US Bred Melbourne Cup winners Part 4
Media Puzzle
Media Puzzle is the fourth our recent US bred winners. Like our others, he did not race in the US, this time running mainly in Ireland before coming to Australia. Like Americain, Media Puzzle also had one local run before the Melbourne Cup, perhaps importantly both being victorious in the Geelong Cup. He raced only once as a 2yo, running a good third to a horse called Sinndar who was to prove to be a champion. At three, Media Puzzle returned to win his first two starts at lengthy intervals. He was to run a distant seventh to Sinndar in the Irish Derby, before going on to win a listed race over 2500m. As a five year old, he was to have some injury problems, not racing from May, 2001 until April, 2002. When he returned, his performances were moderate, with him struggling in handicap races. In fact, his first win since May of 2001 came in his Geelong Cup victory of October, 2002.
Media Puzzle was a son of Theatrical who had been a quality racehorse on the turf in the US. He also made his name largely as a turf horse sire in that country. In turn, Theatrical was a son of the legendary Nureyev, a son of Northern Dancer and a half brother to Fairy Bridge who was to produce some great horses in Sadler’s Wells, Tate Gallery and Perugino. To reinforce the US influence in his pedigree, Media Puzzle was out of a mare called Market Slide by another important US influence in Gulch. Gulch was a son of Mr Prospector, and in spite of being Champion Sprinter in the US, he certainly sired a number of progeny more adept at longer journeys. Market Slide is also the dam of Refuse To Bend, by Sadler’s Wells who was one of Godolphin’s champion racehorses who spent some time at stud in Australia.
Like some of our other US bred winners, Media Puzzle hails from a very influential female family. While his direct line might not be known here, we need to venture back in his direct female line until we reach Hampton Belle, who was exported from the UK to the US at the start of last century. There she produced the Champion 2yo filly, Court Dress. This line has given us some wonderful stallions and racehorses over the years. To Market is one stallion that is best known locally as the damsire of the great Marscay. More influential though is Riverman, by Never Bend who has made a significant contribution especially in terms of his role as broodmare sire of our own triple Melbourne Cup winner, Makybe Diva. General Assembly, by Secretariat, is another quality performer from this family having won the Hopeful Stakes in the US as a 2yo, and finishing second in the Kentucky Derby. Perhaps the most enduring influence of the family though has been through Exclusive Native, by Raise A Native who was twice Champion sire in the US. He is most renowned as the sire of the legendary US galloper, Affirmed, but is best known locally for his presence in the pedigree of Zoffany. We also find Exclusive Native as the damsire of Belong To Me. Finally, another good influence from the family of Media Puzzle is Deputy Minister who we know best in Australia as the sire of Dehere.
More recently, the Coolmore owned champion son of Danehill in Rock Of Gibraltar is another member of this wonderful family. Locally, the line has probably had relatively limited success in comparison to its deeds internationally. We do see that Helter Skelter, the Queensland bred son of former Eureka Stud shuttle stallion, Piccolo, who won the Listed QTC Lightning and now stands himself at Willowbend Stud at Beaudesert, is perhaps one of the best locally bred members of the family.
In terms of pedigree, we see that importantly, given the success of the family with Exclusive Native, that his sire, Native Dancer is found twice within five generations of Media Puzzle’s pedigree. We also see that Native Dancer’s own sire, Polynesian is also found again in the pedigree a total of four times within six generations. Nasrullah and Hyperion are the other influences duplicated within the first six generations of Media Puzzle’s pedigree. His dosage profile reads [0.46/1.53] for four generations, again probably not as low as we may have expected for a Melbourne Cup winner, but curiously similar in many ways to the other US bred winners.