Caption: Mepunga Ruby, a stayer with a great breeding future (Photo: BlueStream Pictures)

IN 21 wins to date, Mepunga Ruby has proven herself one of the star stayers of her time.

The daughter of Fernando Bale-Mepunga Rosie by Kinloch Brae has earned $386,000 from wins in such illustrious races as the G1 Super Stayers, G2 Summer Distance Plate, G3 Speed Star and the Pink Diamond Distance, and she has been a G1 placegetter or finalist seven times.

She’s the real deal for breeder-owner Barry Smith and trainer Jeff Britton.

As Barry Smith says of her “the ultimate stayer, able to lead and go to the line with great strength”.

It won’t be long before Mepunga Ruby heads off to become a mother and for Barry the thinking cap for her about potential mates may not already be in place, but Barry at least knows where it is.

Mepunga Ruby is the result of a determined breeding program to turn what was once a 300m line into one that has developed strength of the type to produce a Group 1 stayer.

It started with Mepunga Shiraz, a bitch by Black Shiraz from Benji’s Babe. The latter is a sister to Brett Lee’s dam Sobbing Sal, as well as Starlight Jessie and Hotshow Deb.

Benji’s Babe raced 31 times for nine wins and nine placings. Her wins came up to 440m at Shepparton, Wangaratta and Bendigo.

Mepunga Shiraz started 54 times for 15 wins and 18 placings, but her wins came to 400m at Geelong, Horsham and Warrnambool.

At this point, Barry Smith made a concerted effort to turn the family into one of strength. To do this he plumped for US stud great and noted strength course, Flying Penske.

He got Mepunga Diva, who started 74 times for 11 wins and 28 placings earning $44,000 along the way with wins to 520m at Warrnambool, Bendigo, Sandown, Horsham, Geelong and Cranbourne.

Barry was on his way.

“Back to Mepunga Shiraz, I already had plenty of chase and the breeding I wanted, but I’m always after middle distance to staying dogs,” Barry said.

When Mepunga Diva went to stud, one of her mates was another US stud dog great Kinloch Brae.

From that mating came Mepunga Rosie, who started 76 times for 17 wins and 24 placings for $126,000. Her wins came at Sandown, Wentworth Park, The Meadows, Ballarat, Horsham and Geelong and she got 700m.

Among her wins was the Listed Cup Night Stayers among the five Group finals she made.

“I purposely kept breeding the line to outcross sires so that the end result would be bitches that I could put to any number of sires,” Barry said.

That’s what he now has with Mepunga Ruby, a daughter of Fernando Bale-Mepunga Rosie.

“She is only 26.5 kilos, a result of the mother going to Fernando Bale who can throw bitches on the smaller side,” said Barry.

“But all the bitches in this line have been good-sized bitches. Mepunga Rosie was 31 kilos, and so on.”

At the moment, Barry has some ideas on who he will put Mepunga Ruby to, but is content to think over the new crop of young stud dogs.

“I certainly could put her to my own dog Mepunga Blazer, or even his full brother Mepunga Cruzer, who is the fastest dog I have ever bred. He recently sired his first city winner.

“But I also have an open mind on those young sires. I have a litter by Flying Ricciardo and have since mated Mepunga Ruby’s half-sister Mepunga Maggie to Aston Rupee.

“And, I have just educated a litter by Mepunga Cruzer out of Mepunga Ruby’s mother Mepunga Rosie that are as good as any litter I have broken in.”

Barry has set standards when considering stud dogs.

“I like them to have a good conformation, but be great chasers. In my mind that is the most important aspect of a sire, his chasing ability,” he said.

“With Mepunga Ruby, I will more than likely go back to an Aussie influenced dog, but I still want to breed a stayer out of her.

“I can go anywhere with her though, within reason. That’s why I outcrossed the line so much. Sometimes you get so tied up with bloodlines that there is nowhere to go with them.

“Mepunga Ruby’s pedigree gives me a much greater choice of mate for her.”

The fact Mepunga Ruby has had a prolific and long career at the top, and her immediate damline, also showed soundness and longevity, augurs well for her whichever way Barry Smith chooses for her.

“Her mother went to Mepunga Blazer and we got some a very, very good litter,” he said.

Mepunga Ruby is on the comeback trail after a hock injury so Barry has plenty of time to make a final decision on a mate for her.

It’s a “problem” most in the industry would love to have.