Dalasan winning the SA Spring Stakes in August.

Harry Perks is the SAROA Owner of the Month for November courtesy of his star Dalasan. Harry will be doing an in depth interview on Vision Australia Radio in January.

Our Owner of the Month award for November, was awarded to Harry Perks who had Group 3 success with Dalasan. Harry was nominated by Ken Cock who told us this in his nomination:

I would like to nominate Harry Perks, a long-time member of SAROA and supporter of SA racing as Owner of the Month for November 2019.  Harry is a significant investor in racing in this State as both an owner and breeder.  His contribution to SA Racing, over the years, has been enormous.  This was recognised in 2018 when Harry was admitted to the South Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

One of the pinnacles of his success occurred in the month of November on Derby Day, at Flemington.  His very promising galloper Dalasan, which he bred and now owns in partnership, was successful in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes.  He raced away and then gallantly held off a late challenge over the last 50 metres to win impressively.  Because Dalasan had been a runner in the Caulfield Guineas, in which he ran 3rd, the prizemoney for the Carbine Club winner carried a $1,000,000 bonus to the winning connections.  A great result for the owners

Harry’s enjoyment for the day was not to end there.  The winner of the Group 1 Victorian Derby, Warning, was bred by Harry at Mill Park.  Warning was sired by Declaration of War and is half-brother to the useful local galloper Galaxy Gazer; the mare Livia’s first foal. Warning was sold at the Adelaide Magic Million Yearling sales for $65,000.

What a day!  It’s great to see Harry Perks rewarded for his significant investment and for flying the flag for South Australian Racing.

A worthy winner for November 2019 Owner of the Month.

Harry also had a winner in November with Dr Dependable and to date in December has had wins with Stately Star and Star Status. Harry’s Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust has been responsible for a plethora of winners over the years many raced by Harry and trained by Leon MacDonald, in later times in partnership with Andrew Gluyas.

As Ken mentioned in his nomination Harry was inducted into the TRSA SA Racing Hall of Fame in 2018 and the following excerpt from the TRSA website highlights his achievements

 Harry Perks entered the Hall of Fame in the Associate ranks for his contribution to racing as both an owner and breeder. Amongst the hundreds of winners Harry has bred to date, there are thirteen Group 1 winners. Eleven of those went on to race in Harry’s ownership.

When pressed on the best horses to have raced in Harry’s colours, he broke it down like this. Gold Guru, a three times Group 1 winner, and Australian Champion Three Year Old of his Year, was his best colt and still today at 24 years of age plays a role in Harry’s breeding empire acting as a babysitter to the young horses in the paddocks of Mill Park.

Harry’s best filly he names as  Southern Speed who won seven races and $2.8 Million in prizemoney with her biggest success being the 2011 Caulfield Cup.

Harry’s comments fail to highlight another star in Rebel Raider winner of both the Victorian and SA Derbys and now a successful sire. In all Rebel Raider won 5 Group races in an unfortunately injury shortened career and has so far sired three stakes winners of four stakes races.

The Owner of the Month award is based on the win of Dalasan in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes adding to wins in the SA Spring Stakes (Group 3) and the Danehill Stakes (Group 2). In total Dalasan has won five of his eight starts as well as 2 seconds and $1.7 million in prizemoney.

Dalasan was sired by the Aga Khan’s star stallion Dalakhani who stud 3 seasons at Cornerstone Stud at Angaston. Dalakhani won four Group 1 races including the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe and sired 13 stakes winners of 21 stakes races before being retired in 2016. His notable progeny with connections to Australia include Arab Dawn, Guardini and Reliable Man, a multiple Group 1 winner now standing in New Zealand where he has already sired 5 stakes winners including Victorian Oaks winner Miami Bound.

Dalasan was bred by Harry Perks from the Kitten’s Joy mare Khandallah whose other progeny to race are Liberty Lover (by the aforementioned Rebel Raider) and Ichibansan (by Dissident). Kitten’s Joy (by El Prado) won 7 stakes races including two at Group 1 in Canada and the USA and has been very successful at stud with 11 Stakes winners of 23 stakes races, 18 of which were Group 1s. The Most notable being Roaring Lion who won 4 Group 1’s and Big Blue Kitten also the winner of 4 Group 1’s.  Roaring Lion commenced a stud career in the UK before shuttling to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand where he unfortunately succumbed to colic.

The granddam La Rochelle (by Honour and Glory) was exported from the USA to Australia in foal to Kitten’s Joy. Her Australian progeny include two handy performers in Le Schiller (as the name suggests by Artie Schiller) and Concrete Madame (by City Place) still racing in WA.

Harry Perks continues to support racing in SA with his breeding and owning involvements. Dalasan looks to be a real talent and we wish Harry continued success.