Written by Jessica Owers
Royal Randwick will take the reins from Rosehill on Saturday for the G2 Missile S. meeting, and on the undercard is the Listed The Rosebud over 1100 metres. Ten horses are nominated for the field, all 3-year-olds, and among them is the John Sargent colt Readily Availabull (Bull Point).
The young horse is returning after four starts through his juvenile season, during which he won the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic at Ballarat. Readily Availabull stepped out in a quiet trial in early July, in which he was fourth, and will tackle Saturday’s race with an eye on more ambitious targets through the spring.
“He’s in top order, he’s trialled well and ready to go,” Sargent said. “He’s right on top of his game and he should go well on Saturday. I think there’ll be a lot of speed in it, but he won’t be on-speed and he should hit the line late.”
"He’s (Readily Availabull) right on top of his game and he should go well on Saturday. I think there’ll be a lot of speed in it, but he won’t be on-speed and he should hit the line late." - John Sargent
Readily Availabull has drawn an ideal gate in barrier two and will carry Rachel King.
He will meet a stout field that includes the Arrowfield colt Remarque (Snitzel) and Newgate-China Horse Club colt In The Congo (Snitzel). Godolphin has Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}) among them too, while Sky Command (Deep Field) is likely the best of the fillies.
“It is a very good field, but we’ll get a line on where we are with the 3-year-olds this early in the season,” Sargent said. “The fields will only get stronger as the season goes on, so we’ve got to kick off somewhere.”
Readily Availabull after winning the Magic Millions 2YO Clockwise Classic at Ballarat
Randwick suits
Readily Availabull’s juvenile season was a mixed bag. After the Clockwise Classic, he had a few issues with his feet that left him winless in three starts, and he had a good break after running unplaced in his last start in the G3 Baillieu S. at Rosehill.
Sargent said the colt’s trial in early July was a soft one, and a jump-out has since showed him the colt is on-song for Saturday.
“The switching of the race from Rosehill to Randwick will suit him,” the trainer said. “He likes a big straight where he can finish, so the track should suit him lovely. If he jumps well, he’ll slide in behind a very hot speed. He should be a couple back on the fence, and if he’s a bit slow he’ll get back further. But it’s a lovely, big straight so he’ll have plenty of time to get out and come at them. I’ll be using the draw if I can, though.”
Sargent has nominated Readily Availabull, who races in the stable colours, for the G1 Golden Rose on September 25 and also the G1 Caulfield Guineas on October 9, but he’s cautious about both this early in the season.
“We’ll work out after Saturday which way we go,” he said. “Whether we get up to a mile or go to the 1400, Saturday will tell us a lot. He’ll have another run (before the Golden Rose), maybe two, or if he goes to Melbourne for the Guineas, we’ll just play it by ear.”
For the girls
Sargent picked up Readily Availabull for $25,000 in partnership with Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2020 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale. The colt was from the draft of Armidale Stud.
He is the product of the second crop of foals by Bull Point, who stands at Kingstar Farm and will cover his sixth book this season at a fee of $6600 (inc GST).
Readily Availabull was the only purchase by Sargent at that particular Sale, bought with the Magic Millions Women’s Bonus in mind.
“He’s raced by all the girls,” the trainer said, “and he’ll have a break after three or four runs and be aimed at the 1400 metre Magic Millions race for 3-year-olds in January.”
Readily Availabull as a yearling
On type, the colt is a tidy, average-sized horse that gives the trainer little trouble. He was the fourth named foal from the More Than Ready (USA) mare Readily. Readily won three times in a 25-start career for trainer Anthony Cummings and later Gary Jeffrey and of her four foals to race, three have been winners.
On the second line, the dam side is strongly European.
Second dam Lucy Limelight (GB) (Hot Spark {Ire}) produced stakes winners Los Verdes (Ire) (Persian Bold {Ire}) and Nord’s Lucy (Ire) (Nordico {USA}). The latter got the sensational Italian stakes winners Nordhal (GB) (Halling {USA}) and Onice Nero (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}), who was a Joint Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in Italy in 1998.
Further down the page is Finsbury Square (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), a multiple Group-winning horse in France and his half-brother Bakeol Koffie (Ire) (Naaqoos {GB}), also a French multiple stakes winner.
Four Moves Ahead back in
As Readily Availabull heads into The Rosebud, Sargent also has the gun filly Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) back in the yard.
Four Moves Ahead was, arguably, the best of last season’s filly brigade, winning the G2 Sweet Embrace S. before fourth-placed efforts in both the G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Sires’ Produce S. at Randwick. She has had a soft trial in late July since returning from a winter break.
“She’ll follow the fillies’ series,” Sargent said. “She’ll go to the Silver Shadow and then the Tea Rose, the Furious and the Flight S. She’ll follow the Princess Series.”
The trainer said Four Moves Ahead was marred by small issues throughout her juvenile season, but still managed to return very good results.
“She always was half-a-run behind in her 2-year-old career,” he said. “She got a bad cold and then she knocked her knee. She got cast in the box, and so was always behind the eight-ball but still ran fourth in the Slipper. I think we’ll see a bigger and better filly in the spring when she’ll be at her best.”
