Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Sportpix
The million-dollar concept-race series across New South Wales continues on Saturday at Kembla Grange, with a bumper field nominated for the 1600 metre The Gong. First run in 2019 along with its northern cousin The Hunter, the race has quickly become a local highlight in the Illawarra district.
Among this year’s field, Count De Rupee (Real Impact {Jpn}) is a worthy favourite, a $1.8 million earner who was a last-start second in the Golden Eagle. Chris Waller has four in the race, headed by Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) and Aramayo (Poet’s Voice {GB}), while defending winner Archedemus (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is back for a second bite.
Further down the betting order, Rosehill trainer David Payne has a sole representative in the American-bred gelding Blue Soldier (USA) (War Front {USA}).
Gallery: Some of the runners in The Gong 2021
This is an interesting horse, a 5-year-old gelding and former Ballydoyle charge for Aidan O’Brien. Blue Soldier competed in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2019 and, before his sale to Australia, he was a two-time winner in Ireland, namely of the Listed Star Appeal S. at Dundalk.
He heads into Saturday’s race as a last-start winner of the Listed Ladies’ Day Cup at Hawkesbury.
A Marvellous pedigree
Blue Soldier is the second of War Front’s (USA) stakes winners in Australia. The other is the very good Homesman (USA), a winner of the 2018 G1 Underwood S. and G1 Australian Cup earlier this year.
War Front (USA) | Standing at Claiborne Farm
There has been a good appetite among Australian buyers for progeny of the Claiborne-based stallion, with Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr jumping in on them as recently as August at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The trainers coughed up US$230,000 (AU$310,000) for a War Front colt at that Sale, saying the stallion needed no introduction in Australia.
“So many of his sons have done well out here at stud,” Kent Jnr said at the time, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “You’ve got Declaration Of War, who did an amazing job with two crops, Air Force Blue stood out here, U S Navy Flag and now Omaha Beach. He’s such a good stallion and they go so well on turf.”
“So many of his (War Front) sons have done well out here at stud. He's such a good stallion and they go so well on turf." - Michael Kent Jnr
On the damside, Blue Soldier is just as well-credentialled.
He is the second foal from the G1 Irish Thousand Guineas winner Marvellous (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Marvellous herself is a daughter of You’resothrilling (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}), making her a full sister to Group 1 winners Gleneagles (Ire), Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Joan Of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), plus the three-time Group winner in Australia, The Taj Mahal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
In the Northern Hemisphere, Blue Soldier was a winner of two of his 11 races, but he was placed in a further three stakes races for Ballydoyle. In July last year, he was sold to the Singapore-based Aramco Racing group and imported to Australia in December.
Initially with Annabel Neasham, the gelding was unplaced in his first three runs in New South Wales, albeit fourth to Berdibek (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Listed Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury.
David Payne | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Last month, he transferred to David Payne at Rosehill where he fulfilled his promise and fine pedigree with a narrow victory first-up in the Ladies’ Day Cup.
It’s all been good for him
“He’s improved, he’s well and he’s got a good draw for Saturday,” said David Payne, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “It’s a much stronger race than he met last start, but we expect a good run from him.
"Barrier three will suit him because he’s a horse that goes forward, so he’ll be in the first three and we can see how the track is playing by then. But at this stage, it’s all been good for him.”
“It’s a much stronger race than he (Blue Soldier) met last start, but we expect a good run from him." - David Payne
Blue Soldier will face fellow import I Am Superman (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who is top-weighted in the mile handicap at 59kg. Payne’s gelding will carry 54kg.
The trainer said Blue Soldier looks to have improved from the win at Hawkesbury, which came on a Heavy 8.
“I think he’s a much better horse on a firm track, so I’m just hoping it won’t be too wet by Saturday,” Payne said. “He’s been with us for about six weeks now, and with that first win, we thought he’d run well until the rain came. It proved to be a Heavy 8 and he ran really well, so he might be alright in the wet too.”
Blue Soldier (USA) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Payne said the gelding would likely go out for a spell after Saturday’s race.
“He’s been up a while, so we’ll see how he goes in the race,” the trainer said. “I think I’d like to put him over 2000 metres in the autumn because I think he might be more effective. But after Saturday, we’ll map a program for him.”
Blue Soldier will be Payne’s first runner in the million-dollar The Gong and, with a $580,000 first-prize purse, the trainer will be trackside for the meeting. The horse is Payne’s sole runner across the card but, all going to plan, it will be worth the hour-and-a-half drive south from Rosehill.
