G1 Darley Sprint Classic, $2,000,000, 1200m
At 34 starts, 19 wins; seven at Group 1 level, over $16.1 million in stakes, an Australian Horse of the Year titleholder. He is some horse Nature Strip (Nicconi) and it was a lovely display of pure speed as he raced away to a soft victory down the famed Flemington straight.
One of the 23 stakes winners sired by Widden Victoria's dual Group 1-winning sprinter Nicconi who was also fond of Flemington, Nature Strip was bred by Golden Grove - purchased privately after being passed in for $90,000 at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
He is out of the Group 3-winning mare Strikeline (Desert Sun {GB}) (served last summer by Shamus Award) who has also produced the Listed Fernhill H. winner The Barrister (Star Witness).
His grandam is the Listed-winning stayer Strike High (Pre Emptive Strike {Can}), also dam of the G3 Eclipse S. winner Bashful Girl (Perugino {USA}) and the very tough Bashboy (Perugino {USA}) who earned three consecutive Australian Champion Jumper awards.
Bred on a 3 X 4 cross of Danzig (USA) and a 7 X 7 cross of the Kentucky Oaks heroine Lalun (USA) (Djeddah {Fr}), Nature Strip is a descendant of the outstanding broodmare Friar's Daughter (GB) (Friar Marcus {GB}), dam of the Classic winners Bahram (GB) (Blandford {Ire}) and Dastur (GB) (Solario {GB}).
Also of interest in Nature Strip's pedigree is that his sire Nicconi and dam sire Desert Sun (GB) are both descendants of the influential Queen Mary (GB) (Gladiator {GB}).
G1 Mackinnon S., $2,000,000, 2000m
Off the back of mixed spring carnival luck, it was a deserved victory for Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), dominant claiming his third win at Group 1 level.
It was a record breaking 10th Cup Week victory for in-form jockey James McDonald who was congratulated by the previous record holder Brett Prebble (rider of the runner-up Cascadian {GB} by New Approach {Ire}) after they crossed the line.
Bred by Kirsten Rausing's Lanwades Stud at Newmarket, Zaaki was a 40,000gns (AU$76,000) yearling who was purchased for the Annabel Neasham stable for 150,000gns (AU$285,000) at the 2020 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.
One of 25 stakes winners and three Group 1 winners sired by the multiple Group 1 winner Leroidesanimaux (Brz), he is out of the two-time winner Kesara (GB) (Sadler's Wells {USA}) who has also produced the Singapore based stakes-placed seven-time winner Kirks Ryker (GB) (Selkirk {USA}).
A half-sister to the dual Listed winner Persona Grata (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), Kesara is a descendant of the influential matriarch Marchetta (GB) (Marco {GB}) who features several times in the pedigree of Leroidesanimaux's dam Dissemble (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}).
Also of interest in Zaaki's pedigree is a 3 X 4 cross of the great racehorse and stallion Blushing Groom (Fr) (Red God {USA}).
G2 Matriarch S., $300,000, 2000m
So game along the rails, holding off a strong late challenge, Zayydani (NZ) (Savabeel) was a special first stakes victory for the Ben and JD Hayes partnership.
A homebred for Trelawney Thoroughbreds, she was already a Listed winner in Queensland and on Saturday was part of a good day for her Waikato Stud-based sire who also enjoyed Group 1 success in New Zealand with Noverre (NZ).
She is a half-sister to Yulong Stud's dual Group 1 winner Grunt (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) out of the two-time winner Ruqqaya (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy {USA}), also dam of the stakes-placed Addison (NZ) (Jimmy Choux {NZ}).
Served last spring by Super Seth, Ruqqaya (who has a 2-year-old yet to be named full sister to Zayydani) is a half-sister to the five times Group 1 (including the W.S Cox Plate) New Zealand Horse of the Year Ocean Park (NZ) (Thorn Park).
This is an outstanding New Zealand family that has been producing topliners for years, its other members including the big-race winners Critic (NZ) (Centaine), Prince Kaapstad (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}), Courtza (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}), O'Reilly (NZ) (Last Tycoon {Ire}), Our Pompeii (NZ) (Pompeii Court {USA}) and Kapchat (NZ) (Centaine).
The Matriarch was a good race for the family, Zayydani (who is bred on a 2 X 3 cross of Zabeel {NZ}) also able to boast amongst her relations the third-placed Starelle (More Than Ready {USA}).
G3 Queen Elizabeth S., $300,000, 2600m
Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}) was so tough returning to the scene of his 2019 G1 VRC Derby triumph, able to find plenty off a lovely front-running ride by Nash Rawiller.
The winner of two in a row having taken out the St Leger at his previous outing, Warning has won over $2.2 million in stakes - doing a great job for his connections who paid just $65,000 (purchased by Sam Freedman and de Burgh Equine) for him at the 2018 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
The dashing chestnut is one of the 38 stakes winners sired by the dual Group 1 winner Declaration Of War (USA) who did a grand job in Australia from just two crops, also siring the G1 Melbourne Cup hero Vow And Declare.
Bred in South Australia by The Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust, Warning is a half-brother to the multiple city winner Galaxy Gazer (Astronomer Royal {USA}) out of the metropolitan winner Livia (Galileo {Ire}) who was a close-up fourth in the G2 Edward Manifold S.
Livia has not had a great deal of luck at stud, two of her youngsters dying whilst she has missed or slipped on another four occasions. Her most recent foal is a Free Eagle (Ire) colt who was purchased for $150,000 by Next Level Syndication at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Livia is a daughter of the stakes-placed Flying Spice (Flying Spur), half-sister to the durable stakes winner Chattanooga (Scenic {Ire}) who won 14 races. Other stakes winners from this reliable Victorian family include Berberia (Jackson Square), Ascorbic (Mister C {USA}), Real Stolle (Elusive Quality {USA}), Nomothaj (Snitzel) and Tindal (Testa Rossa).
G3 Chatham S., $200,000, 1400m
The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Age Of Chivalry (NZ) has been a model of consistency but was back in the winner’s circle for the first time since August 2019 when digging deep to land the G3 Chatham S. at Flemington.
The 6-year-old son of He’s Remarkable (NZ) has been a stable favourite for the training partnership, which will go their separate ways at the end of the month.
Multiple Group 1-placed Age of Chivalry pulled out too many stops for Crosshaven and Justacanta.
Age of Chivalry was initially sold as a yearling through his breeder Mapperley Stud’s 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Festival Sales draft.
He returned as a Ready To Run 2-year-old later that year for Curraghmore and was knocked down to Henry Plumptre for NZ$50,000.
Ellerton and Zahra were underbidders on Age of Chivalry, everything worked out well after Zahra approached Plumptre after the sale.
The second stakes winner for Mapperley Stud's G3 Newmarket H.-winning based sire (who is well remembered by punters for controversially losing the G1 Railway S. on protest), Age Of Chivalry is out of Onyx (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) whose dam is the G3 Awapuni Gold Cup winner Kay Row (NZ) (Long Row {GB}).
A half-sister to the dam of the G3 Churchill S. winner Volkaire (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}), Kay Row also produced the stakes-placed winners Billy Quin (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) and Alyssum (NZ) (Prized {USA}) who is in turn dam of the G3 Thompson H. winner Pero (NZ) (Storming Home {GB}).
Served last spring by Embellish (NZ) (Savabeel), Onyx has a yearling filly by that same stallion.
Listed The Amanda Elliott, $175,000, 1400m
Bend The Knee (Snitzel) looks a real up-and-comer on the strength of this determined victory, his second from just four starts.
Stepping up in class off a BM68 second at Kensington, the son of Arrowfield's Champion Sire Snitzel (his 116th stakes winner) was bred by Arrowfield Group and Jungle Pocket.
Purchased by trainer John O'Shea for $300,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Bend The Knee is out of the dual stakes winner Kneeling (Encosta De Lago) whose progeny have all been very popular in the sales ring - including her current 2-year-old Dashing Legend (also by Snitzel), a $380,000 Inglis Australian Easter Sale graduate in the Hawkes stable.
Not served last spring having foaled a filly by The Autumn Sun, Kneeling is out of the stakes-placed Sunday Service (Sunday Silence {USA}), also dam of the Hong Kong Group 3 winner Winner's Way (Starcraft {NZ}) and the local Listed winner That's A Good Idea (Flying Spur).
Also grandam of the G1 VRC Derby winner Ace High (High Chaparral {Ire}), Sunday Service is a daughter of the Listed winner Lady's Secret (SAF) (Local Talent {USA}), dam of Snitzel's Listed winner Express Power.
A stallion prospect in the making, Bend The Knee is bred on a 5 X 5 cross of his own fifth dam Spring Adieu (Can) (Buckpasser {USA}), grandam of Danehill (USA) from the family of Northern Dancer (Can) and Halo (USA), both of whom also appear in this promising young horse's pedigree.
