Stud Calls For My Redeemer

IN the end, My Redeemer’s, let’s call it, partial retirement, was all but taken out of trainer Dave Geall and his fellow owners’ hands.

IN the end, My Redeemer's, let's call it, partial retirement, was all but taken out of trainer Dave Geall and his fellow owners' hands.

"The plan was to pull up stumps after the Australian Cup Final on Saturday win, lose or draw – the demand for him at stud was just getting too much and you can't mix them both," said Geall on Wednesday.

"Earlier in the year we collected 13 straws from him and they went straight away, we've got about 30 breeders waiting for straws to him at the moment so we decided that if we didn't get him into the stud mix now we'd lose those breeders keen to use him to somewhere else. So we made the decision we did – for now."

My Redeemer, winner at 25 of his 51 starts, is a son of Fernando Bale and Where's Demonica, a half-brother to Geall's champion race bitch Up Hill Jill.

WATCH: MY REDEEMER WIN THE 2018 G1 MELBOURNE CUP

Responsible for some sizzling times, including a flying 29.12 at Sandown Park, My Redeemer boasts two Group 1s on his outstanding resume, namely the Melbourne Cup and Harrison-Dawson.

"It's actually uncanny just how alike he is to Up Hill Jill," said Geall.

"At home they are the most relaxed, easy going dogs you'd find, almost like pets. But when they get to the races they flick a switch and get that white-line fever, they give 110% every time they go around – as a trainer they're exactly what you want, but they're hard to find!"

Possessing everything you want in a stud dog, speed, strength, and an unrelenting will to win to go along with breeding that is second to none – Geall is fully aware his two-time group 1 winning galloper has all the attributes to have a distinguished career at stud – those attributes led by the name of his sire, the great Fernando Bale.

"He's just a ripper isn't he when you look at what he's done," declared Geall.

"But we understand how fickle the stud game can be and how important it is to make a real go of it early, he's had some quality bitches to start off with including Zipping Willow. For Marty (Hallinan) to use such an outstanding bitch of his with My Redeemer is a real plus for the dog – we've had a lot of the leading breeders on the phone about him.

"It's been a big few weeks, Up Hill Jill came on season just recently and she'll go to Fernando Bale – we understand that My Redeemer being by Fernando Bale is a big thing in his corner, the phone has been ringing hot and if the demand remains like it is now we'll just have to wait and see what happens (with a return to racing) in the future."

Standing at stud for the competitive fee of $2,200, Geall told the Recorder work has begun in collecting straws to begin meeting the demand of breeders.

"It's very much supply and demand, at the moment the demand is there but not the supply, we're working on that," said Geall.

"There's a bit of mixed emotions, I'm a trainer before anything else and I know he has a lot more to offer on the track so hopefully later this year we see him back at the track doing what he does best."

While Geall's superstar half-relations My Redeemer and Up Hill Jill are currently doing their thing in the breeding barn, the Lara trainer is setting Miss Splendamiro for the upcoming Group 1 Perth Cup Series at Cannington.

"She really does deserve a group 1 – she's such a tough little chaser and has a lot of racing ahead of her still," added Geall.

"She's a good traveler so we'll head to Perth before heading to Wentworth Park for the Easter Egg Series which she made the final of last year."

Geall of course won last year's Golden Easter Egg with his champion bitch Up Hill Jill, taking out what many considered the race of the year, defeating arch rival Striker Light, who was eyeing back-to-back Egg victories, by a neck in 29.77.

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