Written by Paul Vettise
Joseph Pride is looking forward to a return to top form from Easy Eddie (Super Easy {NZ}) as soon as the Group-winning sprinter is handed his favourite conditions.
The Warwick Farm trainer is delighted with the 5-year-old’s progress ahead of opening his autumn preparation and an easy win in an 845 metre open trial at Wyong on Monday confirmed his readiness to resume.
“He went terrific and he hasn’t had a wet track since the Galaxy last year. I’m really happy with him and he’s coming up well,” Pride said. “That’s the best I’ve seen him move in a fair while, so that was good.”
Easy Eddie (outside, yellow sleeves)
Easy Eddie posted his last win in the G3 Maurice McCarten S. on a heavy track last season and backed up a week later to finish third in the G1 Oakleigh Plate behind Nature Strip (Nicconi) and Pierata (Pierro).
He gave apprentice Robbie Dolan, who was aboard in both Group events at Rosehill, an easy ride on his way to a 2l win at Wyong.
“He’ll resume in the Maurice McCarten. Once you get to the level of being a Group horse you need things in your favour,” Pride said. “He needs soft tracks and it’s a very deliberate tactic to have him up at this time of the year.
“He’s ready to go and we’ll see how he goes. There’s plenty of races around for him and we just want to keep him to the softer tracks.”
Swift youngster
Among the 2-year-olds on display, the Allan Denham-trained Lessing (Written Tycoon) posted the quickest winning time of the half a dozen heats over 845 metres, clocking 50.84s.
The filly was purchased by Robrick Thoroughbreds out of Turangga Farm’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft for $180,000 and is a half-sister to four winners.
Their dam Impeach (Viscount) was successful four times and is a half-sister to the G1 Golden Rose S. winner and sire Denman and to the G1 VRC Sires’ Produce S. winner Preserve (Canny Lad). It’s also the family of the G2 Danehill S. winner Soul (Commands).
Kris Lees, who also won a heat with Shootforthestar (Shooting To Win), produced the well-related filly Chianti (I Am Invincible) to win her heat with jockey Aaron Bullock sporting the Coolmore colours.
The youngster failed to make her $500,000 reserve at Easter last year and is out of the South African Group 3 winner Sweet Sanette (SAF) (Jallad {SAF}), also third in the G1 King’s Stand S., and she has left the winner and Group 3 performer Sweet Rockette (Fastnet Rock).
Peter and Paul Snowden won heats with the unraced Global Queen (Snitzel) and War Memorial (War Memorial). The former is a sister to the G1 Diamond S. winner and sire Summer Passage and was a $500,000 Easter buy, where she was offered by Highgrove Stud, for GPI Racing, Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Makybe.
Third in his only run in the Listed Phelan Ready S., War Memorial cost the China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock $680,000 when they bought him out of Edinburgh Park’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
That was topped when trainer Gerald Ryan and David Raphael signed the docket at $1 million for a half-brother by Exceed And Excel at the Gold Coast this year.
Their dam Smokin’ Alice (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}), also the mother of the Magic Millions Guineas runner-up Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock), is from the family of the multiple Group 1 winner and sire Criterion (NZ).
