Avantage on Gavelhouse
Nine-time Group 1 winner Avantage (Fastnet Rock) will be offered for sale next week on the Gavelhouse Plus platform with bidding from Sunday evening until next Wednesday at 7pm (NZ time).
The 6-year-old was withdrawn from Saturday’s G1 Tarzino Trophy at Hastings after she was found to have heat in her off foreleg on Friday and scans revealed a hole in her tendon.
Avantage was purchased by Te Akau Principal David Ellis for NZ$210,000 at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale where she was offered by The Oaks Stud on behalf of breeders Willie and Karen Calder.
She went on to win 16 races and NZ$2.1 million for the Te Akau Avantage Syndicate managed by Karyn Fenton-Ellis.
Cup start nailed down
Nonconformist (Rebel Raider) booked his place in the G1 Caulfield Cup with a strong performance to win at Caulfield on Saturday.
The 5-year-old had finished fourth at his previous run in the G2 Feehan S., and moving up to 2000 metres in the G3 Catanach’s Jewellers Foundation Cup paved the way for success in the hands of Jordan Childs.
“It was a great ride and we talked about tactics and he executed well. The staff have done a great job with the horse and he races well here,” trainer Grahame Begg said.
Back to winning form
Dirty Thoughts (So You Think {NZ}) looks poised for a return to stakes racing following her success at Caulfield.
The 4-year-old was Group 3-placed in the G3 Champagne S. and the Listed Atlantic Jewel S. last season, and trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra are keen to see her back to that level in the near future.
“She finished off her 3-year-old career well and had a good break. We’ve got a Saturday win and we’re hoping she can get a bit more black type,” Zahra said.
Wakari too tough
Wakari (NZ) provided his Valachi Downs-based sire Vespa (NZ) with his second black-type winner when he dug deepest to win the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy at Hastings.
Bred by Wellfield Lodge’s Bill Gleeson, he is trained by Roydon Bergerson who also prepared the dam Denlee (NZ) (One Cool Cat {USA}) to win four races.
“His work had been really good and that was a tough win today,” Bergerson said. “I think he’ll be hard to beat in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas as well.”
Wakari was in front at the top of the straight and he fought doggedly to the line to beat the short-priced favourite I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel).
Vespa has previously been represented by the Listed Southland Guineas winner Chokito (NZ).
Group 1 producer on market
Plying (USA) (Hard Spun {USA}), the dam of triple Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}), will be consigned to the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale by Jossestown Farm. The 11-year-old mare, who is also the dam of French Listed winner Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), is currently in foal to Lope De Vega (Ire).
The Fethard-based Jossestown Farm bought Plying from the same sale in 2018 for €21,000 (AU$40,350) just days after her then-weanling filly by No Nay Never (USA) was sold by her breeder Churchtown House Stud for €40,000 (AU$76,860) to Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud.
As Alcohol Free, she went on to win last season's G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. and returned in great form in 2021, she won the G3 Fred Darling S. on her 3-year-old debut, followed by the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. Her most recent triumph was in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Glorious Goodwood.
Colt eclipses rivals
Hisaaki Saito's hitherto unbeaten 2-year-old colt Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) continued on a roll and took his tally to a perfect three from three with a hard-fought victory in Friday's G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly.
“That was a good performance and he kept his unbeaten record intact,” said winning trainer Fabrice Chappet. “He won over six-and-a-half furlongs last time, but I felt it was not yet the time to stretch him out.
“I thought this six furlongs would suit him anyway. He's entered in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere over seven furlongs on Arc day, but he will also be entered in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. At this stage, the latter seems the more logical step.”
Mighty effort
The Ben Foote-trained Sakura Blossom (Vancouver) turned in a breath-taking performance to win at Hastings and remain unbeaten.
The 4-year-old settled at the tail after missing the kick by 6l in the Remember Jooky 1200, but when jockey Michael McNab angled her wide at the top of the straight, she cut loose with a devastating finish.
“She was last on the fence and when I got to the outside, she did the rest. She’s a work in progress, but worth the time, she’s very exciting,” he said.
Sakura Blossom is out of a sister to the dam of the multiple Group 1-winning sprinter and sire Starspangledbanner.
Champion S. for Mishriff
Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), the world's joint highest-rated horse and the 6l winner of last month's G1 Juddmonte International, will bypass the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and instead head to the G1 Champion S. at Ascot, according to a Racing Post report.
“After discussions with owner Prince Faisal, it has been decided that Mishriff will have his next race in the Qipco Champion S. at Ascot,” said trainer John Gosden. “We feel we should stick to a mile and a quarter with him rather than a tough mile and a half in Paris as he's not short of speed and he won over nine furlongs in Saudi Arabia.”
Mishriff won last year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano before finishing eighth in the Champion S. over soft ground. He began 2021 with victories in the Saudi Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic and was placed in the G1 Eclipse S. and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. before his latest win at York.
Tilsit to Turkey
The Jockey Club of Turkey has purchased this year's G2 Summer Mile victor Tilsit (USA) (First Defence {USA}) for stud duty. The announcement follows on the back of the news that the Club had bought Battleground (USA) and Epaulette to join its roster.
Tilsit is out of Multilingual (GB) (Dansili {GB}), an unraced half-sister to Kingman (GB) and a daughter of G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches scorer Zenda (GB) (Zamindar {USA}). It is also the family of prolific sire Oasis Dream (GB).
Trained by Charlie Hills, Tilsit won last year's G3 Thoroughbred S. in his third start and took this year's Summer Mile after finishing second in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan.
Catalogue online
The mixed catalogue for the BBAG Sales and Racing Festival is now available to view online.
A total of 329 lots have been catalogued for the two-day auction, which takes place after racing on Friday, October 15, and all day on Saturday, October 16.
The majority of the catalogue consists of yearlings, most of whom are nominated for the BBAG auction races, and some are eligible for French premiums. Along with the 238 yearlings, two foals have been entered, as well as 59 broodmares and 30 horses in training.
