Timber Country, Bubble Gum Fellow Get Big Winners

Timber Country and Bubble Gum Fellow had minimal impact in Australia, but the Shadai Farms-controlled pair had success March 12 on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

Three Australian generations left by Timber Country at Arrowfield Stud have yielded few stakes winners. Belatedly, to be sure, but his gelded son Eremein supplied his sire's most important Australian success in the $500,000 Rosehill Guineas (Aust-I) in Sydney.

Eremein (4-1) impressively defeated Nevin (9-2), a large Danehill filly by 1 1/2 lengths. Another short neck away Outback Prince (11-1) just outlasted High Cee for third. Gross for the 2,000 meters was an honest 2:01.35. It highlights the run of the filly who was in the firing line throughout. The winner was seventh of the 10 runners and finished his race off strongly after Corey Brown eased him to the outside.

As a 6-4 favorite, the seventh by Cheval de Troy was disappointing on the surface. But the New Zealand Derby (NZ-I) fourth was squeezed between High Cee and Nevis and stopped in his tracks 250 meters out. The "Trojan Horse" was perhaps destined for a place rather than a win, but will be at his top for the $2 million Australian Derby (Aust-I) March 26.

High profile breeder-owners Geoff and Beryl White retained Eremein, bred from a daughter of their great racehorse and deceased sire Marscay. The couple had sold the previous group I winner they bred, Defier.

Eremein has five wins and four seconds from 10 starts, his winnings close to $600,000. He had been second to Jimcarew in the Canterbury Guineas (Aust-I) Feb 26. Another Timber Country, Timbourina, had been second a year earlier.

Before what was to be Timber Country's third and final Australian season in 2000, Shadai leased the Woodman son to be the first Thoroughbred to stand in the United Arab Emirates, at Sheikh Mohammed's then new Hatta Stud near Dubai.

The most successful of Fall Aspen's remarkable brood currently resides at Shadai's Lex Stud, his fee ¥1,500,000. Bubble Gum Fellow, a dual Tenno Sho (Jpn-I) winner and Japan Cup third, commands the same season price at the Breeders Stallion Station.

Australian-bred filly Rockabubble started the Shadai double in coming from a long way back at the second turn to land the New Zealand Bloodstock-sponsored Te Aroha Breeders' Stakes (NZ-I) for distaffers. At the end of the usual 1,600 meters, in 1:35.19, she had a long neck to spare from Spin 'n Grin (by Spinning World).

Rockabubble is a 4-year-old from the first of two crops left by Bubble Gum Fellow, when the Sunday Silence son commuted between Shadai and Chatswood Stud in Victoria. Breeder S. Stiles sold her for $57,500 (NZ funds) as a yearling at the 2002 New Zealand Premier, the buyer her original trainer Paul O'Sullivan. Rockabubble was moved to the barn of Tony Cole last December. Her most important success is her sixth win from 14 starts.