over 1006m, 1250m and 1400m before the 1509m venture on Tuesday with Aaron Bullock on for the fourth straight time.

“We have just been trying to find the right races to get him out in distance,’’ Quinn said.

“There is a mile race at Taree next week but this race is at home, it is two weeks between runs, he likes the soft going and he’s rock-hard fit.

“He’ll run really well.

“Aaron just said he thinks he will be a mile, a mile-and-a-quarter horse.

“So down the track we are thinking if we can get to a mile or 1800m Highway but there are none on for a couple of weeks because of the carnival.

“There is not a lot into May that is going to be suitable either so we’ve just got to bide our time with him.

“He might even turn up in a race like the Country Classic in November.’’

Quinn’s sturdy and reliable gelding Auzstar will lead the field out in an absorbing Benchmark 66 with the state’s most talked about apprentice, Jett Newman, on board the six-time winning son of Zoustar.

“He’ll run well,’’ Quinn said.

“He is in a good spot at the moment. He had a nice little trial behind one of Tony Ball’s there the other day at Taree, The Face, that was sort of sent a long bit, and it goes pretty good.’’

Originally published as Goulburn preview: Ron Quinton’s prowess as breeder on show with siblings