Veteran sire Citidancer will have another full dance card at Yarradale Stud this year.

Citidancer (Ire) is rising 25 but looks 10 years younger.  And although he waltzes to a slower tune thesedays, the old boy will line up for another limited book at the Gidgegannup nursery in 2011.

Citidancer was back in the spotlight on Thursday when the first winner from his latest crop of two year-olds arrived at Northam.

Elite Class (2f Citidancer – Pretentious by Towkay) stalked the pace and did best in a three-way photo finish to the Jacobs Creek Maiden (1100m).

Citidancer represents the Northern Dancer sireline through English 2000 Guineas winner Lomond.  He was trained by Henry Cecil and won both starts as a two year-old at Newmarket before training on for G3 victories in the Listed Ballymacoy Stakes and Glencairn Stakes in Ireland.

Citidancer sired his initial winner way, way back in September 1994 and he couldn’t have asked for a better start at stud.

Brilliant filly Ballroom Babe opened his account when she defeated subsequent G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Our Maizcay on debut at Wanganui.

Ballroom Babe developed into a Group 1 winner in her own right completing the 1995 NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes double at Ellerslie and Awapuni.  At stud, Ballroom Babe foaled Lyndhurst Stud’s instant stud success Hidden Dragon (Danehill).

And in an uncanny twist, Citidancer’s first and latest winners are closely related.  Ballroom Babe’s dam Taimian (Taipan) is a half-sister to Vaunted (Voyager), the second dam of Elite Class.

Elite Class is trained by Nev Parnham for his wife Carol, Yarradale owner Ron Sayers, Rob Scarvici, Steve Kilner and Bob Baxter.  

Parnham went back and bought her younger half-brother by Scandal Keeper (Danzig) for $75,000 at last Sunday’s Yarradale Stud yearling sale.  That should have alerted punters when Perth’s premier trainer sent Elite Class up to the Avon Valley on Thursday but she paid over $50 on the WA TAB!

Elite Class increased Citidancer’s individual winner tally to 223.  Together, they have won 817 races at an extraordinary 64% strike-rate.

Hoofnote

Citidancer had three yearlings catalogued for the Yarradale Stud sale last weekend.  Steve Wolfe paid $20,000 for the colt from Casinella (Lot 14) while Lindsey Smith leased the filly out of Chaud Roche (Lot 17) and the colt from Quick Glance (Lot 57).