New Group One Winner for Spinning World

5th December 2007

Spritely seven year-old Spin Around (7g Spinning World – Be Yourself, by Noalcoholic) became the seventh Group One winner worldwide for evergreen sire Spinning World when he captured the Group One Avondale Gold Cup in New Zealand on Wednesday.

Ridden perfectly by former Aussie jockey Gavin McKeown, Spin Around swept home over the top of his rivals in the final furlong to win by a length, taking his overall record to nine wins from 38 starts with prizemoney of $809,804.

Trained by Steven Cooper, Spin Around is an interesting horse having spent most of his racing career in Hong Kong where he won four races under the name of Better Boy before returning to New Zealand in 2006.

A $50,000 purchase for Brookby Stables from the 2002 Magic Millions Yearling Sale in Adelaide, Spin Around was secured from the draft of Erinvale Thoroughbreds.

Tim Brown, the former agent for Brookby Stables, selected and purchased Spin Around as a yearling.

"I was quite a good fan of Spinning World," Brown said.

"This horse fitted our criteria and was a really nice type. He was sent to the Brookby property in New Zealand and right from the start when under the care of Paul Duncan he showed good ability. He had a couple of trials and went really well and then was sent straight to Hong Kong.”

Bred in Australia by Phillip Gunter, Spin Around is a half-brother to five other winners including Group One placed Bird Dancer being from the Noalcoholic mare Be Yourself.

A minor winner in America, Be Yourself comes from an outstanding European family being a half-sister to Group winners Molesnes and Celtic Heir as well as stakes-placed Celtic Assembly, the dam of champion sprinting mare Cherokee Rose.

In Australia, the family has also made an impression with last season’s Group Two winning three-year old Just Mambo slotting into the pedigree.

Be Yourself produced a filly by Johannesburg last year and a colt to the same sire this spring.