By DAVID BRASCH
MUCH was expected of superstar Aston Dee Bee when he retired to stud back in 2018-19, the son of Barcia Bale-Aston Elle having won the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.
A host of other Group wins and track record runs added to his appeal for broodbitch owners.
But every track superstar needs a “big dog” from his first crop of runners to hit the races to satisfy the most critical of breeders.
Aston Dee Bee got his almost instantly when Kuro Kismet (Aston Dee Bee-Mayfair Miss by Premier Fantasy) burst onto the scene with an obvious talent, super-imposing looks and a will to chase that was so, so obvious.
He came to the racetrack with an imposing pedigree to say the least. His mother, Mayfair Miss (Premier Fantasy-Where’s Demonica), is a winning litter sister to superstar Up Hill Jill who won a G1 Golden Easter Egg, G1 Topgun, G2 Laurels and was placed or a finalist in 14 other Group races.
And Up Hill Jill and Mayfair Miss are also half-sisters to My Redeemer, the Fernando Bale dog who gave everyone in the world an indication of just how great this damline is by winning the G1 Melbourne Cup and G1 Harrison Dawson.
It certainly augured well for Kuro Kismet, the son of Aston Dee Bee and Mayfair Miss … bred to be a glamour.
In April, Kuro Kismet proved all that and more when he gave a youngster called Aston Rupee a fair dinkum beating when winning the Group 3 Launching Pad and the $150,000 that goes with it.
The fact Aston Rupee has since gone on to win the G1 Topgun and smash the Sandown track record is a fair indication of the quality of Kuro Kismet.
Unfortunately for Kuro Kismet’s owners and his trainer Matt Clark, the striking dog recently broke a hock and has been forced into retirement after just 37 starts. He won 14 and was placed 14 times for stakes of $216,000.
Matt and the dog’s owners have been inundated with requests to stand him at stud, which they will do for an introductory fee of $990.
Just ask Matt his thoughts on Kuro Kismet and he is almost unstoppable about his plus points.
“The dog was a fierce chaser and had a massive stride on him,” Matt said.
“His key attributes were his strength and field sense. Prior to the Launching Pad we had to hold on to him for four weeks because he had the maximum wins allowed. He consistently ran best of the day at Sandown four weeks in a row.
“He would run five to six lengths faster than anything else, and would break 23 seconds post to post when dogs just weren’t able to.
“We took him to Wentworth Park without seeing the track. He missed the start horribly and ran second. He went back for the Derby heats and was beaten a head and was the talk of the track.
“He returned to Melbourne and the Sydney trip seemed to correct his box manners.
“He’s a hulking 35 kilo dog that has a soft, happy nature, almost a goofball! Quiet in the kennels and I’ve rarely heard him bark.”
While Kuro Kismet’s broken hock tragically ended his race career, almost at the same time his close relation Koblenz was leading throughout to win the G1 Melbourne Cup. Koblenz is by Fernando Bale from Up Hill Jill.
Kuro Kismet’s pedigree will win him fans of broodbitch owners.
He is bred on the proven 4×3 of the litter brothers Hallucinate and Where’s Pedro, but he also carries a powerful 3×4 double of legend Bombastic Shiraz. But he also brings in an outcross in his damline through Premier Fantasy.
Kuro Kismet is also bred on the Barcia Bale/Premier Fantasy cross found in G1 star, track record breaker and now leading stud dog Mepunga Blazer.
Matt Clark and the dog’s owners have every right to believe Kuro Kismet will make it at stud.
Naturally, daughters of Fernando Bale, in a bid to recreate both My Redeemer and Koblenz, will be absolute musts for mating to Kuro Kismet.
If Kuro Kismet never mated anything other than daughters of Fernando Bale that would be enough to make him a success at stud.
He should also be a target for bitches with Kinloch Brae in their pedigree to develop the proven link between Murlens Slippy and Fortress it introduces.
Kinloch Brae has also worked sensational when he meets up with Go Wild Teddy, Where’s Pedro and Bombastic Shiraz … all of them found in Kuro Kismet’s pedigree.
Aston Dee Bee, his sire, has a litter sister called Aston Miley, a G1 Melbourne Cup finalist herself. When Aston Miley was mated to KC And All it produced superstar Aston Rupee. Thus, it would make sense to mate KC And All bitches to Kuro Kismet.
In fact, bitches by Orson Allen (by KC And All from Barcia Bale’s litter sister) will be a special mating for Kuro Kismet.
Bitches by Aussie Infrared and Zambora Brockie should also be sought for Kuro Kismet. They have both done well when linked to Barcia Bale.
Magic Sprite too will be a broodbitch sire to source. He has special proven links to Barcia Bale and also the direct dam line of Bombastic Shiraz (found twice in Kuro Kismet).
There is no Collision in the pedigree of Kuro Kismet, so bitches with him should be chased.
El Grand Senor bitches too will be an interesting pedigree match for Kuro Kismet.
And all outcross sirelines are advantageous. That’s because Kuro Kismet has an in-bred pedigree and an outcross influence will help with hybrid vigour.
Daughters of Bernardo to double and balance Premier Fantasy and also bring in the KC And All sireline also should be looked at closely.
The Launching Pad is a race of potential superstars. Kuro Kismet proved he was just that when he held off the late charge from Aston Rupee to win the Group 3 event.
It has also set him up for a stud career and broodbitch owners should take great notice of him.
