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Dual Group 1 winner to be joined in Victoria by Group 2 winner Doubtland
Dual Group 1 winner Russian Camelot (Camelot) will stand at Widden Stud’s new Victorian base for an introductory fee of $22,000 (inc GST) and he will be joined by Group 2 winner Doubtland (Not A Single Doubt), who will be introduced at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST).
Trained by Danny O’Brien, the northern hemisphere bred colt retired the winner of four of his 11 starts, including the South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m), while he also recorded second place finishes in the Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) and finished third behind Sir Dragonet (Camelot) in the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m). The entire earned $2,346,225 in career prize-money.
Russian Camelot was purchased by Jeremy Brummitt for 120,000gns from the Camas Park Stud draft at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2018 and he is out of unraced Cape Cross (Green Desert) mare Lady Babooshka, making him a brother winning filly Russian Camilla and a half-brother to No Trouble (No Nay Never), who has won twice.
Lady Babooshka herself is out of Listed-winning Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) mare Balalaika, making her three-quarter sister to Group 2 winner Alkaadhem (Green Desert) and the dam of Listed scorer Zanetto (Medicean).
The colt’s third dam is Bella Colora (Bellypha) - the dam of Group 2 winner Stagecraft (Sadler’s Wells), Group 3 winner Mullins Bay (Machiavellian) and Hyabella (Shirley Heights), with the latter the dam of Group 3 winner Poet (Pivotal), while she is also the grandam of Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed France (Desert Prince) and Listed-winning duo Media Hype (Tiger Hill) and Hippy Hippy Shake (Danehill Dancer).
Meanwhile, Bella Colora also produced unraced Bella Cantata (Singspiel) - the dam of Group / Grade 2-winning pair Caspar Netscher (Dutch Art) and Bella Sonata (Silvano).
"A winner from 1400 metres to 2500 metres, he was a Classic victor, a genuine weight-for-age champion and his profile suggests to us he could ultimately be a similar style of sire to So You Think,” said Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson.
The colt finished second in the All-Star Mile (1600m) on what proved to be the final start of his career, after being found to have sustained a tendon injury in the $5 million contest.
“I think he’s the best horse I’ve had anything to do with, particularly to do so much so early in his career,” O’Brien said.
“He’s got charisma, if you’ve ever seen him close-up at the races, he just looks the part. He is a horse that just turned up in any weather and under any conditions, gave his all and never let anyone down. He was just an outstanding racehorse."
Trained by Team Hawkes, Doubtland broke his maiden on his first start over Randwick Kensington as a two-year-old in March 2020, before adding a first stakes victory to his CV on his next appearance in the Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) the following month.
On his second start as at three-year-old, Doubtland took out the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), before running a good third in the Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), while he also finished fourth behind September Run (Exceed And Excel) in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as Ascot Vale Stakes) (Gr 1, 1200m).
Purchased by Orbis Bloodstock for $1.1 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Arrowfield Stud draft, Doubtland is out of four time-winning Ustinov (Seeking The Gold) mare Miss Sharapova making the colt a brother to Listed winner Pretty Fast, while he also counts Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Villa Verde as his three-quarter brother.
Further back the colt is from the family of Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m)-winning pair Rory’s Jester (Crown Jester) and Ha Ha (Danehill) and Group 3 winner Sushi Rocket (Salmon Leap).
“He was the most expensive yearling by Not a Single Doubt sold in 2019 and his win in the Kindergarten was by the biggest margin ever achieved by a colt in that race,” said Thompson.
“The Ratings Bureau (Dan O’Sullivan) assessed his performance that day as superior to past luminaries that have won the race, including Astern, Hallowed Crown and even Bivouac.
“We’re aiming to build a sustainable commercial roster of sires for the Victorian market that can satisfy the needs of a wide range of breeders and in Russian Camelot and Doubtland we have two outstanding prospects.”
The pair will stand alongside Nicconi (Bianconi) and Star Witness (Starctraft), who will relocate from Widden’s New South Wales base and cover their first book of mares in Victoria this spring.