Justify sires second Group winner
Coolmore Stud could have hardly hoped for a better start at stud for their US Triple Crown winner Justify (USA) and on Thursday the stallion added another feather to his cap when he was represented by his second first-crop stakes winner courtesy of Just Cindy’s (USA) victory in the G3 Schuylerville S. at Saratoga, the first Graded event for juveniles run in North America in 2022.
Last seen making a winning debut at Churchill Downs on June 17, the Eddie Kenneally-trained filly preserved her unbeaten record when she defeated Summer Promise (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}) by an impressive 2.3l.
“It was great and I think she's still a little green too, so I think there's a lot of raw talent there,” said Kelly Wheeler, assistant to Kenneally. “She's an exciting horse to have in the barn. She kind of got knocked around a little bit and she stayed professional and ran on. It's really all you can ask for in a second-time starter.”
Bred and raced by Clarkland Farm, Just Cindy is one of four winners for Justify and she joins G2 Airlie Stud S. winner Statuette (USA) as the stallion’s other stakes winner.
Justify will sit out shuttling duties to Australia this season, but he will be represented by his first Southern Hemisphere-bred runners in the spring.
Another winner for Satono Aladdin
Rich Hill shuttler Satono Aladdin (Jpn) sired his second Southern Hemisphere-bred first-crop winner of the week courtesy of Grand Impact’s (NZ) victory at Geelong, meaning the son of Deep Impact (Jpn) has now sired five winners in the Southern Hemisphere, two in Australia and three in New Zealand.
Satono Aladin (Jpn) | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
Trained by Mick Price and Micheal Kent Jnr, the 2-year-old colt defeated Blow In (Flighting Sun) by 1.3l, while Tolpuddle (Pierro) was a further 3l away in third.
"He's a serious horse," winning jockey Michael Walker said. "I had one sit on him in a jump-out and I said to Pricey, 'Please, can I stick with him'?
"He still doesn't know what he's doing. You can see in the straight, he ran in, he was having a look at the grandstand and the people standing in it and he's won by that much. It was very easy actually."
Satono Aladdin will stand the upcoming season for a fee of NZ$12,500 plus GST.
Victoria Derby aims for Cadazio
Co-trainers Mick Price and Micheal Kent Jnr chalked up a double at Geelong when Cadazio (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) followed up Grand Impact’s win by breaking his maiden against the older horses in the Sports Underwriting Australia P/L Maiden Plate.
Making his first racecourse appearance, the OTI Racing-owned 2-year-old gelding forged clear to beat Bioluminescence (NZ) (Savabeel) by 2.5l. Marco Spada (Street Boss {USA}) was another 0.5l away in third.
Cadazio has been touted as a G1 VRC Derby hopeful and should he win next season’s Group 1 he would emulate his father Tarzino (NZ), who landed the Group 1 for Price in 2016.
After being passed in as a yearling at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale last year, he was purchased by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock and Mick Price Racing for NZ$120,000 at the auction house's Ready to Run Sale later that same year.
Westbury Stud resident Tarzino has enjoyed a wonderful 12 months on the track and his 19 winners this year are led by G1 Queensland Oaks winner Gypsy Goddess (NZ), while also sired Cadazio’s stablemate Jungle Magnate (NZ) who landed the G1 South Australian Derby. The stallion will stand the upcoming breeding season for a fee of NZ$15,000 plus GST.
Distance rise to suit The Lions' Gate
Trainer Matt Dunn is confident that a rise in distance will bring about improvement in The Lions’ Gate (Vancouver) when he runs in the Listed Furphy H. at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Lions' Gate made his debut on the Randwick-Kensington track last month and, from a wide draw, he was caught three and four-deep throughout, finishing out of the placings but never shirking his task.
With a cosier run at Canterbury, he hit the line strongly and was beaten a length by Hell I Am (Hellbent).
"There is a bit of a wrap for the winner (Hell I Am) and another 50 metres, with the way he was finishing, he probably nearly gets to it," Dunn said. "He's an exciting horse, hence the reason I stepped him straight into a Saturday race.
"He hasn't missed a beat. He is a gross, big, heavy horse so the short turnaround should suit his physique."
Through Irish Eyes set for Flemington return
Through Irish Eyes (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) has not been successful since he landed the 2021 Listed VRC St Leger and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained gelding will be looking to snap that losing streak when he lines up in the Flemington Cup 1849 at Flemington on Saturday.
"He should have and would have won the Brisbane Cup if he hadn't have got to the front and had a wander around," Eustace said.
"He is a talented stayer, but he doesn't know how to knuckle down and put them away."
Eustace said Through Irish Eyes needs to get his handicap rating up if he is to be a part of the bigger races during the upcoming spring.
"He's run some very good races without winning and the result is his handicap mark is still at a fairly low level," Eustace said.
"We want to get his mark up so he can contest better class races during the spring."
Frankel sires 25th Group 1 winner
Juddmonte’s superstar stallion Frankel (GB) enjoyed a memorable day at Longchamp in France on Thursday when he chalked up a stakes double headed by Onesto’s (Ire) victory in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, handing the stallion a remarkable 25th Group 1 winner.
Frankel (GB) | Standing at Juddmonte Farms
Meanwhile earlier on in the afternoon, his daughter Raclette (GB) added a second stakes win to her CV when she took out the G2 Prix de Malleret.
Frankel stood the past season for a fee of £200,000 (AU$351,000).
Moody on weather watch
Peter Moody was forced to scratch exiting filly Tapin’ Three (Zoustar) from last Saturday's 2-year-old race at Caulfield and will have no hesitation doing the same again this week should she strike another wet track.
"She's a nice filly, she's trialled well and it's time for her to go to the races and see if she's as good as we think but she doesn't handle Soft ground," Moody told Racing.com.
"I'll wait until Saturday morning and seeing what the track report says."
Incentivise’s half-brother set to debut
Argyle Lane (Golden Archer), a half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Incentivise (Shamus Award), will make his debut at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday for trainer Steve Tregea, who also kicked off the career of Incentivise at a similar stage.
Tregea said the rising 5-year-old is nothing like his famous half-brother.
“Absolutely nothing alike,” Tregea told Racenet.
Incentivise after winning the G1 Caulfield Cup - his half-brother, Arglye Lane, is set to debut on Saturday | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“Incentivise’s stable name was ‘Splinter’ and this fella has been a monster ever since he has been a foal. He is a nice big horse, he is very bulky and big so it is a good place to start him.
"He trialled nicely I thought, he had a couple of jump-outs this time in. He has shown plenty of ability but I don’t take too much notice until you take them to the races.”
Team Pearce aim two at Belmont Classic
The Dan and Ben Pearce-trained pair, Black Fantasy (Blackfriars) and Outspoken Lad (Awesome Rock), will clash once again in the Listed Belmont Classic on Saturday.
Black Fantasy sat outside and beat Outspoken Lad by a 0.1l in the Listed Aquanita S. a fortnight ago.
The pair have clashed five times in their short careers to date and Black Fantasy has beaten Outspoken Lad home on three of those occasions.
"They've been even all the way through," Ben Pearce told TABradio. "I thought they were really even going into the last one and it proved that way.
"I don't really care, as long as one of them wins.
"If you were being fair, Outspoken Lad deserves one and they can have one each."
Australian targets beckon La Crique
The G2 Avondale Guineas winner La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) is being set for a trip across the Tasman this spring where she will be aimed at some rich Melbourne targets.
Trainers Simon and Katrina Alexander have been weighing up between Melbourne and Sydney, with the $10 million Golden Eagle the major drawcard for a New South Wales visit, but the husband-and-wife duo are leaning towards heading to Victoria.
La Crique (NZ) winning the G2 Avondale Guineas | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“It is either Melbourne or the Golden Eagle, and I don’t think 1500 metres is her ideal distance in Australia, she will want to compete a bit further than that,” said Simon Alexander.
“She will be coming to Australia in the spring, it will be just a case of when.”
The filly landed the G3 Desert Gold S. at Trentham in January before taking out the G2 Avondale Guineas and showed her talent when finishing runner-up against her male counterparts in the G1 New Zealand Derby.
Increased European participation expected this spring
Racing Victoria is expecting an increased international presence in this spring’s Melbourne Cup after receiving positive feedback from potential European participants.
“We had some well-documented changes to our veterinary requirements last year which created a lot of consternation, and we got a lot of feedback on it,” RV’s General Manager Of International and Racing Operations, Paul Bloodworth told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.
“I feel like, with the passing of time, the attitude of the European trainers has seemed to have softened a little bit towards coming to Melbourne, which is great.
“We did make a significant change to our veterinary protocols this year by removing the (mandatory) bone scan, or scintigraphy as it is also known, and I think that has been well-received by European trainers.
“So, as it stands, after multiple discussions over the last 10 days, it’s looking very promising for the spring.”
