Musket, the new three-year-old sensation raced by the Inghams out of the John Hawkes run stables at Warwick Farm, who stormed to a 3.7 lengths win on debut at Canterbury on August 30, carries a historic name, one adorned by a sire who played a role in the production of two immortals of Australian racing, Carbine and Phar Lap.

The first mentioned was got in New Zealand by Musket and Phar Lap is inbred to him 5x5.

The original Musket, was foaled in England in 1867 and his breeder thought so little of him in his early days he planned to shoot him. Before this happened, the breeder himself died and the colt was reprieved.

Musket went onto be a good class galloper in England, winning nine races before being put to stud in that country. He supplied an English Two Thousand Guineas winner, Petronel, but was sold to New Zealand when this horse was a yearling.

In New Zealand Musket was initially put over half-bred mares but then went on to get quite a few top horses including Melbourne Cup winners Carbine (followed a second in the race in1889 with a 2.5 lengths win carrying 65.8 kgs the following year) and Martini-Henri (1883) and also two-times Cup placed placed Trenton (1885 and 1886).

Trenton as a sire also had good Melbourne Cup runners including Auraria (won in1895), Revenue (won 1901) Wakeful (second 1903), Ronda (second 1892) and third placegetters Nada (1894), Aurum (1897) and Alix (1900). He may have had more progeny successes in the Cup if he hadn't been sold at 15 and followed Carbine to England where he sired the dam of Rosedrop, the English Oaks winner who foaled Hyperion's celebrated sire Gainsborough.

Two other sons of Musket represented by placegetters in the Melbourne Cup were Nordenfeldt (Carnage second 1893 and Strathmore third 1891) and Maxim (sire of 1896 runner up Bloodshot). A Victoria Derby winner, Carnage was from same dam and in consequence a three-quarter brother to Carbine.

Maxim is the sire of Catherine Wheel, the grandam of Entreaty, the dam of Phar Lap, eighth dam of three times Australian Horse of the Year Sunline and ninth dam of Activation, the Graeme Rogerson trained Zabeel gelding who looks set for a big spring following an impressive win in the Premiers' Cup at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Purchased by the Inghams for $2.5 million at the William Inglis Easter yearling sale, one at which he was submitted for his breeder Tony Santic, Port Lincoln, SA, by Arrowfield Stud, the new Musket is a three-quarter brother by the spectacular Danehill sire Redoute's Choice to triple Melbourne Cup winner and two-times Horse of the Year Makybye Diva. They are both from American foaled Riverman mare Tugela, one who had a Red Ransom filly last year and who is now due to foal to Redoute's Choice.

In the remote breeding of the Ingham's new star is many doses of the original Musket. Much of it flows through Northern Dancer's grandsire Nearco, a huge influence whose grandam Catnip was by the Carbine English Derby winner Spearmint. Carbine, by the way, was foaled when Musket was 18-years-old.