A quality racehorse
From the day he won his first race start over 1200m as a 2YO Masterpiece always displayed great ability. He developed into a top class sprinter - miler on turf as a 3YO & 4YO in Argentina, winning the Gran Premio San Isidro-G1 at 1600m as well as running second in both the Gran Premio Palermo-G1 & the Gran Premio Joaquin de Anchorena-G1, and fourth in the Palermo Gran Premio Montevideo-G1. As a 5YO Masterpiece transferred to the US where he continued his good form on turf winning the Del Mar Brubaker Hcp-LR over 1700m, and running fourth in the Hawthorne Carey Memorial Hcp-G3 over 1600m. Overall Masterpiece had 23 starts for 7 wins, six seconds, two thirds & three fourths, winning from 1200m to 1700m.

A son of the great Southern Halo just like More Than Ready

Masterpiece is a son of the Champion Argentinian stallion Southern Halo, who is already represented in Australia as the sire of MORE THAN READY. A Group One winner More Than Ready won 7 races from 1000m to 1400m and placed to 1800m. He has had a sensational start to his stud career in Australia - he was Champion First Season sire in 2005, and already this season is assured of winning the Champion 2YO Sire title through the deeds of SEBRING (Golden Slipper) & AUGUSTA PROUD (Magic Millions & Adelaide Millions).
To April ’08 in Australia More than Ready is the sire of 165 runners, 111 winners, 15 stakes winners & four individual Group One winners. Overall in all countries his record is currently 463 runners, 324 winners, 43 stakes winners. An indication of
More Than Ready’s current popularity has been the prices paid for his yearlings at the 2008 Sydney Easter Yearling sale, two fillies selling for $1,600,000 & $1,200,000 respectively. A thorough look at More Than Ready’s stud career is included in the Masterpiece link’s section or click here.

Southern Halo- a Champion stallion.

SOUTHERN HALO was a good racehorse winning 5 races from 1400m to 1800m and being Group One placed twice over 2000m in the US. He retired to stud in Argentina where he became a sire sensation, totally dominating the local racing scene and winning ten straight Champion Sire premierships from 1994 to 2004, as well as being Champion 2YO sire five times, and Champion Broodmare sire three times to date. His success led to his purchase by Coolmore Stud in 1996 and his transfer to stud duties in the US, and his subsequent sale to Japan in 2003 to replace the mighty Sunday Silence when he died. The then 20 year old was re-purchased by his original Argentinian owner in 2004 and returned to Argentina where he continues his stud career. To April 2008 Southern Halo is the sire of 1191 runners, 816 winners, 157 stakes winners, 50 individual Group One winners. A thorough look at Southern Halo’s stud career is included in the Masterpiece link’s section or click here.

Halo- an outstanding sire influence.

Halo

Sunday Silence

HALO, the sire of Southern Halo, was a good performer in the US. From 31 starts, he had 9 wins and 13 placings - winning from 1200m to 2400m including the Group One United Nations Hcp-G1 over 1900m on turf. Halo was a superbly bred horse, a son of the Champion 2YO colt Hail To Reason who was also a Champion Sire and Champion 2YO sire in the US. Halo’s dam was the outstanding mare COSMAH, herself a half sister to NATALMA, the dam of NORTHERN DANCER. An attractive brown horse standing approximately 15.3 hands Halo was always destined to be an outstanding sire - with his great pedigree, Group One performance and handsome good looks Halo fulfilled his destiny, becoming Champion Sire in US in 1983 & 1989. Renowned for his rather fiery temperament Halo has left his imprint on world breeding through his sire sons, which include SUNDAY SILENCE, DEVIL’S BAG, SAINT BALLADO & SOUTHERN HALO. Both More Than Ready and Masterpiece have inherited their dark brown colour and lovely looks from their grand sire Halo.

A true blue blood family.

Almahmoud

Sea-Bird

NORTHERN SEA the dam of Southern Halo, is a daughter of the mighty NORTHERN DANCER, providing a significant cross of the mighty mare ALMAHMOUD (3 x 4) through her daughters Cosmah and Natalma in Southern Halo’s pedigree. Northern Sea won seven races, she was a Group Three winner and dual Group One second.
SEA SAGA the dam of Northern Sea and second dam of Southern Halo won nine races. She scored Group One, Group Two & Group Three victories and was ran second in a further three Group One events.. A superbly related mare she is closely related to the successful sires MISWAKI, ALMUTAWAKEL, MANILA & STATELY DON. Sea Saga is also a daughter of the great racehorse & influential sire SEA-BIRD.

SEA-BIRD, the second dam sire of Southern Halo, is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of the 20th Century. His Timeform Rating of 145 is still the highest Timeform assessment ever given. Retired to stud in America where he died at a young age, Sea-Bird’s stud career was significant enough to produce 33 stakes winners and 5 Group One winners from only 172 living foals. Among his best produce were the outstanding mare Allez France, Arctic Tern, Kittiwake and his Group One winning daughter Sea Saga. As a brood mare sire Sea-Bird was very influential – his daughters producing 50 stakeswinners including the Champion Assert.

Masterpiece’s dam is a true Group One performer

Manpower

Medal Play

MERRY SWEET is the dam of Masterpiece & also of his full brothers MANPOWER & MEDAL PLAY.
These three full brothers exemplify the marvelous versatility of Southern Halo’s progeny and are a great tribute to the producing ability of their dam Merry Sweet. Masterpiece was of course a Group One winning sprinter-miler. His year older brother Manpower was a quality stayer with a race record of 14 starts, 4 wins, 1 second, 2 thirds, 2 fourths and 2 fifths, all in the highest middle distance & staying company. After running second on debut in a 1500m listed race, Manpower quickly won a 1600m event and then never again raced below Group level and never below 1800m, winning a Group One over 2000m, Group Two over 1800m and Group Three over 2100m. His placings included third in a Group three over 3000m! It is significant that Manpower’s Group One victory was also recorded on turf.
On the other hand their full brother Medal Play was a sprinter of some note, winning a Group Three 1000m event on debut as a 2YO in a quick 56.19 seconds. Injury forced him from the scene before he returned to win a further four races as a 4YO including running a track record for 1400m at Palermo in a sizzling 1:20:30. Medal Play’s race record in Argentina in an injury restricted career was 9 starts for 5 wins. The value of his 1400m time (1:20:30) can be seen when compared to the following 1400m track records = Caulfield - Exceed & Excel (1:21:20); Flemington - Mr Murphy (1:21:12); Randwick - Grand Armee (1:21:06); Rosehill - Ikes Dream (1:21:82); & Eagle Farm - St Basil (1:20:70). These five horses are all outstanding Australian Group One winners whose track record times cannot match the time recorded by Medal Play.

MERRY SWEET was not only a top producing broodmare, she was a Group One winning race filly as well. In a career of only three starts she won the Gran Premio Eliseo Ramirez, a 1400m Group One at San Isidro; and ran third in the Gran Premio de Potrancas, a 1600m Group One; & fourth in the Classico Carrera de las Estrellas, a 2000m Group One – not a bad race record!
Merry Sweet also hails from a very strong female family. Her half sister MERRYMAKER produced the dual Group One winner MEDAL OF HONOR, who won 7 races from 1000m to 1400m with both Group One victories over 1000m. Merrymaker also produced MAGNUM, who was Group One placed over 1600m in Argentina before his sale to America where he became a Group Two winner at 1700m and finished second in the Group One $1,000,000 Santa Anita Hcp over 2000m. Both Medal of Honor and Magnum were sired by Southern Halo’s Champion son EL COMPINCHE making both of them very close relations to Masterpiece through both their sire line and dam line.

GOLD TROJAN the dam sire of Masterpiece, was a very lightly raced horse from the Nasrullah sire line. The winner of two of his only three starts in the US before injury forced his retirement, Gold Trojan was a half brother to eight other winners including four stakes winners. During his restricted stud career in argentina Gold Trojan sired 6 known stakes winners from 73 known runners – interestingly his two Group One winners Merry Sweet & Gold Spring were both out of mares sired by More Light, a descendant of the great RIBOT. Gold Trojan was primarily a source of speed with his progeny having an average winning distance of 1200m.

A successful family connection.
Delving deeper into the pedigree of Masterpiece it is possible to find his connection to several successful stallions who have already had a major influence on Australian breeding. This is the family of the outstanding sire ARCTIC EXPLORER, who sired the great TOBIN BRONZE and many other Group One performers during a highly successful stud career in Australia and New Zealand. Another sire from this family is SUPREME COURT whose contribution to Australian breeding came through both his son Pipe Of Peace (a leading sire in Australia) & his daughter Courtessa, in turn dam of Klairessa & grand dam of Eight Carat. Also from this family is the former successful Victorian based sire LORD SEYMOUR.

An outstanding sire prospect!

MASTERPIECE is a very attractive stallion prospect. A very athletic sprinter / miler he is a superb looking individual, by a very dominant sire & from a highly talented dam family. Both sides of his family contain bloodlines which in previous generations have proven very influential under Australian racing conditions. His sire Southern Halo has already provided us with the exceptional stallion talent More Than Ready. Masterpiece offers an interesting outcross pedigree that appears suitable for so many Australian broodmare lines judging by the successful crosses that both Southern Halo and More Than Ready have already shown.
Click here for info on Southern Halo’s stud career.
Click here for info on More Than Ready’s stud career.