Daily News Wrap

Boss buoyed by Dragon

Glen Boss ventured to the Geelong trials on Thursday morning where he partnered last year’s G1 Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) to an impressive win.

The multiple Group 1-winning jockey was as bullish as ever about the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained entire and is looking forward to getting back on him on raceday.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself - but I have been waiting over 10 years for a horse like this," Boss told Racing.com.

"Just with his athletic and aerobic capacity. The way he pulls up after his work and just the way he does things. He's got the speed to win over 1400 (metres) or a mile, which you wouldn't think was possible, but that's what he is now.

"You wait a lifetime sometimes to find these horses. I've been fortunate enough to find a couple but I think I found another one, so I won't be leaving his side at any stage."

Price puts faith in Pinkham

Arguably the most impressive winner at Thursday’s Geelong trials was the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Pinkham (Written Tycoon), who blitzed her rivals by 7l.

Price said he has a big opinion of the filly and will be targeting her towards the G1 Robert Sangster S.

"It (trial) was brilliant," he told Racing.com. "I would be putting a big circle around the Sangster on that filly.

"She's a sprinter, she'll be kept to 1200 metres, so you don't have to pressure her, she's got a very good set of lungs, her temperament is fantastic.

"She worked with Parlophone last Saturday morning and sat off Parlophone and went straight past her.

"Parlophone is a Listed race winner, so it's a very good guide that where we're going with her is where we should be going, but I thought she was brilliant."

Stokes’ stars step out

Two of Phillip Stokes’ stars, Mr Quicke (Shamus Award) and Ancestory (The Brothers War {USA}), stepped out in the first heat of the Geelong trial and their trainer was pleased with their efforts as they get set for an autumn of lofty targets.

"Very happy with it, it was like two different trials, you had Ancestry out the front there running along and Mr Quickie out the back," Stokes told Racing.com.

"He (Mr Quickie) rounded out nicely, had a really good blow, plenty of improvement to come this being his first jump-out.

"Jamie was really happy with him, his action was good and just peaked late, he'll have one more and he'll go to the Futurity first-up.”

Given his Group 1 win over 1600 metres in the spring, Stokes is hoping Mr Quickie can secure himself a spot in The All-Star Mile.

"I hope so, he's a very popular horse, he's got a popular name," he said.

"Wylie and the team, they do a great job pushing these horses and hopefully he can get in.

"I just thought that it's become a very competitive race and I just thought that he hasn't raced for a while and probably needs the outing, so he's really good around Caulfield so we'll take that track and hopefully it will work."

Ancestry to Oakleigh

Ancestry is likely to head towards the G1 Oakleigh Plate first-up.

"He's a really exciting horse, he's all speed, it's his first jump-out this prep and he had a good go and will take good improvement from it," Stokes said.

"Last time in, first-up 1200 metres, he won at Caulfield, he's come back a stronger horse, so first-up in the Oakleigh Plate he'll give them something to chase.

"I think he'll get in well at the weights and that's a big positive in that sort of race, he's an exciting horse and he's strengthened up this time out so it will be a good benchmark to see where he's at."

Hawkes happy with Kirk

Team Hawkes will unveil G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) for his first run of the autumn in the G2 Expressway S. on Saturday and co-trainer John Hawkes said they are happy with him leading into the race.

“The colt’s coming along well, this is only his first run back but he’s fine,’’ Hawkes told Racenet. “We will just see how he goes in this race, we don’t get ahead of ourselves, but we are happy with him.’’

Tagaloa ready for return

Last year’s G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) will return to Caulfield for the G3 Manfred S. on Saturday and while he was without a win during the spring, Trent Busuttin, who trains the colt in partnership with Natalie Young, said he has come back in good order.

“He’s tracking really well,” Busuttin told Racenet.

“Racing pressure, trackwork pressure and trial pressure are all different so you won’t know for sure.

“But if you take one bad run out of the equation, his first and second runs of the spring were good enough to win this race.

“Aysar was second in the Caulfield Guineas so he’s obviously a very good horse and Godolphin’s horse (Dickin Medal) goes all right but if Tagaloa is at his best, he’s going close to winning.”

Marsh targeting stakes success

Trainer Stephen Marsh believes Belle Fascino (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) is deserving of success at black-type level and will look to achieve that with the 7-year-old mare at Riccarton this weekend.

The daughter of Per Incanto (USA) heads into Saturday’s Listed Speight’s Timaru S. off the back of a last-start victory at her favourite Riccarton venue, a track where she has won three times since relocating from Marsh’s Cambridge base at the start of the 2019 racing season.

A change of tactics and the application of blinkers for her last run saw Belle Fascino lead all-the-way over 1600 metres, with Marsh keen to see her show further improvement on that performance.

“We put the blinkers on last time, fired her out of the gates, sent her to the front and she won very well,” he said.

“She just looked a little bit more on the job with the blinkers applied.

“She has bounced out of that race well and I would dearly love to get some winning black type with her.

“She has three black-type placings, so I think she deserves to put a stakes win on her record, which would make her as a broodmare.

“I’m confident she will go well and a mare in form is hard to beat, so she should be very competitive.”

Laoban filly tops OBS Wednesday

A filly by fast-starting young sire Laoban (USA) (Hip 805) topped Wednesday's opening session and the entirety of the OBS Winter Mixed Sale, selling to Nick de Meric, who signed as Sand Hill Stables, for US$175,000 (AU$229,794). Consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, the bay was bred in New York by the late Kenny LeJeune.

A colt from the first crop of MGISW Mor Spirit (USA) (Eskendereya {USA}) (Hip 616) brought the day's second-highest price, hammering for US$115,000 (AU$151,007) to bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. The bay was bred in Florida by Beth Bayer, who consigned the colt.

“He was a cool horse,” said Lanni. “When you lock onto a nice horse, you have to stretch a little bit more. He is just a good-looking, athletic racehorse. I just hope we get lucky.”

An US$85,000 (AU$111,614) FTKOCT buy, Mor Spirit was picked out by Lanni on behalf of his owner for US$650,000 (AU$853,522) at the FTFMAR Sale the following year. He went on to win six of his 14 races, topped by a victory in the G1 Los Alamitos Futurity S. and a dazzling score in the G1 Met Mile.

“I was involved with the sire and he did remind me a lot of his sire,” Lanni said. “Overall, I thought the Mor Spirits looked really nice. He was just a tremendous racehorse, a really fast horse.”

A total of 231 head sold during Wednesday's open session for US$2,054,800 (AU$2,698,180) with an average of US$8895 (AU$11,680) and median of US$4500 (AU$5909). Throughout the two-day Sale, which included a consignor preferred and horses of racing age session Tuesday, 406 horses summoned US$5,686,600 (AU$7,467,137) with an average of US$14,006 (AU$18,391) and median of US$6000 (AU$7878).

Ward duo target Royal Ascot

Group 1 winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Breeders' Cup victor Golden Pal (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}) are both targeting the 2021 Royal Ascot meeting trainer Wesley Ward has announced.

The filly, a Stonestreet Stables colourbearer, will line up for the G1 Commonwealth Cup during the Royal Meeting. In 2020, Campanelle captured the G3 Queen Mary S. and then returned to Europe to add the G1 Prix Morny to her haul later in the summer. Although she has been entered in the G1 1000 Guineas and Irish equivalent, it is more likely that the six furlongs of the Commonwealth Cup holds greater appeal.

“Barbara (Banke, owner of Stonestreet Stables) is really keen on Ascot and I think six furlongs–and that's a stiff six at Ascot for the Commonwealth–with a little weight break for being a filly, that will be our main target,” Ward said via Zoom to the British Horseracing Authority's 2-year-old classifications press conference. “I'm kind of working from that race backwards–the Guineas really don't come into play right now unless when she's at the farm, the team gets together and decides to go in another direction.

“Our main goal would be the Commonwealth. Barbara and her whole team are really looking forward to getting back (to Royal Ascot). She worked last week for the first time at Barbara's farm at Ocala and she looked like she's ready to go, so we're all excited.”

Mishriff Well for Saudi Cup

French Group 1 winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), who ran second in the 2020 Saudi Derby in Riyadh on February 29, needs a wide draw in the February 20 US$20-million (AU$26,334,500) Saudi Cup according to trainer John Gosden.

The colt rebounded with a win in the Listed Newmarket S. on June 6 and won the G1 Prix du Jockey Club on July 5.

His final win of the year was a victory in the G2 Prix Guillaume de Ornano at Deauville on August 15 before an eighth in the G1 QIPCO Champions S. at Ascot in mid-October. The 4-year-old carries the colours of Prince Faisal and will be ridden by his retained jockey David Egan.

“He worked nicely going into it, but first time on the dirt, you never know. He did have the benefit of a wide draw last year and we were thrilled the way he ran,” Gosden told a Saudi Cup press conference. “I think he's a mile and a-quarter horse, very much so. He's got a great stride, great tactical speed and a powerful finish. I think that is his perfect trip. Whether we stretch him out to a mile and a-half one day, I don't know.

“This race is run on the dirt and at a very different tempo. You need a wide draw,” he said. “If it was a mile and a-quarter it would suit us a lot better, but it's very fast. The Americans go hard and it's not a race with any hiding places. He's had a nice down time building up to this. He's a genuine horse, he enjoys his training. He's not a horse who requires a massive amount of work, so to that extent he's the right type to get ready early in the year.”

Saudi Dirt likely for Oxted

Group 1 winner Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}) is likely for the six-furlong Riyadh Dirt Sprint instead of the 1351 Turf Sprint at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on February 20.

A winner of the G3 Abernant S. last June, the bay gelding added the G1 July Cup at Newmarket one month later. After undergoing wind surgery, Oxted resumed with a fifth in the October 17 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S.

“At the moment we are favouring the dirt really because it's six furlongs,” said trainer Roger Teal, whose son Harry will accompany his stable star to Saudi Arabia, at a Saudi Cup press conference. “Obviously, it's an unknown surface for us but because it's a flat six furlongs I think that is where we are going to go. He's a good-moving horse. He likes the top of the ground and handles all sorts of ground.

“He trains on an all-weather surface every day, so I'm just hoping. The reports are very good about the dirt track in Saudi. That gives me confidence. There's not too much kickback apparently. As long as there wasn't going to be tons of kickback, I think we're going to be happy to run him on it.”