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Grade One Winner for Van Nistelrooy 5 Sep 2007
Exciting filly Set Play (USA) (Van Nistelrooy) added to the stakes tally of her exciting young sire Van Nistelrooy (USA) (Storm Cat) when taking out the Grade One Del Mar Debutante Stakes (1400m) in California this past weekend.

Trained by Peter Miller, she was a US$105,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders March 2YO Sale and has quickly established a consistent record on track with two wins and two placings from four starts, including a third at listed level and a last start second in the Group Two Del Mar Sorrento Stakes (1300m).

Now the fourth stakes winner for her sire, the third from his Northern Hemisphere crop, she joins the stakeswinner Maileys Cat (USA) and stakes performer Sammy Van Ammy (USA) as her sire’s leading performers in the USA to date, elevating him to second on the Freshman Sire’s table.

In Europe, Van Nistelrooy has also been represented by Group Two-winner Strike The Deal (USA), who earlier in the season claimed the Group Two Richmond Stakes (1200m) and ran third in the Group Two Prix Robert Papin (1100m) in France.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Van Nistelrooy has produced the Champion two-year-old of Singapore, Onceuponatime (NZ) who took out the SIN-G3 Magic Millions Juvenile Championship (1200m) and the stakes placed filly Vanny Fair (NZ).

“The results speak for themselves really,” said Brent Taylor of Trelawney Stud. “It is fantastic to get a Grade One winner from his first crop in the USA and to also have a Group Two winner in England at this stage of the Northern Hemisphere racing season is a great effort,” he said. “He has also had a stakes winner and stakes performer from his first Southern Hemisphere crop so you really can’t ask for much more,” says Brent.

Van Nistelrooy retired to Trelawney Stud in 2003, shuttling for four seasons from Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in the USA and it was decided earlier this year that he should take a break from shuttle duties. “After shuttling four consecutive seasons, we thought it was a good time to take a step back and let his progeny get out onto the racetracks,” said Brent. “It’s safe to say that we are still to see a large number of the Van Nistelrooy’s hit the tracks in New Zealand and Australia and the feedback from trainers continues to reiterate the positives that his progeny have shown in stables over the last season,” he said. “We are more than happy with the results so far and obviously look forward to the racing season ahead,” said Brent.