We have all heard about the most famous litter in the TAB Million Dollar Chase, the litter which has already produced four semi-finalists, Feral Franky, Good Odds Harada, Good Odds Buddy and Solar Sky. Now there is another … sort of.
The Collision-Solar Pak litter has been the talk of the series, even for those with little interest in the intricacies of breeding.
On Sunday night at Nowra, Banjo Tifia led throughout to win the Regional Final. She’s not a part of the litter, but, delve a little deeper and you’ll find the relationship.
Banjo Tifia is by Banjo Boy out of Tifia. Tifia is out of the first litter of broodbitch Tifi, by Collison. The third litter of Tifi, by the sire Mogambo, produced, Solar Pak. And so the incredible bloodlines continue to flow through the TAB Million Dollar Chase.
“She’s a grand daughter of Tifi and Feral Franky is a grandson of Tifi,” trainer-breeder CHRIS O’Brien said. “It’s just a phenomenal bloodline.
“Tifi was a 2006 ‘model’ and unfortunately she died last year, but the mother of Banjo Tifia, Tifia is still alive, she’s is up and Sherrie Turner at Tahmoor, who does a great job with all our whelping.
“You can’t keep them all, and we usually keep two from each litter. We’ve sold Double Twist, she was out of Tifi by Where’s Pedro, and of course we sold Solar Pak (as a seven month old pup to good friend Mark Walden and former Canterbury rugby league player Barry Ward).”
Banjo Tifia is no one hit wonder. She qualified for the final for the Golden Easter Egg back in April and now has a spot in the TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-final after her 30.02s win.
Another four semi-finalists were decided at Nowra on Sunday night, taking the total to 36 who have already qualified for the October 11 semi-finals. Another 20 places will be filled through Regional Finals at Lismore, Wagga, The Gardens, Goulburn and Maitland coming up this week, with a further eight semi-finalists determined at Wentworth Park on October 5 in City Qualifiers.
Joining Banjo Tifia from the Nowra Regional Final were Zipping Norton, Awesome Catch, and Cashien.
“It’s a bit of shock actually, it hasn’t hit home all of a sudden we’re there,” O’Brien said. “It was only her second 500m, since she has come back after being on season after the Easter Egg.
“She’ll be better for that race.”
O’Brien said he targeted the Nowra series for a number of reasons.
“I avoided Bulli and those places because I thought they would get the hot heats and big track dogs, and she likes Nowra and we’re from Nowra and she knows the track backwards,” he said “It was always the plan to come for the heats here.
“We got lucky I suppose, and the box draw certainly helped.”
