Apache Cat on the war path

Apache Cat, the baldy faced new hero of Australian racing who took his record to 13 wins (12 stakes) and over $2.3 million when he was successful in the Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday, recording his second Group 1 win for the month, is the only stakes winner here by his sire and is the only stakes winner or black type money earner under his first four dams.
A 5-year-old gelding trained at Cranbourne by Greg Eurell for six owners, Apache Cat is by Lion Cavern, a 1989 foaled brother to the influential Gone West, both of them being sons of Mr. Prospector and from the Secretariat Stakes winner Secrettame.
One of the best juveniles at two in Europe, a French Two Thousand Guineas third at three and a good sprinter in America at four, Lion Cavern went to stud first in England then moved to America. Also, he shuttled three times - 2000-02 - to the Lynden Park Stud at Red Hill South in Victoria, leaving about 180 potential runners, the oldest of which are current 6-year-olds.
So far he has had 144 runners from Australian use, including 86 winners, headed in class by Apache Cat, the Malaysia stakes winner Lion's Prospect and stakes placed Regal Chivas, Jennifer, Jayemzed, Bullmix and Palace Horse.The latter has won eight races in Macau.
Apache Cat is one of two of the Lion Cavern progeny world wide to earn in excess of a million dollars.The other is Crimplene, one of the top fillies at 1600m in Europe at three in 2000, a year she won both the Irish and German One Thousand Guineas. In the same year another of his early offspring, Peony, was a neck second in the French One Thousand Guineas.
Raced in a partnership of six, by his Victorian breeder P. Radford, Apache Cat is one of six winners from seven to race out of the Whiskey Road mare Tennessee Blaze, a winner of four races and earner of $10,500. None of the others have earned black type money, but they include Melbourne winners Tiger Belle and Raptor.
Bought by Radford for $7,000 at the Melbourne Premier yearling sales,Tennessee Blaze is the only runner from the three foals from Centasia, a Century mare who won one race and $1,400.
Her mother, Deep Fantasy, was a minor winner by a pioneer shuttle sire, Deep Diver, who died on the eve of being shipped back home, and from Kofa, produce of a non winning half-sister to the magnificent Agricola filly Farmer's Daughter. She won both VRC and AJC Oaks, finished second in the QTC Stradbroke Handicap and third in the MRC Thousand Guineas and AJC Chipping Norton Stakes.
The Big G
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