Stable star retired

It is with sadness that Ballymore announces the retirement of grand campaigner Glass Harmonium.

Injured during the running of last Saturday’s Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, the tough and classy seven-year-old heads to stud as the winner of five races and over $1.6 million in stakes.

Kicking off his career in the United Kingdom where he won three of his first eleven starts, Glass Harmonium was trained by Sir Michael Stoute to victories in the Listed Hampton Court Stakes at Ascot and the Group Three Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown.

It was whilst attending the 2010 Tattersalls Horses In Training Sale that Paul Moroney first heard that Glass Harmonium was up for private sale and upon inspection he was impressed straight away.

“Immediately I knew he was an ideal horse for us,” he recalled, “so I rang Mike and said we had to buy him and we quickly got it organised.”

Acclimatizing well to Australian conditions, Glass Harmonium was quickly into form – at his first run for Ballymore finishing a game second to fellow import and former stablemate Kingdom Of Fife in the Group Two Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast.

Subsequently third in Scenic Shot’s Group One Doomben Cup, Glass Harmonium recorded his first win for us third up in the Group Two Eagle Farm Cup – taking the lead and racing away in the run home to defeat Shoot Out by a soft two lengths.

Consistent from thereon, Glass Harmonium was again in great form in the spring. Unfortunately missing the start in the W.S Cox Plate, he was back to his on-pace best a week later in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes – winning that weight-for-age Spring Carnival feature by ¾ length.

Gallant when again contesting that race last year, splitting Alcopop and Ocean Park, Glass Harmonium looked set for a successful autumn campaign after an eye-catching first up second to All Too Hard in the Group One Futurity Stakes.

Unfortunately he was not to have much luck after that – the stable confident of a bold showing in the Queen Elizabeth where he had to be eased down by Steven Arnold who quickly dismounted after the line, the horse injuring a suspensory.

A horse who will be remembered not only for his front-running style and his talent, Glass Harmonium earned many fans with his cocky, confident personality and his special good looks.

“He is one of the best looking thoroughbred specimens I've seen,” said Paul Moroney who was always a big fan.

“He was a bold galloper with a high cruising speed who, when at his best and running at his ideal distances, was extremely hard to get past. He could run his rivals into submission as he did in the 2011 Mackinnon Stakes and almost again in the same race last year.”

“He was a lovely type,” agreed Michael Moroney – “graceful from a walk to full gallop.”

“And he was such a tough horse, to go through what he did – three different operations – and still be competitive at the top level – is remarkable.”

Describing Glass Harmonium as “a gentleman to deal with,” Michael was always bemused by the horse’s race day “antics.”

“He would get onto his toes in the mounting yard but it was never a temperament issue,” he said – “in fact it is testament to his temperament that he raced on till seven as a stallion.”

Inheriting his eye-catching grey coat from his sire Verglas, a grandson of Kenmare, Glass Harmonium is one of his sire’s 33 stakes winners and three Group One winners.

Bred by Ballymacoll Stud Farm, Glass Harmonium is out of a half-sister to the four times Group One winner Conduit from the family of fellow big race winners Spectrum, Petrushka and Millenary.