Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Listed Bagot H., $200,000, 2800m
A fine advertisement for patience, Tigertiger (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) dug deep to break through for his first stakes success, providing his Grangewilliam Stud-based sire with his second Flemington staying feature for the season; the first of course being the G1 Melbourne Cup heroine Verry Elleegant (NZ).
The winner of four of his last five starts, Tigertiger made his way from New Zealand as a maiden after 11 starts, taking another four runs to find the winner's circle. But since then he has been flying!
Bred by I Shaw, Tigertiger is the 15th stakes winner for his regally bred sire and one of two winners from just three to race (so far) for the G2 New Zealand Cup winner Hoorang (NZ) (Zerpour {Ire}).
Both Zed (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and Zerpour (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) (winner of the G2 Queen Elizabeth S. and the Listed Werribee Cup) are descendants of the legendary Mumtaz Mahal (GB) (The Tetrarch {GB}) - the former hailing from the Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) branch whilst the latter has as his fourth dam the great mare Petite Etoile (GB) (Petition {GB}).
No longer in the Stud Book having produced just four foals (the last being the yet to race 3-year-old Happy Hugo {NZ} by Power {GB}), Hoorang is a granddaughter of the G1 Queensland Oaks winner Triumphal Queen (NZ) (Triumphal March {USA}) - dam of the Listed winner Coup Triumphal (NZ) (Prized {USA}).
Bred on 6 X 7 cross of the terrific mare Flower Bowl (USA) (Alibhai {GB}), Tigertiger hails from a historic family, one which further back has produced several staying stars - namely the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Straight Draw (NZ) (Faux Tirage {GB}), the G1 Caulfield Cup winner Ilumquh (NZ) (Sabaean {GB}) the G1 Sydney Cup and G1 Metropolitan H. winner General Command (NZ) (Agricola {GB}) and the four-time Derby hero Dayana (NZ) (Oncidium {GB}).
Listed Chester Manifold S., $160,000, 1400m
Exciting import Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast {USA}) made the step up from benchmark class to stakes class with this dominant victory, the seventh of her 13-start career.
Kicking off her career in the United States where she won a Del Mar 2-year-old maiden at her second start, Lighthouse was a Kentucky Downs Listed winner and a Santa Anita Group 3 placegetter before making her way to the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.
Unbeaten from her four local starts, she is one of the 62 stakes winners for her G1 Malibu S.-winning sire and his second on Australian soil with Multilateral (USA) having won the Listed Wyong Cup and the Listed Tattersall's Club Cup.
Bred by David Chavez Jr, Lighthouse is out of the unraced More Hoping (USA) whose sire is Danehill's (USA) (Danzig {USA}) G1 Epsom Derby winner North Light (Ire).
More Hoping is out of the stakes-placed Just Hoping (USA) (Gulch {USA}), half-sister to the Listed winner Hello (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}). Just Hoping's grandam is the dual Group winner Ratings (USA) (Caveat {USA}) who has stakes-winning descendants in America, France, Canada... and now Australia.
Lighthouse was the third stakes winner for the day line-bred to Flower Bowl (USA) (Alibhai {GB}) who appears via her prolific sons Graustark (USA) (Ribot {GB}) and His Majesty (USA) (Ribot {GB}).
