Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Invitation, $2,000,000, 1400m
Another string to Savabeel's Saturday bow, in storming home from well back Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) able to provide that stallion with a nice winner as a broodmare sire.
A daughter of Waikato Stud's much-missed and four-times Group 1 winner Sacred Falls (NZ), Icebath was bred by Waikato out of the very good broodmare Fabulist (NZ) (Savabeel) who won races in Melbourne and Adelaide.
All five of her foals to race are winners including the Singapore-based Group 3 winner Nowyousee (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}), the Group 3-placed Just Fabulous (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) and the Hong Kong Group 3 winner Courier Wonder (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).
Served last spring by Tivaci having produced a Sacred Falls (NZ) filly last season, Fabulist is out of the stakes-placed Fontaine with Icebath bred on a 5 X 3 cross of that mare's sire Centaine.
Also carrying a further strain of Centaine's sire Century, Icebath (a $100,000 graduate of the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale) is a descendant of the legendary mare Pretty Polly (GB) (Gallinule {GB}).
Bondi S., $1,000,000, 1600m
Hilal (Fastnet Rock) took his G2 Stan Fox S. form to this non black-type feature, again proving too strong.
One of Coolmore Stud's Champion Sire's 180 stakes winners, the Emirates Park homebred is out of their unraced but well-related mare Salma (Encosta De Lago).
A half-brother to the Australian-bred South African stakes winner Trojan Harbour (Harbour Watch {Ire}), he hails from the same branch of the prolific Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}) family as the Group 1 winners Redoute's Choice (Danehill {USA}), Hurricane Sky (Star Watch), Umatilla (NZ) (Miswaki {USA}), Platinum Scissors (Danehill {USA}), Gathering (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago), He's No Pie Eater (Canny Lad) and Shoals (Fastnet Rock).
His dam - who was served last spring by Tassort having produced a Not A Single Doubt filly last October - is out of the G2 Fernhill H. winner Salameh (Secret Savings {USA}), half-sister to the G1 Australian Guineas winner Al Maher (Danehill {USA}).
Hilal is bred on a 4 X 5 cross of Nijinsky II (Can), a horse to whom another 21 of Fastnet Rock's stakes winners are line-bred.
Listed Brian Crowley S., $200,000, 1200m
Giving a good kick at the 150-metre mark, Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}) was tough to the line holding off all challengers to secure his first black-type victory.
Bred by Parsons Creek Pastoral Co and purchased by Triple Crown Syndications for $180,000 at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Mazu is stakes winner number four for Arrowfield Stud's six-times Group 1 winner who was crowned Japan's Horse of the Year in 2015.
He is a half-brother to the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Headway (Charge Forward) out of the Group-placed Chatelaine (Flying Spur), who is also grandam of the Listed Redoute's Choice S. winner Let Me Sleep On It (Manhattan Rain).
Chatelaine was served last spring by Toronado (Ire) having missed at her two previous seasons.
Mazu is the 12th winner and first stakes winner bred on a Maurice (Jpn)/Danehill (USA) cross, one which has also produced the stakes-placed Balmaurice.
Listed Tattersalls Club Cup, $140,000, 2400m
G1 W.S Cox Plate-winning stallions enjoyed a great W.S Cox Plate Day, with two stakes winners for Savabeel, one for Ocean Park (NZ), and Adelaide (Ire) was not to be left out of the action... his son Torrens recording a barnstorming victory in this 2400-metre contest.
The second-stakes winner for Coolmore Stud's shuttler, Torrens - who is bred on a 4 X 4 cross of Danzig (USA) - is a homebred for Mr M.R Graham out of his now-retired Gold Coast winner A Little Knowledge (Dangerous).
Also dam of the multiple winners Dangerous Dan (Magic Albert) and Southern Man (Anacheeva), she is out of Lochella (Zephyr Zip), a half-sister to the G1 Champagne S. winner Select Prince (Imperial Prince {Ire}).
A Little Knowledge's final foal is yet to be named 3-year-old full brother to Torrens.
