Written by Jessica Owers
Ballarat Turf Club hosted an eight-race program on the synthetic track on Tuesday, with much attention focused on the second event, the Porter Plant 3YO Mdn Plate. Over a distance of 1200 metres, the race looked a good thing for market favourite Boom Spirit (Spirit Of Boom), but it was the $900,000 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Victory Tears (Written Tycoon) that proved best.
Trained locally by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Victory Tears was having his first start under silks, and did everything right for jockey Dean Holland.
The colt jumped from barrier four, taking a handy position just off the speed before easing past the leader Boom Spirit in the straight. Gold Logie (Shamus Award) plugged on for a determined second and Come On Eileen (Headwater) found room for third.
The official margins were 0.5l and 1.75l.
Light on his feet
Victory Tears is a block of a colt, a big chestnut with a strong blaze and straight action. Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy praised the ownership group, which includes China Horse Club and WinStar Farm, for its patience with the horse.
“He’s been a really nice horse for a long time, and I’ve just got to thank the owners,” McEvoy said. “They’ve had to be really patient. He’s had no real problems, just immaturity, and he’s a really big horse with a big frame, and really well-bred. Hopefully it’s the start of something fun for them.”
"He’s (Victory Tears) had no real problems, just immaturity, and he’s a really big horse with a big frame, and really well-bred. Hopefully it’s the start of something fun for them." - Calvin McEvoy
Victory Tears had been promising at recent jump-outs, but he was still untried in Tuesday’s field. Runner-up Gold Logie was having his fourth start, while race favourite Boom Spirit raced for the fifth time.
“We put the blinkers on because we felt that that would really sharpen him up,” McEvoy said. “I think he’ll get out to a little bit further and, as his runs go up in grade, I think he’ll continue to progress.”
The trainers are considering a city-class option for Victory Tears next, with Dean Holland agreeing that it should be on the cards. The jockey said the colt had surprising fluidity for his size.
“He’s a big lump of a colt, but he’s very light on his feet,” Holland said. “I think that’s a big asset for young horses if they’re going to improve over a mile down the track. He’s going to be an exciting colt.”
Keeps on keeping on
Victory Tears was bred in 2017 at South Australia-based Mill Park Stud.
He is the sixth foal from the grand mare Victory Cry (General Nediym), making him a half-brother to stakes winner Guard Of Honour (Northern Meteor) and South African Group 1 winner Run Fox Run (Foxwedge).
Victory Tears as a yearling
The family is rock solid.
Second dam Classic Status (Marscay) was a half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas winner Serious Speed (Royal Academy {USA}), and is in turn the dam of stakes winners Reldas (Testa Rossa) and Victory Chant (General Nediym), the latter a full sister to Victory Cry.
Victory Tears is also the fourth generation of the family for Mill Park Stud, which has possessed the female line three dams back to Twitter (Kendor {Fr}).
"It’s a bit of a thrill watching this family continue on for us." - Chris Watson
“It’s a bit of a thrill watching this family continue on for us,” said Chris Watson, studmaster at Mill Park. “It’s basically a family that we’ve had for three or four generations, and every black-type horse that has come through that pedigree has come from us.”
Watson said the private thrill of raising stakes winners was without equal, but so too was the feeling associated with successive generations of success.
“When you see something that you’ve raised and nurtured go on also, after you’ve sold it, it’s an extra special feeling,” he said.
Chris Watson
Victory in the ring
The broodmare Victory Cry is no stranger to sale results.
Guard Of Honour was a $300,000 Magic Millions yearling in 2015, while Run Fox Run was sold for $420,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2017.
In 2019, when the Watsons put Victory Tears into the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, they were expecting a six-figure sum, but probably nothing like the $900,000 that the McEvoys and China Horse Club coughed up.
“It was a lovely draft that we took to Sydney that year, and we had two Written Tycoon colts that were absolute standouts on type,” Chris Watson said. “But we weren’t expecting those sorts of prices, so it was a very pleasing, and very satisfying, result all round.”
"We weren’t expecting those sorts of prices, so it was a very pleasing, and very satisfying, result all round.” - Chris Watson
On top of Victory Tears at that Sale, Mill Park Stud sold a Written Tycoon colt from The Good Wife (Redoute’s Choice) for $750,000, plus a $1.15 million colt by Brazen Beau to Orbis Bloodstock.
Victory Cry’s 2017 colt by Astern, 2-year-old Not Bluffing, is in-training with Phillip Stokes at Morphettville, and had his first trial start in early June. He backed it up this week with a trial win.
Victory Tears when sold as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Victory Cry also had a full brother to Victory Tears last year.
“He’ll be going through one of the major sales, either Magic Millions or Inglis Easter this year,” Watson said. “It’s really great to see the family kicking on.”
Victory Cry is rising 16-years-old, one of the much loved, much looked-after residents of Mill Park Stud. Her half-sister Social Status (Magic Albert) is also on the property, and is currently in foal to Magna Grecia (Ire).
Watson said they haven’t got definite plans for Victory Cry this upcoming season, but the mare won’t want for attention.
“A girl of her age, and with what she’s done, she gets some extra special attention,” Watson said. “She’s all rugged up and surviving winter very well. She looks magnificent.”
