Taken in command with treble at Flemington

Ardrossan’s progressive son Taken delivered a commanding all-the-way performance to land the Darren Galley Mile (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday, marking his third consecutive win.

Bred by the Dewar Partnership, the three-year-old jumped cleanly from barrier seven in the 11-horse field and quickly crossed to lead under a confident ride from Beau Mertens. Asked to go at the 400m, Taken responded with a sharp turn of foot to draw clear and score by an impressive three lengths.

Taken is the second foal out of the unraced mare Katherine Wright, a half-sister to Pwerfect, the dam of Group 3 winner Beau Dazzler (Ardrossan). Katherine Wright has been exclusively bred to Ardrossan, with a weanling filly on the ground and another foal due this spring.

With stakes performers in each of his three crops, Ardrossan continues to make a strong impression despite covering smaller and less commercial books early in his stud career. He’s shown a consistent ability to upgrade his mares and produce winners, and with bigger and better-quality books now in the pipeline, the best is yet to come.

Ardrossan’s rising two-year-olds hail from his largest book to date and sold up to A$150,000 at Magic Millions to the team at Danny O’Brien Racing. At Karaka, his top-priced yearling was purchased for $150,000 by Bjorn Baker Racing and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA). His yearlings averaged over five times his service fee ($116,363), with strong international demand – six of his 11 Karaka yearlings were secured by buyers from Australia or Hong Kong.

Ardrossan will stand the 2025 season at an unchanged fee of $20,000 + GST.