Ambidexter salutes in the Ming Dynasty

Commands three-year-old colt breaks through for his first Stakes success

After just four career starts, Ambidexter has become the latest Black type winner for his sire Commands, claiming the Listed Ming Dynasty at Warwick Farm over 1400m on September 3.

Given a superb ride by jockey Christian Reith, Ambidexter lived up to the early wraps put on him by Darley head trainer Peter Snowden. A Darley homebred, Ambidexter is out of the Quest For Fame mare Dextrous, who won the G2 Sandown Guineas herself and makes Ambidexter a full brother to the G1-winning Skilled. The colt never really looked in trouble rounding up the field and went to the line with something in reserve.

Winners of the Listed Ming Quality in recent years including Lion Tamer, a son of Darley Japan-based Storming Home, Street Cry colt Predatory Pricer, Dane Shadow, Half Hennessy, Lonhro and Kenwood Melody; all of which have gone on to compete at G1 level throughout the remainder of their careers.

Commands is coming off a highly successful 2010-11 season which saw him earn honours as the leading sire of individual winners setting an unprecedented benchmark of 155 winners. The sire of ten Australian Stakes winners last season, highlighted by the G1-winning Erewhon and G2 winner Soul, as well as juvenile Stakes winners Altar and Atomic, Commands is now the sire of 40 individual Stakes winners.

Standing at Darley Kelvinside at a fee of $66,000 (inc GST), Commands has achieved G1 winners in each of his last three seasons and is right up there with the best stallion-sons of the immortal Danehill to stand in Australia