Saturday summary: Bigger targets on the horizon for unbeaten Passive Aggressive

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

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How do you breed a five-time G1 winner?

Passive Aggressive retains unblemished record

The daughter of Coolmore’s flagship sire Fastnet Rock came into Saturday’s race the winner of three of her previous starts and she added a fourth win to her CV when she defeated the in-form gelding Star Patrol (Starspangledbanner) by 1l, while Karacasu (Headwater) was the same distance away in third.

"It's the way we wanted it to work out pre-race," Grahame Begg told Racing.com. "It just worked out to a 'T'. To get a drag along, keep her in a good rhythm, get her travelling, go through her gears - it just worked out beautifully."

Begg said that patience had been the key with the filly, who will now head for a spell before being prepared for spring targets.

"To go and win a stakes race at her fourth run, she's come a long way in a very short space of time," he said. "She's got a lot of upside.

"You never know until you actually try them out, but every time she's come to the races she's kept improving. She looked absolutely magnificent walking around today pre-race, she displayed it on the track itself. She keeps on just going ahead every time.

"It's time to have a little bit of a back off, it's a bad time of the year to do it but we'll just wrap her in cotton wool and work out a plan with her. We know she loves a bit of give in the ground and we're very conscious of that."

Winning jockey Jordan Childs said there was still a huge amount of improvement to come from the filly.

"It just worked out perfectly," he said. "I was able to get a sit off the leader (Winning Verse), she travelled so comfortably the whole way and even though I hit the front early, she was just under a nice hold.

"She still doesn't know what she's doing, which is the scary bit, but she got to the front and was just waiting for them.

"I think once she can really get challenged, she'll have another couple of gears up her sleeve."

Raced by Jonathan Munz's Pinecliff Racing, Passive Aggressive was purchased by Dean Hawthorne for $500,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Cressfield draft and she is out of Group 3 winner Miss Judgement (Strategic) making her a sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Missrock.

Miss Judgement is a half-sister to a number of good horses, including G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Mrs Onassis (General Nediym) as well as Group 3-winning duo Fifth Avenue Lady (Encosta De Lago) and Aussies Love Sport (Redoute’s Choice).

Missrock herself was also purchased for the same price, $500,000, when bought by Robbie Laing at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and she was subsequently snapped up after her racing career by John and Jake Warren for $2.3 million at the 2019 edition of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

With this first stakes victory, Passive Aggressive became the 189th stakes winner for Coolmore Stud-based sire Fastnet Rock and he is due to stand the upcoming breeding season for a fee of $165,000 (inc GST).

Neasham’s Queensland domination continues

Annabel Neasham’s good Queensland carnival continued on Saturday as Holyfield (I Am Invincible) landed the Listed Eye Liner S. at Ipswich and in the process further strengthened I Am Invincible’s grip on the race to be crowned Australia’s Champion Sire.

A winner of a Group 3 when trained by Neasham’s former bosses Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Holyfield had signalled he was back to something like his best when finishing fourth in the G3 BRC Sprint at Eagle Farm on May 28 and built on that performance when posting a 1.5l victory over Desert Lord (High Chaparral {Ire}).

The gelding was purchased by Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $800,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2021 and after being moved to Neasham’s stable his former owners decided to sell him.

However, Neasham, who still retained faith in the horse, bought him back for some clients in her stable via Inglis Digital July (Late) Sale in 2021, paying $180,000 for him. Hence, Saturday’s victory would have been vindication for the trainer’s faith in the horse.

"This horse was my first provincial winner when I moved up to Sydney and I stuck with him on his first win on a Saturday and now his first in Queensland. It is lovely,” said the winning jockey, Brodie Loy.

"He's been knocking on the door. Third-up today, fit. He obviously had to work a little bit hard but from the half-mile to around the 450 (metre mark) I felt that we got a really decent breather and he was able to sustain that and was tough to the line.

"All credit to Annabel and the team. It is just great.”

Bred and sold by Segenhoe, Holyfield is out of G1 Myer Classic winner Hurtle Myrtle (Dane Shadow), making him a brother to Listed-placed Vamos Bebe (I Am Invincible).

Holyfield’s Deep Field half-sister was purchased by Bjorn Baker and James Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) for $240,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year and was covered by Deep Field’s barnmate Capitalist last September.

I Am Invincible looks nailed on to win his first Champion Sire title and with this latest victory Holyfield brings up the Yarraman Park-based sire's 19th stakes winner of the season, with two of these coming in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, his exploits as a super stallion could go global in the early hours of Sunday morning, when his Coolmore Stud-bound son Home Affairs looks to add a third Group 1 to his record in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot.

Exciting winner for Almanzor

Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (Fr) chalked up his sixth Southern Hemisphere-bred winner as the Danny O’Brien-trained Grinzinger Bishop (NZ) produced a shock victory to shed his maiden status at Flemington on Saturday.

A well-beaten last of 14 runners at Geelong on debut, Grinzinger Bishop bounced back from that first start flop to beat Don't Doubt Dory (Fiorente {Ire}) by 1l, while Pesto (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) was another 0.1l away in third.

O’Brien said the gelding’s debut performance left the team scratching their heads.

"He's been a horse that's always impressed us," O'Brien said. "The Geelong track was really wet, he got back on that soft track and basically barrier trialled.

"He was rolling in his box the next morning."

O'Brien said it was decided to press on with the campaign and the only hope of getting on a firmer surface for Grinzinger Bishop was to head to town.

"We put a set of blinkers on him on Tuesday morning," O'Brien said. "I spoke to (owner) John (Wheeler) earlier in the week and said, 'We're going to run him, we think he's a lot better than what he did at Geelong'."

Grinzinger Bishop is now qualified to contest the final of the Taj Rossi Series at Flemington on July 2 and O’Brien said they may take up the challenge with the gelding.

"He's a horse we're hoping might be a Derby horse, and he stayed on super today," O'Brien said.

"He took the run so well the other day, and if he does well over the next fortnight, we could run him in the final and then there's still ample time to get him ready for the back end of the spring."

Purchased by JR Wheeler for NZ$55,000 at the 2021 edition of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Grinzinger Bishop is out of the Listed winner Tavy (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and derives from the same family as Group 3 winner Tully Dane (Danehill {USA}).

Almanzor is now represented by three winners apiece in Australia and New Zealand and he will be crowned Champion First Season Sire in New Zealand largely due to the exploits of Dynastic, who landed the R. Listed Karaka 2YO Million earlier in the year.

Almanzor shuttles to Cambridge Stud and he will stand for a fee of NZ$50,000 plus GST in 2022.

Back-to-back Listed success for Devoted

Having taken out the Listed Raconteur S. at Belmont two weeks ago, the Michael Grantham-trained Devoted (Xtravagant {NZ}) added further stakes success to his record when he landed the Listed Belmont Guineas.

The son of Newhaven Park resident Xtravagant (NZ) stayed on bravely to beat Searchin' Roc's (Awesome Rock) by 0.2l, while Black Fantasy (Blackfriars) was another 0.8l away in third.

Bred and raced by Bob Peters, Devoted is out of six time-winning Anabaa (USA) mare Morning Mist and she has produced a further two winners.

Morning Mist herself is a daughter of Group 3 scorer Flaming Heart (Salieri {USA}), making her a half-sister to Group 2 winner Real Love (Desert King {Ire}) and Group 3-winning duo Heart Starter (Domesday) and Suspicion (Mukddaam {USA}), with the latter the dam of Stakes winner Morant (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}).

Devoted is one of four stakes winners for Xtravagant and he will stand the 2022 season for an increased fee of $24,750 (inc GST), having stood last season for $11,000 (inc GST).

Juvenile trifecta for Spirit Of Boom

Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom is enjoying a rich vein of form siring a juvenile trifecta in the Sirromet Wines Bundamba Plate at Ipswich on Saturday as the Helen Page-trained Hattusa (Spirit Of Boom) proved too strong for her rivals at the Queensland track.

Despite punters siding with last start Listed Bill Carter S. placegetter Honey Pot (Spirit Of Boom) from the Tony Gollan stable, Hattusa outran her $40 odds to defeat that rival by 0.5l, while Spooky Spirit (Spirit Of Boom) was another 0.2l away in third.

"She has run some good races in town but was very immature last time," Page said. "I was confident because Tiffani (Brooker) was impressed with her and wanted to ride her.

"The horse is foolproof, and she is a beautiful filly."

Hattusa was bought by her trainer for $280,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Newhaven Park draft and she is out of the winning Redoute’s Choice mare Hittite.

In 2020, Hittite produced a colt by Yulong’s star stallion Written Tycoon and he was purchased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds for $150,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Last year the mare produced a filly by Written Tycoon’s barnmate Brutal (NZ), while she has most recently been covered by Newhaven Park's resident stallion Cool Aza Beel (NZ).

Waller warms up for Ascot with five-timer at Rosehill

All eyes will be on Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) as he attempts to give Chris Waller a double at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. in the early hours of Sunday morning.

However, if there were any pre-race nerves in the Waller camp ahead of the race, they surely would have been slightly placated, at least temporarily, as the stable enjoyed a stunning five-timer at his hometrack, Rosehill Gardens, on Saturday, spearheaded by Skyman’s (GB) win in the Listed W.J. McKell Cup.

Despite having not won a race since April 2021, Skyman has proved a model of consistency for the stable and he landed a much-deserved stakes win with a 2.5l defeat of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Dr Drill (GB) (Dansili {GB}).

Naval Seal (Snitzel) kicked off the haul in the fourth race and the champion trainer quickly added to his tally with Born A King (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Skyman and Wicklow (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}), while the quintet of winners was completed by Bella Rouge (I Am Invincible).

With Waller and his right-hand man Charlie Duckworth both in England, the staff at Rosehill have carried the can admirably, led by Damien Fitton.

"It has been great, credit to all the team back at home," Fitton said.

"Everyone has put in a big effort since Chris has been away overseas with the horses and it's great to see the results today (Saturday).”

Waller's winners were shared between three riders with Willie Pike saluting aboard Naval Seal and Skyman, Hugh Bowman delivering a double on Born A King and Wicklow, and Tommy Berry victorious on Bella Rouge.