NORWEGIAN OUSTS BANDERILLA

It was hard to know who to cheer for at Morphettville on Saturday (27 June).

Delzao juvenile, Banderilla, who had won so impressively at the course just 10 days previously, has been a real banner horse for her sire, but we’ve also got a foot in the camp – so to speak – of the Rob Crabtree bred and owned Norwegian.

As it turned out, Norwegian got the money – as so many of the Crabtree horses have done in the past – but Banderilla was far from disgraced, racing three wide throughout and fighting on courageously for second.

Norwegian is by Testa Rossa out of the stakeswinning Western Symphony mare, Midnight Sun who, as it turns out, is a half sister to three stakeswinners, including Scandinavia, dam of Eliza Park’s Group One winner Magnus and Group Two winning flyer Wilander.

This is a truly remarkable family and one that just keeps producing the goods.

Norwegian, trained by Robert Smerdon and now boasting two wins and four placings from seven starts, joins a long list of winners from the immediate family, including this season’s juvenile sensation Black Caviar.

As for Banderilla, we’d suggest you keep her safe as the performance was full of merit and she’ll be back in the winners’ circle before too long.

We reckon there is a host of Delzao winners waiting in the wings, and all the more reason to consider Eliza Park’s special ‘3 for 10’ offer, allowing breeders the opportunity to send three mares to either Delzao, Delago Brom, Written Tycoon, Clanglang, Danbird or Desert Sun for $10,000 inc. GST.