Flemington: G3 Standish H., $250,000, 1200m
Looking the winner a fair way out, Halvorsen (Magnus) made it two G3 Standish H. victories in three years with this determined performance.
A five-time winner down the famed Flemington straight (where his sire was a Group 2 winner), Halvorsen has won nine of his 28 starts - this latest success increasing his prizemoney tally to beyond $900,000.
One of the 25 stakes winners for his reliable Widden Victorian-based sire, Halvorsen was bred by his co-trainer Robbie Griffiths who has enjoyed great success with the breed. And with the family, Griffiths - who now trains with Mathew de Kock - also training and breeding Halvorsen’s dual city-winning dam Flourishing (Not A Single Doubt) and her Listed Cleary S.-winning half-brother Beltrois (Bel Esprit).
Griffiths had a good opinion of Flourishing’s lightly raced dam Vaingt Trois (Noalcoholic {Fr}) who was injured at just her second start having impressed at debut. Last spring foaling a full brother to Halvorsen - subsequently paying a return visit to his sire - Flourishing also has a Magnus (Flying Spur) 2-year-old by the name of Mr Magnus.
Line-bred to the terrific mare Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}) via her son Snippets (Lunchtime {GB}) and grandson Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), Halvorsen - who is also 3 X 4 Danehill (USA) (Danzig {USA}) - hails from a lovely old Australian family with his stakes-placed fourth dam Foreshow (Showdown {GB}) being a full sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Tontonan (Showdown {GB}).
Ascot: Listed Miss Andretti S., $125,000, 1100m
Miss Conteki (Eurozone) made it a memorable start to the year for her connections with this her second stakes victory in a row.
Well-fancied on the back of her Listed Summer Scorcher success on New Year’s Day, she improved on her already impressive record - now being the winner of nine of her 13 starts.
Bred by Lynch Bages Limited and purchased by Amelia Park for $55,000 at the 2017 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, she is one of four stakes winner for her Hillview Stud-based G2 Stan Fox S.-winning sire, a son of Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago).
Her unraced dam Tipsy Moment (Redoute's Choice) is doing a good job at stud, this mare is her second stakes winner - her first being the G3 Gunsynd Classic and Listed Gold Coast Cup winner Dreams Aplenty (Dream Ahead {USA}).
Served last spring by Snippetson (Snippets), Tipsy Moment foaled a Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) colt in October with her previous foal being the yet to race 2-year-old Under Influence (Caravaggio {USA}) - a member of the Daniel and Ben Pearce stable.
Another of her runners shows good promise, the Victorian, Always In Moment (No Nay Never {USA}) winning at Sandown last winter.
Tipsy Moment is a daughter of the Listed Sky High winner For The Moment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) whose grandam is the G2 WA Champions Fillies' S. winner Frivolous Miss (NZ) (In The Purple {Fr}) whose other descendants include the Group 1 gallopers Niconero (Danzero), Nicconi (Bianconi {USA}) and Zip Zip Aray (Bellotto {USA}).
This is the prolific Froth (NZ) (Faux Tirage {GB}) family that has also produced such outstanding gallopers as Horlicks (NZ) (Three Legs {GB}), Brew (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) and General Nediym (Nediym {Ire}).
Miss Conteki boasts a 6 X 6 cross of the aptly named mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) via her grandson Fairy King (USA) (Northern Dancer {Can}) and son Nureyev (USA) (Northern Dancer {Can}).
