Star mare popular
A bid of $1 million for Funstar (Adelaide {Ire}) opened the action on Friday with the mare being offered on the Inglis Digital July (Early) Online Sale.
As a half-sister to G1 Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar (High Chaparral {Ire}) and being out of a three-quarter sister to the triple Group 1 winner Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), Funstar was always going to attract the attention of the heavy hitters.
Funstar (red cap)
Unbeaten as a 2-year-old, she won five of her 18 starts for trainer Chris Waller, including victory in the G1 Flight S. and wins in the G2 Tea Rose S. and G2 Phar Lap S.
She was also runner-up in the G1 Surround S., G1 Queen of the Turf S. and G1 Epsom H., earning over $1.1 million in prizemoney.
Away Game staying home
American-based managing owner Hannah Mathiesen has confirmed that star filly Away Game (Snitzel) is out of contention for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Mathiesen said on Friday that connections have opted to keep the filly on Australian shores for the time being and will reassess the possibility of running her in the prestigious carnival next year.
The possibility of the American venture for Away Game had been floated after the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained 3-year-old was successful in the G3 WJ Healy S. at Eagle Farm last month.
Away Game
Time called on Hey Doc
Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy has confirmed the retirement of multiple Group 1 winner Hey Doc (Duporth).
"He's been a real flagbearer for our stable, an incredible horse," McEvoy told Racing.com.
"When he won the Australian Guineas in 2017, that was Dad's first Group 1 win after he branched out from Lindsay Park and then he was my first Group 1 winner after we went into partnership, he was incredible for us.
"If you look at his record, he was there in the Blue Diamond as a 2-year-old then to be third in a G1 Caulfield Guineas and winning the G1 Australian Guineas, and then come back as an older horse to establish himself as one of the country's best sprinters, he was just an amazing horse.”
Hey Doc
Rupert gets 10
Winning Rupert was able to land another winning blow at Scone on Friday before the meeting was called off due to poor visibility.
His daughter Into Champagne took her Newgate-based stallion’s first-season tally into double figures when she was successful on debut in the Sardos Coffee Plate.
Trained by Brett Cavanough, the 2-year-old belied her 20-1 starting price with a slick display to beat her older rivals in the hands of apprentice Madeline Owen.
Meanwhile, Coolmore stallion American Pharoah (USA) chalked up his fourth success when the Michael Moroney-trained Asteroidea overcame an awkward barrier for jockey Patrick Moloney to win at the first time of asking at Sale.
Maurice brings up seventh
Arrowfield Stud stallion Maurice (Jpn) notched up his seventh individual first-crop winner on Friday with the dominant debut success of Silent Impact at Goulburn.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding was taken forward by Winona Costin and comfortably accounted for runner-up Suprina (Super One) by 2l.
Maurice will stand the upcoming breeding season at Arrowfield Stud for a service fee of $44,000 (inc GST).
RTR Sale entries open
Entries for New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2021 Ready to Run Sale of 2-year-olds are now open with the auction to be held at Karaka on November 17 and 18. Breeze-ups will be held on October 11 and 12 at Te Rapa.
The 2020 edition of the Sale saw the debut of New Zealand Bloodstock’s online bidding technology, which was responsible for 31 per cent of total turnover, as well as the majority of key sale indicators increased despite no international buyers on the ground.
World’s Best led by 3-year-old
After defeating his elders in the G1 Eclipse S., St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) now leads the fifth edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 2021 with a rating of 127.
He defeated Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) [121] by 3.5l, while Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) [122] was a neck behind in third.
St Mark’s Basilica had previously been rated at 120 following his victory in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and he is a perfect three-for-three this season, as he also won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains to start his 2021 campaign.
Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has won the G1 Lockinge S. and the G1 Queen Anne S. at his last two appearances and is rated second on 125 with Australian speedster Nature Strip (Nicconi) third at 123.
Melham outed
Jockey Ben Melham will sit out eight meetings after pleading guilty to a careless riding charge at Cranbourne on Thursday.
The Group 1-winning rider was charged after he permitted his mount Lunares (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) to shift in when not sufficiently clear of Dubai Moon (Pride Of Dubai).
Melham's suspension will start at midnight on July 17 and end at midnight on July 25.
Setback for Subjectivist
Two-time Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last month and was being aimed at the G1 Goodwood Cup, has sustained a leg injury that puts him out of action until at least next season.
A winner of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp in October, the bay continued his rich vein of form with a victory at Meydan in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in March and was making his first start since in the Gold Cup. At this time, it is not known if Subjectivist will run again or be retired for stud duties.
Arqana catalogue released
The Arqana v.2 Yearling Sale, which took a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will return to its home in Deauville directly after the Arqana August Sale.
A one-day event, the August 17 Sale features 146 colts and fillies geared toward precocity on the racecourse. Current poster girl is 2021 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Coeursamba (Fr) (The Wow Signal {Ire}), while earlier distinguished alumni include fellow French 1000 Guineas heroine Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}) and Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration Of War {USA}), who won the colts' equivalent in 2017.
Early Bankers
Plenty of punters will be looking to Race 1 at Te Rapa on Saturday for their banker of the day.
Trainer Stephen Marsh will line up in-form gelding Bankers Choice (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) in the SVS Starting Gates Mile, who is vying for his third successive win.
“I think he will be the banker for them and I hope he does reward them and get the punters off to a good start,” Marsh said. “He is going really well, I can’t fault him at all.
“He has only had one run at Te Rapa and he didn’t go quite so good, but that was when he didn’t have his head in the game, he was immature. We are very happy with him and his work has been good, and I am happy with where he has drawn.”
Stable in good spirits
Invisible Spirit (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) looks well placed heading into Saturday’s J&J Walter Ltd 3YO at Awapuni on Saturday, with trainers Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard confident he has taken good improvement from his first-up performance at the Palmerston North track last month.
Invisible Spirit (NZ) | Image by Peter Rubery courtesy of Race Images Palmerston North
With the Awapuni track an improving Heavy 10, Benner believes Invisible Spirit can put his best foot forward.
“He has improved well at home and last preparation he improved a lot from his first-up run to his second-up run, so we are expecting him to go a good race,” he said. “I think if that track can dry out a little bit more, it would be even better. He likes a Soft track, but he is not a mudlark.”
