Hard Spun sires 80th stakes winner.

Former Darley Stud shuttler Hard Spun (Danzig) was provided with his 80th stakes winner when Meikei Die Hard (5 h ex Meikei Sophia by King Kamehameha) landed the Chukyo Kinen (Gr 3, 1600m) at Hanshin on Sunday. 

The five-year-old entire prevailed in a close finish to beat Russet (Monterosso) by a neck, while Entscheiden (Deep Impact) was the same distance away in third. 

The colt is one of two winners out of placed mare Meikei Sophia (King Kamehameha) and is the first stakes winner in two generations of his family.

The entire's third dam is Lufira (Nureyev), who is herself the grandam of Group 3 winner Young Man Power (Snitzel), while she is also a half-sister to Doncaster Mile (Listed, 1600m) winner Canyon Creek (Mr Prospector), with the pair being out of dual Grade 1 winner River Memories (Riverman).

Hard Spun shuttled to Australia for six seasons and has sired two Australian Group 1 winners; Le Romain and Gatting. The stallion now stands exclusively at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky where his fee in 2020 was advertised as US$40,000.