WESTERN VERSE [USA] (b, 1999, by Gone West out of Reams Of Verse, by Nureyev).
Stood at Arabesque Stud Farm, Jhindwala, Dist. Muktsar, Punjab; exported to Australia.
By Mr. Prospector's leading son, Gone West (who has rewritten the record books as a sire of sires in recent years, with sons like Elusive Quality, Grand Slam, Mr. Greely, Western Winter and Zafonic), Western Verse [USA] represents a change from the surfeit of Northern Dancer lines in the Punjab.
He is impeccably bred, being out of Epsom Oaks winner, Reams Of Verse, who trained on to annex the classic after having been the top-weighted 2-y-o filly of her year. The female family is a Juddmonte Farm-developed one, and Western Verse [USA] can be classified as better than 75% genetic brother-in-blood to Zafonic!
From a precocious family (himself a winner as early as May of his 2-y-o year, dam a leading 2-y-o), Western Verse [USA] should get early winners. Following his eye-catching debut success, he started better fancied than Rock Of Gibraltar (seven consecutive Group 1 wins, including the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1); sire at Coolmore) and Landseer (ill-fated winner of the French 2000 Guineas (Gr.1)) in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot (Gr.2), but weakened. He was later found to have been suffering from a respiratory infection. This effectively curtailed his racing career.
Juddmonte Farms' Racing Manager, Teddy Grimthorpe, commented: “This colt had serious athletic ability. We really did think highly of him and expected him to go to the top. In the spring, he worked like a Group horse. He was tested on a treadmill, where the vet remarked of his rare and superior athletic ability”
Unfortunately, his first crop was rather small, only 15 live foals, but the calibre of the blood is such that any one could turn out top class. Western Verse [USA] carved out his own little niche in Indian bloodstock history by becoming the first stallion from India to “shuttle” to Australia. It will also be interesting to see what his foreign-conceived foals do in subsequent years.
