G3 Bet365 Geelong Cup, $400,000, 2400m
Race summary
Steel Prince (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) has led home an Anthony and Sam Freedman quinella in the G3 Bet365 Geelong Cup and put himself in a good position to get into the final field for next month's G1 Melbourne Cup.
In a slogging finish, the 7-year-old was too tough for his stablemate Le Don De Vie (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), prevailing by 0.2l, with the Danny O'Brien-trained King Of Leogrance (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) pushing through to grab third, another 1.25l adrift.
It was a race dominated by those near the pace, with Ben Melham taking Le Don De Vie to the front in his first Australia start, heading off Entente (Dundeel {NZ}), and Jye McNeil giving Steel Prince the perfect run just in behind them.
As the contest heated up at the turn, Le Don De Vie gave a good kick, but Steel Prince was building his pace out wide and he loomed as the immediate challenger. Damian Lane piloted King Of Leogrance through along the rail and at the 200 metre mark, either of the first three could have won the race.
But Steel Prince's staying credentials came to the fore and he finished with momentum to record his ninth win from 26 starts and his second win at stakes level. His prizemoney now goes past $1 million.
He will need a 1kg weight penalty from the win if he is to be assured of making the final field for the Melbourne Cup.
Pedigree notes
Steel Prince is the lone Australian stakes winner for his sire Nathaniel (Ire), best known as the sire of champion mare Enable (GB).
A one-time 500,000 gns (AU$960,000) purchase from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, he is out of the French stakes-winning mare Steel Princess (Ire) (Danehill {USA}) who has also produced Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), a winner of the G1 Woodbine International as well as the stakes winner Sugar Boy (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) and the stakes-placed 3-year-old Influx (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}).
Steel Princess is one of two stakes winners from Champaka (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}).
Listed Roderick Insurance Geelong Classic, $140,000, 2200m
Race summary
The Jason Warren and Dean Krongold-trained Confrontational (Redoute's Choice) has secured his first stakes race with a tough staying performance to win the Listed Roderick Insurance Brokers Geelong Classic.
Stepping beyond the 1600 metres for the first time, Confrontational relished the distance rise, tracking wide on the turn and snatching the front before holding on to beat Azaly (Dundeel {NZ}) by 1l, with Vilanculos (Crowded House), a short margin away from third.
After sitting midfield, jockey Noel Callow took luck out of the equation for Confrontational, opting to swing wide as the challenge of short-priced favourite Ultimate Edition (Helmet) was fading on the pace. With momentum on his side, he was always in the right position to win down the straight.
The winner of this race achieves automatic passage into the upcoming G1 VRC Derby, but Confrontational is not nominated for that race and Krongold indicated post-race that he is likely to head for a spell with targets in the autumn in mind.
Pedigree notes
A $250,000 buy from the draft of Baramul Stud at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Confrontational is one of three winners from Zastava (Encosta De Lago).
She was a dual winner herself and is out of the stakes-placed Zastov (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), whose daughters have also produced the stakes-placed Cavallo (Testa Rossa) and Wroclaw (Big Brown {USA}). It is the family of Listed winner Madame Stravinsky (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), and further back Group 1 winners Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm {USA}).
Zastava has a yearling colt by Exceed And Excel and visited I Am Invincible last season.
Confrontational becomes the 175th stakes winner for the late, great Redoute's Choice.
Listed Bennett Racing Black Pearl S., $140,000, 1200m
Race summary
Wild Vixen (Foxwedge) doubled her stakes winning tally, with an upset victory in the Black Pearl S. at Geelong.
First-up for the campaign, Wild Vixen gave the strong tempo a few lengths early on but finished full of running under jockey Mark Zahra to defeat Too Good Too Hard (All Too Hard) by 0.4l with Music Bay (Choisir) closing well to grab third, 0.7l from the winner.
The Levi Kavanagh-trained mare had won a Listed Nitschke S. in April and further franked her long-term worth as broodmare with her fourth win at just her 11th start on Wednesday.
She takes her career prizemoney to over $200,000 and is set to be targeted at the Magic Millions Fillies and Mares race in January.
Pedigree notes
Bred by Hillside Parade Racing and Breeding, Wild Vixen is one of three winners from the stakes-placed Amy's Glen (Shamardal {USA}), who herself is a daughter of a stakes-placegetter in Carlin (Scenic (Ire}).
Amy's Glen unfortunately died earlier this month having produced a Smart Missile filly last year and a Hinchinbrook filly, called Hinchinjive, the year before.
Wild Vixen, who was purchased for $100,000 from Tyreel Stud at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, is one of 20 stakes winners for Woodside Park's Foxwedge.
