Stromberg Carlson, the name of a very popular radio set of the first half of last century, is now being heard again but with a different voice. It is as a pioneer for the thoroughbred sire dynasty of Redoute’s Choice, one that has the opportunity to replicate the influence of his sire Danehill in this part of the world.

 

Stromberg Carlson, a smart lightly raced near three-quarter brother to champion sprinter and good Vinery Stud based sire Testa Rossa from a mare by the Vain Golden Slipper winner Sir Dapper, has got off to a promising start as a sire from use at the Basil Nolan’s family’s respected Raheen Stud in the Gladfield Valley near Warwick in Queensland.

It is promise which was underlined by the eye-catching victory of his first crop 2-year-old gelded son Dusty’s Felt at the meeting at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Appearing for only the second time, he raced away from his opponents to score by three lengths.

A half-brother to three other other winners, all by different Raheen sires, namely Shovhog (Danehill Golden Slipper second), Crown Jester (deceased sire of two Slipper winners) and Dodge (Canny Lad AJC Epsom Handicap and Queensland Derby winner), Dusty’s Felt is from a Yeats sprinter, New Yeats. She is one of nine winners from the Luskin Star stakes placed News.

The win of Dusty’s Felt, a gelding bred and retained by his trainer, Brett Baker of Toowoomba, took Stromberg Carlson’s record as a sire to the end of January to three winners, three minor placegetters and two other money earners from eight starters. It is success that must be very encouraging for the mare owners who flocked to him in the 2008 season, one in which he appeared tremendous value on $5,500 and in which he attended to 147 mares, a record for a Raheen sire.

Stromberg Carlson was popular from the outset, looking after 129 mares in his debut season, 2005, 116 in 2006 (95.4% fertility) and 84 (94.5%) in the EI restricted 2007 season.

He is one of the three sires who were the first of the Redoute’s Choice offspring to go to stud, sharing this distinction with the Arrowfield Stud located Not a Single Doubt, a dual Listed winner and a runnerup in the Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and Caulfield Autumn Stakes, and the very lightly used Masterofceremonies, a close unraced relation of Danewin and Commands at Jelle-Jac Farms, Tatura, Victoria.

Out of action in 2007 and 2008 owing to injury, Masterofceremonies has had one runner, a filly by the name of Before the Storm, who has been second at the Sunshine Coast (a neck) and Gympie at her only outings.

Used over only small books of mares, Masterofceremonies is the foundation sire at Jelle-Jac, a breeding and racing complex established by former Queenslanders Jim Martinek and trainer Bill Kingsbury at Tatura in Victoria. Bill has a team of eight first crop Masterofceromonies in work and he is confident he has some good winners among them.

In the meantime, an explosion of very smart 2-year-olds by Not a Single Doubt is expected shortly. Put over 128 mares in 2005 (his first season) and 161 last year, he was the first Australian based sire to have 2-year-old winners for 2008-09, represented by two in New Zealand, his only runners to date over there.

So far none of his in Australia runners have won, but none have appeared more than twice and five are earners.Clarry Conners had a trial winner, Without Doubt, by him at Warwick Farm on January 27, another, Totally Resolved, was a dashing winner of trial in Perth by1.3 lengths on January 19 and on same day another of his youngsters, Cierto Segura, romped home by margins 2.0 lengths and 2.8 lengths in a heat at Hawkesbury.

Not a Single Doubt is a son of Single’s Bar, a Melbourne 2-year-old winning half-sister to Snippets.