Macca Lodge Standing Raging Bull

Bruce Stewart Contributor

Macca Lodge announced this week that it will stand Christian Cullen stallion Raging Bull on farm this coming spring.

Trained by Cran Dalgety, Raging Bull was an outstanding race horse winning five races from just ten starts, and he was second in his five other races.

As a three year old he finished second to Smolda in the Listed Northern Stakes in Auckland, second in the Elsu Classic behind the same horse and second to Ideal Scott in the New Zealand Yearling Sales Open Final.

Raging Bull’s out of the Artsplace mare San Sophia whose five live foals have all been winners; San Rafaella (10 wins from 19 starts and 1-52.3 AUS), Raging Bull (5 wins from 10 starts and 1-56.6), Red West (4 wins and 1-56.6) and Santa Catalina (13 wins and 1-55.6).

His second dam Emory Girl has left eight foals for seven winners including Galleria which recorded twenty two wins, banked $1,814,453 and retired the richest and fastest mare of all time. At two she was undefeated while at three she was voted USA Pacing Filly of the Year.

Raging Bull is owned by Australian Hal David and McIntyre says the horse will suit a lot of Southern breeders and is very fertile.

“I was approached to stand him a few years ago and turned it down. He got about thirty five mares last season, he’s royally bred, had a ton of potential as a race horse and he’s starting to do a nice job with some nice horses floating around,” McIntyre said.

He says Raging Bull is likely to stand at around the $2,000 mark.

“And he’s priced right for those poor hard up people who can’t breed a horse (laughter). That was another reason for taking him. Hey, he’s shown he can leave a nice horse so he’s definitely worth a punt.”

As a sire from a limited book Raging Bull has left twenty eight starters which have won 19 races.

“We served ten mares in Southland last season and nine got in foal. We’ve broken a few in here and they’re lovely horses to work with.”

His best progeny to date are Bare Knuckle (1-51.5 AUS) the winner of eight races and $106,046, Wildwest (1-53.9) eight wins from ten starts including his first eight in a row, Eastanbull the winner of three races and $29,033 and Dark Rage three wins and $25,545.

Bare Knuckle as a two year old at Ascot Park – Photo Bruce Stewart

Dark Rage – Photo Bruce Stewart

Wildwest – Photo Bruce Stewart

“Hal was talking to Gary Hall about Wildwest and they think he’s a grand circuit horse.”

Another colonial sire standing at Macca Lodge is former Southland open class pacer Franco Ledger.

“He’s only had a small book. We’ve got one rolling round here that we really like. But it’s a long way to the track because he’s only a yearling. Peter Hunter’s got one that rolls along not too bad as well.”

Franco Ledger – Photo Bruce Stewart

Another sire McIntyre is excited about is Fear The Dragon. As a racehorse he won five of his eleven starts as a two year old pacing 1-50.4.

He came into his own at three and raced against an outstanding crop including Downbytheseaside.

His biggest win at three was in the $1 million North American Cup in which he defeated Downbytheseaside and Huntsville pacing his life time record of 1-48.8.

He ended his career with seventeen wins from twenty seven starts and had banked $1.5 million.

Fear The Dragon has received tremendous support in Ohio, with 140 mares booked in each of his first two seasons.

“He got fifty five (mares) in foal from about sixty mares (with) frozen (semen) so that’s pretty sharp. We’re pretty happy with that. He got some nice mares.”

On the trotting front, the stud also has Ready Cash stallion En Solitaire on its books. He’s the first son of super sire Ready Cash to be available to New Zealand breeders.

He’s out of the Love You mare Ushuaia Wood and is bred on the same cross as super star trotters Bold Eagle and Face Time Bourbon. Bold Eagle has won forty five of his sixty six starts and his wins include twenty Group One victories. He’s won 4.6 million euros. Face Time Bourbon is the winner of fifteen of his seventeen starts and banked 652,150 euros.

“He’s got about twenty mares including One Over Kenny.”

One Over Kenny won two Group One Rowe Cups, the National Trot and New Zealand Trotting Championship twice and she won six races in Australia including the Group One 2007 Australasian Trotters Championship.

As a broodmare all of her six foals of racing age have won races including One Over Da Moon (22), Ultimate Stride (6), One Over Da Stars (5) and One Over Da Skye (5).

One Over The Son – Photo Bruce Stewart

Ultimate Stride – Photo Bruce Stewart