Menari sires first winner
Newgate Farm stallion Menari made a perfect start to his stud career with a win by Menari Magic at Toowoomba on Saturday.
The very first runner from Menari’s first 2-year-old crop, the Paul Butterworth-trained filly scored by 0.2l in the Toowoomba Truck Spares Pat O’Shea Plate.
Butterworth paid $30,000 to buy Menari Magic from the draft of Gleeson Thoroughbred Connections at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Menari, who stands for a service fee of $11,000 (inc GST) this season, had a first crop of 19 foals.
Group 1 target for Chaillot
Archie Alexander is targeting the G1 Empire Rose S. at Flemington with Chaillot (Testa Rossa), who scored an impressive victory in the black-type race named in her sire's honour at Sandown on Saturday.
Ridden by Declan Bates, the 5-year-old came from third-last in the Listed Testa Rossa S. with a rapid late run to beat Begood Toya Mother (Myboycharlie {Ire}) by 0.1l. Chaillot has now had nine starts for five wins and a placing.
Archie Alexander
“She knows exactly where the line is, so it was very good return and well done to Dec, he knows her very well,” Alexander said. “We’ve never had a horse with a turn of foot like that. It just gets you out of trouble all the time.”
Chaillot’s next start is likely to be in the G3 Ladies’ Day Vase at Caulfield on October 13.
Head Of State turns McDonald's day around
After a frustrating run of big-race placings aboard favourites Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}), Entriviere (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}), champion jockey James McDonald bounced back late in the day at Rosehill on Saturday with a victory in the G3 ACY Securities Gloaming S.
McDonald scored aboard Head Of State (American Pharoah {USA}), who edged out Profondo (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in an exciting finish.
“That was a huge effort against the bias,” McDonald said. “He was very up and about before the start, so there’s still more to come. He loved that fast ground.
“Anamoe was super (second in the G1 Golden Rose). It was deflating, but at the same time, very proud of the horse. He was primed for the race, he looked fantastic, he went great. Disappointing we went down, but he will live to fight another day.”
Metropolitan on Entente’s radar
A week on from a highly creditable third in the G3 Kingston Town S. behind She’s Ideel (Dundeel {NZ}) and Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}), talented stayer Entente (Dundeel {NZ}) backed up and went to a new level in Saturday’s G3 Drinkwise Colin Stephen Quality – and he might not be done yet.
Co-trainer Adrian Bott has not ruled out backing the 5-year-old up for a third Saturday in a row to take a shot at next Saturday’s G1 Metropolitan H. at Randwick.
“There’s potential,” Bott said. “I will obviously have a chat with Gai (Waterhouse) during the week and (owners) Peter and June Dunn and see what they’d like to achieve with the horse.
“There are a couple of other options further down the track that we could look at, so we’re in no rush just yet. We’ll see how he comes through it. He did it very well and showed a good turn of foot, so it opens up a few more options for him going forward.”
Queen Of Dubai all the way
A bold front-running performance in Saturday’s Listed Jim Moloney S. at Sandown has put Queen Of Dubai (Pride Of Dubai) firmly in contention for next month’s G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and racing in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Queen Of Dubai won a maiden at Kembla Grange in July before heading to Melbourne, where she finished seventh and fifth in two clashes with the previously undefeated Zouzarella (Zoustar) at Moonee Valley.
Queen Of Dubai defied $25 odds and turned the tables on that rival on Saturday, leading all the way and staying just out of Zouzarella’s reach to score by 1l.
“I think the winkers were a good addition,” jockey Jordan Childs said. “Once they started to join her, she dug deep, and she took a bit of effort to pull her up as well. I think the horse is going very well.
“She won impressively today. As long as Gai is happy with her, I can’t see why she couldn’t step up to that level (the Thousand Guineas).”
Out of a half-sister to the G1 Golden Slipper S., Caulfield Guineas and Australian Guineas placegetter Von Costa De Hero, Queen Of Dubai was a $500,000 purchase from Segenhoe Stud’s draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Previously run at Caulfield, the Jim Moloney S. has been won by a subsequent Group 1 winner in two of the last three years. The 2018 winner Mystic Journey (Needs Further) added the Australian Guineas later that season, while Odeum (Written Tycoon) used last year’s race as a springboard to Thousand Guineas glory at her next start.
Queenslander on Golden Eagle path
Victory by Apache Chase (Better Than Ready) in Saturday’s Listed Audi Centre Weetwood H. at Toowoomba was the first step along a road that trainer Desleigh Forster hopes will go all the way to the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on October 30.
The Weetwood was Apache Chase’s first start since he was unplaced in the G1 Stradbroke H. in June, having previously won the G3 Fred Best Classic and Listed Daybreak Lover, along with a placing in the G2 Queensland Guineas.
“He has a long campaign ahead of him, so he’s not wound right up yet,” Forster said. “He will go to Eagle Farm in two weeks’ time, and then he will go to the Golden Eagle after that.
“I think he’s a better horse than he was in the winter. Jimmy (Byrne, jockey) and those guys are telling us that.”
Four winners for Price
Apprentice jockey Ben Price celebrated his first four-win day on a metropolitan track with a bumper afternoon at Morphettville on Saturday.
Price scored aboard Max Fire (Star Turn), Philonize (Reward For Effort), Star Of Uma (I Am Invincible) and Alleboom (Spirit Of Boom).
“It has worked out so well and to get the support has been much appreciated,” Price said.
Turn Me Loose filly strikes
Triple Group 1 winner and Windsor Park Stud stallion Turn Me Loose (NZ) sired his fifth winner when his daughter Wessex (NZ) scored in Saturday’s Transport Mechanical Waharoa 2YO at Matamata.
Ridden by Matthew Cameron for trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, the filly came from last with a strong finish to win by 0.75l.
The winner of one of her two trials prior to Saturday’s winning debut, Wessex was bred by Windsor Park Stud and is a daughter of the Group 1-placed Trepidation (NZ) (Falkirk {NZ}). Wessex was bought for NZ$150,000 at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale by Forsman and owner Ben Kwok.
“We’ve liked her since she first came into work,” Forsman said. “Ben had asked me to buy a couple of fillies for him at the Sale, and this was one I really liked.
“She is by Turn Me Loose, who I have a lot of time for as a sire, and she is a lovely athletic type with plenty of scope to her.”
Standing at Windsor Park Stud for a service fee of NZ$15,000 plus GST, Turn Me Loose has had five winners from 20 runners in his first two crops. Turn The Ace (NZ) has won two races including the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre S., while Verbek (NZ) placed in the Listed The Phoenix during the Queensland winter carnival. Ancient Girl (NZ), Bifrost (NZ) and Loose Love have also won races this year.
Group 3 gold for well-bred mare
A commanding come-from-behind performance in Saturday’s G3 Boehringer Ingelheim Metric Mile at Awapuni lifted well-related mare House Of Cartier (Alamosa {NZ}) to a new career pinnacle.
With an irresistible finish down the outside of the track, the 6-year-old collected the fourth win of her 33-start career, and her first at stakes level. She had previously placed in the G1 Schweppes Oaks and G2 Eight Carat Classic.
“It was a bit of a risk going fresh-up into a mile at this level, but she is just so well in herself for this campaign,” trainer Peter Didham said. “It’s the best I’ve had her since she got back from Australia, and her trial win was very impressive.
“I think this will most likely be her last campaign before she goes to stud, so I want to make sure we get it right for her. We needed to get the win today if we were even going to qualify for the G1 Livamol Classic next month, and she did the job in fine fashion.”
Retained by breeders Bill Gleeson and Pee Gee Bloodstock after being passed in at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, House Of Cartier is a daughter of four-time Group 1 winner and Queensland Derby and Queensland Oaks placegetter Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar {USA}).
Shez Sinsational is also the dam of Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), who has won five races including the Listed Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ S., along with a second placing in the G1 Thorndon Mile.
Favourite ruled out
A setback forced Saturday's G3 Boehringer Ingelheim Metric Mile favourite Francesca (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) to be scratched on the morning of the race.
Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman for owner-trainer Greg McCarthy, the promising mare has won four of her seven starts, with all of those victories coming in her five most recent appearances. Saturday was set to be her first start in stakes class.
“She had swelling in her leg this morning that has blown up, so she must have a bit of a bug there,” Forsman said. “That put paid to her starting, so we’ve treated it with antibiotics and we have to hope she comes right.
“While there was a little question mark on the heavy track, I thought she was ready to run a big race, so it is disappointing we didn’t get her to the start.”
