Training news

Interesting to consider what genetic traits will surface when Cloud starts her training.
I was accompanying Kate Chadderton and Rocco to the Berrima One Day Event around Easter 1997 and dropped in to Canyonleigh Stud, just down the road, to catch up with new manager, Mark Gee, and Kalarama Penny's daughter Katy Stardust, the first of KP's offspring born at Canyonleigh when I went into partnership with Betty Jenkins after I relocated from Camden to Canberra. Katy was so named as she was born on my niece Katy's birthday, and she's been family ever since. She was fine, in foal to C. Bigshot, but I couldn't look past a 3 months old filly foal from Canyonleigh Amazing Grace. "Shades of Rocco"! A robust palomino filly with the 'family bloodlines'; her sire, C. Cloudchaser is Katy's son and dam, C. Amazing Grace, is by Katy's sire, Peppermint Valley Commander. I had no intention of taking on another youngster, but in the end couldn't resist. I floated Cloud, and her dam, home just before EI set in. She had settled well in the paddock and I went inside for lunch only to be called outside by a passing motorist! Cloud had jumped clean over the post and rail surrounds and was grazing on the roadside.
An instant leading lesson, (lucky I'd left the headstall on)! She'd proved her tractability and her jumping heritage!!
She's a bit heavier that Rocco, but probably won't grow as tall and heavy as Bloomsbury's Top Cat (full brother to grandmother Katy, and a winning eventer!). All three, palominos, have a great "eye". Cato checked out fence lines and electric fences and went under or over as the situation allowed! Rocco is a super-cool assessor of distances or heights and has the back-end propulsion to 'jump the Harbour Bridge'! Cloud is yet to be proven but the genetic inclination is strong.
It's fascinating to test out the genetic propensity!