First winner for Merchant Navy
Coolmore’s first-season stallion Merchant Navy sired his first winner when Galaxy Affair won the Magic Millions Plate at Ascot on Saturday.
Making his second start, the Daniel and Ben Pearce-trained gelding scored by 0.17l with Clint Johnston-Porter in the saddle.
Galaxy Affair (blue and red cap) | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
A brilliant Group 1 winner of the Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington and Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, Merchant Navy took up stud duties in Australia in 2018. He has been represented by five first-crop runners to date.
Blue-blooded colt impresses
Beautifully bred 2-year-old Lofty Strike (Snitzel) began his career on a perfect note with victory in Saturday’s Resimax Group Rapid Racing at Flemington.
Ridden by Jamie Mott for trainer Julius Sandhu, Lofty Strike packed too much power for the favourite English Riviera (Deep Field), outfinishing that rival to win by 0.75l. The rest of the field finished 4l behind the first pair.
“He’s got a nice turn of foot and to see him do it on raceday on a big stage is obviously very pleasing,” Sandhu said.
“He’s in the Blue Diamond and he’s paid up. Obviously this is a starting point, and he’s got to pull up well from this. It’s the old cliché, but we’ll take it one race at a time. He’s only a 2-year-old and he’s a big horse. We have to make sure he pulls up good and go from there.”
Lofty Strike is by Champion Sire Snitzel out of Overreach (Exceed And Excel), who won the Golden Slipper in 2013.
Offered by his breeders Corumbene Stud at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Lofty Strike was a $280,000 purchase by his owners Lofty Thoroughbred Group.
Neasham 2-year-olds to the fore
Trainer Annabel Neasham played a starring role in Saturday’s Davali H. for 2-year-olds at Rosehill, saddling three of the first four finishers.
Sweet Ride (Deep Field) led all the way in the hands of Jean Van Overmeire, never looking in any danger of defeat and crossing the finish line with a margin of 2.03l up his sleeve.
The Chris Waller-trained Northern Beaches (Not A Single Doubt) finished second, with Neasham’s Flashing Steel (Not A Single Doubt) and Smart Vengeance (Smart Missile) third and fourth.
“Sweet Ride was drawn the best of our three, and he got to the front and they couldn’t catch him,” stable representative Todd Pollard said. “He’s got a bit of attitude and he’s a real out-and-out 2-year-old who we thought would run really well today.
“He found the front, did everything right and just kept kicking so it worked out beautifully.”
Sweet Ride | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The first named foal out of the Foxwedge mare How Sweet It Is, Sweet Ride was bought for $320,000 from Widden Stud’s draft at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Halvorsen wins Standish again
Flemington specialist Halvorsen (Magnus) returned on Saturday and scored his second G3 Standish H. victory in three years.
Ridden by Jamie Kah for trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock, the 6-year-old gelding edged out the favourite It’sourtime (Time For War) by 0.2l.
“Robbie thought he was ready to peak today and he was, he gave me a beautiful ride,” Kah said. “He’s a tricky horse to ride, he said you just have to wait, wait, and I really wanted to push the button, but I had to wait a bit longer than I usually would, but he had plenty left and he gave me a lovely ride.
“I think he only has that short sprint, if you let him go too soon he doesn’t find the line as well – it’s difficult, because you feel you’ve got so much underneath you. I’m glad I waited and it was a good result in the end.”
First stakes winner for Mongolian Khan
Promising 4-year-old Bankers Choice (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) claimed the fifth and most significant victory of his 10-start career with a powerful finish in Saturday’s G3 Dixon & Dunlop Anniversary H. at Trentham.
The gelding had made a big impression with back-to-back victories in December at Te Rapa and Ellerslie, and he stepped up to stakes level on Saturday and continued his winning way.
Bankers Choice (NZ) | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
Ridden by in-form apprentice jockey Joe Kamaruddin, Bankers Choice quickened stylishly in the straight and swept past the well-performed Coventina Bay (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). Carrying 53kg to Coventina Bay’s 60kg, Bankers Choice maintained the upper hand and scored by 0.75l.
“He’s needed time to learn what it is all about and to strengthen physically to be able to put the talent we know he has on the track,” trainer Stephen Marsh said.
“I’m just thrilled for the owners, Ross and Corrine Kearney, that we could get the job done. They have the dam and a half-sister to this guy at home, so to be able to put a Group 3 win into the family bloodlines is huge for them. The way he has won today, it might not stop there.”
Mongolian Khan | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
Bankers Choice became the first stakes winner for Caulfield Cup, Australian Derby and New Zealand Derby-winning stallion Mongolian Khan, who stands at Windsor Park Stud for a service fee of NZ$7500 (plus GST). He has sired a total of 28 winners from 75 runners, with My Squeeze Louise (NZ) a placegetter in the Listed Tasmanian Oaks.
Saturday’s Anniversary H. produced a trifecta for current or former Windsor Park Stud sires, with runner-up Coventina Bay by Shamexpress (NZ) and third-placed Germanicus (NZ) by Rip Van Winkle (Ire).
Wellington Cup winner back on song
Two weeks out from a defence of his G3 Wellington Cup crown, accomplished stayer Waisake (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) made a timely return to winning form in Saturday’s G3 Mode Technology Trentham S.
Ridden by Craig Grylls, the dark-brown gelding unleashed a fearsome finish over the top of House Of Cartier (Alamosa {NZ}) and Mohaka (NZ) (Nadeem) for an emphatic 0.5l win.
Waisake (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Bought by trainer Allan Sharrock for just NZ$28,000 from the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, Waisake has now won eight of his 29 starts.
“That was a tidy Trentham S. field, so that was pretty special,” Sharrock said. “I said that I would be happy if he could run in the top five, so I’m ecstatic now. The aim all year has been the Wellington Cup.
“Where we go after that is still to be seen. I’ve got Our Hail Mary and Sinarahma for the Auckland Cup, so we might split paths. He could go to Sydney.”
Dark Dream breaks long drought
More than 1000 days after his last win, Dark Dream (All American) scored a drought-breaking win in the California Memory Living Legends Plate at Flemington on Saturday.
The winner of the 2018 Queensland Derby, Dark Dream later travelled to Hong Kong, where he picked up two wins in December of 2018 and April of 2019.
There have been 18 winless starts through the almost three years since then, but on Saturday the 7-year-old broke through.
“He’s been running very well without winning, so it’s great to get the money today,” said Dom Rhoden, stable representative for Lindsay Park trainers Ben and JD Hayes.
“His rating will go up again off that now, so he becomes a little bit difficult to place. There’s another BM100 race in three weeks we might have a look at, and we might even look at a Tasmanian trip with him.”
