Outstanding triumph
Phillip Bate - Queensland Country Life - 12 June 2008
RIVA San’s double was an outstanding triumph for former Queensland trainer Peter Moody who also prepared last year’s Doomben Cup winner Cinque Cento and is currently in England preparing Group 1 winning sprinter Magnus for another campaign at the Royal Ascot racing carnival.
Riva San is by Any Given Sunday, an ill-fated Sunday Silence colt bred by Arrowfield Stud and foaled in 1999. Any Given Sunday broke his shoulder before his racing career began and was subsequently retired to stud in Victoria. Having served a light book of 20 mares, the young sire then broke his same shoulder again and had to be put down.
Riva San’s dam Best River has a double cross of Star Kingdom as her sire Best Western is by Bletchingly by Biscay by Star Kingdom while her dam Santa Rosa River is by Gypsy Kingdom by Planet Kingdom by Star Kingdom. Riva San has now had 16 starts for five wins and four placings. Bred in Victoria, Riva San was retained by her breeders. Keen to perpetuate the Sunday Silence/ Star Kingdom cross and with Any Given Sunday no longer available, Best River was mated last season to Sunday Silence’s stakes winning son Keep The Faith whose eldest progeny are now weanlings.
That’s all good news for David and Heather Pascoe, Plaintree Farm, Wellcamp. They who stand the young Sunday Silence sire Sunday Knight who is from the Bletchingly mare Wrap Around and consequently is bred on the same Sunday Silence/Bletchingly cross as the Oaks/Derby double winner Riva San.