So You Think chalks up juvenile winner
Coolmore’s So You Think (NZ) was supplied with an impressive 2-year-old winner on Wednesday as the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Proscenium Arch (NZ) broke her maiden at Sandown-Hillside.
Proscenium Arch came into the race off the back of a trial win at Cranbourne and she showed her enormous potential when she beat her stablemate Guru Ram Das (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) by 3.8l, while Thesecondatportsea (Churchill {Ire}) was another 0.5l back in third.
Purchased by her trainers and James Clarke Bloodstock from the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft for $220,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the filly is the first winner out of It’s Our Showtime (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) and she is herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}).
The son of High Chaparral (Ire) was handed a double on the day with So Risque (NZ) following up Proscenium Arch’s victory when he took out a BM70 later on in the afternoon.
So You Think is on track to finish second to I Am Invincible in the Champion Sire premiership and he will stand for an increased fee of $93,500 (inc GST) in 2022.
Double for Belardo
Haunui Farm shuttler Belardo (Ire) chalked up a double on Wednesday headed by Tympanist’s (NZ) victory at Randwick-Kensington.
Winning for the fourth time in his career, Tympanist scooted clear in the final stages to beat The Catch (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) by 4.3l.
Belardo’s day got off to a good start when Chase 'N' Gold (NZ) broke his maiden at Avondale when he posted a 0.8l defeat over William (NZ) (Castledale {Ire}).
Belardo will stand the upcoming breeding season for a fee of NZ$10,000 plus GST.
Dee And Gee fetches NZ$105,000 on Gavelhouse Plus
Group 3-winning Darci Brahma (NZ) mare Dee And Gee (NZ) was the headline act of the Gavelhouse Plus National Broodmare and Stallion Share Sale on Wednesday when she was purchased by John Cordina for NZ$105,000.
From 61 starts, she won eight races and over NZ$449,000 in prizemoney, headed by black-type victories in the G3 New Zealand Cup and Listed Metropolitan Trophy. She placed in another four stakes races and finished fourth in the G1 Auckland Cup.
Cordina raced the Rich Hill Stud-based Ace High and retains a number of shares in the dual Group 1-winning son of High Chaparral (Ire) and he said he had been on the hunt for some well-credentialled mares to send to the sire.
Dee And Gee (NZ) | Image courtesy of Gavelhouse
“I have been seeking some well-credentialled New Zealand mares to send to Ace High this coming season so Dee And Gee will visit him along with Honfleur who I purchased from the Valachi Downs Dispersal,” Cordina said.
The National Broodmare and Stallion Share Sale concluded with an aggregate of NZ$875,701, an average price of NZ$17,171 and a median of NZ$10,500.
“This is just the second year we have held this sale and it is cementing its place in the calendar while vendors work out what mares are best suited to this format and where they sit in the market,” said gavelhouse.com General Manager Haylie Martin.
“With almost NZ$10 million traded on stock in the recent Valachi Downs Dispersal Sales, it was always going to be interesting to see what was left to go around and it was pleasing there was good competition on many lots and especially the younger mares tonight.”
Peters' stars step out at Geelong
Danny O’Brien’s stable has been bolstered by the addition of some track stars owned by Bob Peters and many of them stepped out at the Geelong jump-outs on Wednesday including G2 Blamey S. winner Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) as she prepares for her second spring as part of the O’Brien team.
“We’ve just done a few things different with her, she’s done a lot of dressage, which she’s appreciated,” O’Brien told Racing.com.
“I was really pleased with her this morning, Damian Lane knows her very, very well and he was very pleased with her. She had had a tendency to hang a little bit last autumn for us, but she went really straight this morning. She seems to be in really good shape.”
The daughter of Reliable Man (GB) was joined at the jump-outs by Peters’ other stars; Regal Power (Pierro), Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Graceful Girl (Nicconi).
Golden Eagle Plan for Kiss Sum
Last-start G3 Gunsynd Classic winner Kiss Sum (Shamus Award) is being set for a tilt at the Golden Eagle.
The Tracey Bartley-trained gelding is back in work after a short break in Queensland and he is likely to kick off his spring campaign towards the end of September.
"He had three weeks off up there, a week on the treadmill and he's back in work," Bartley said.
Kiss Sum | Image courtesy of Sportpix
"He hasn't had a lot of time out, but he looks fine. He's had a sunbake up there, although there probably wasn't a lot of sun, it was better than down here.
"His prep was faultless really. His form is really good and we've got a really smart horse on our hands. He's got the right formlines to go to a Golden Eagle.
"He might need to win one on the way through and get his benchmark up a little bit more, but he's in a good space."
Streets Of Avalon set to make Bletchingly return
The Shane Nichols-trained Streets Of Avalon (Magnus) is set to resume in Saturday’s G3 Bletchingly S. at Caulfield after a bout of travel sickness forced him to miss a start in the inaugural running of The Archer at Rockhampton.
For plans after this weekend’s Group 3, Nichols said the $1.5 million Gold Rush at Ascot on December 10 may be a suitable race for Streets Of Avalon to be aimed at.
Other plans for the gelding include the G2 PB Lawrence S. at Caulfield on August 13 and then potentially the G1 Memsie S. two weeks later, after which a decision would be made on whether to give the gelding a break to prepare for Perth.
Winter return unlikely for Mugatoo
Trainer Kris Lees remains on weather watch with Mugatoo (Ire) (Henrythenavigator {USA}) but admits the chances of the horse making his much-anticipated comeback in the Listed Winter Challenge at Randwick are slim.
While the 2021 All-Star Mile winner enjoys wet ground, the Newcastle trainer is reluctant to run him first-up on a rain-soaked track.
"He is (in doubt). He loves Heavy ground, but he is 14 months off the scene," Lees said.
"We accepted today with a bit of a weather watch. If it was a (Heavy) eight, I'd probably run but that is looking less likely from what I'm reading."
Behemoth ready for hat-trick
The David Jolly-trained Behemoth (All Too Hard) will attempt to win his third consecutive G1 Memsie S. when he tackles the 1400-metre contest next month.
“At the moment he’s ticking along quite nicely,” Jolly told Racing.com.
“We’re planning on trialling him on Friday the 5th (August), and we’ll probably go to one of the tracks and have a gallop between races in the next couple of weeks.”
Behemoth | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
The 6-year-old hasn’t been to the races since May when finishing seventh in the G1 The Goodwood H. at Morphettville, after plans to run in the All-Star Mile were aborted due to lameness owing to firm tracks.
“He probably would’ve been better off going to Sydney with the way the weather turned out, we went the All-Star Mile way, and he felt the ground (in the CF Orr Stakes), this time we might have to change his program around a bit based around the softer ground,” Jolly said.
“We’ve basically backed off the work like we usually do, he’s had a traditional build-up to the spring, we just keep him down the beach here and he’s just had a couple of visits to the track to do a bit of easy work.”
Imperatriz dazzles at Cambridge trials
Trainer Mark Walker is impressed with the way star Te Akau mare Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) has returned from her break and she showed she was in good health in a trial at Cambridge on Tuesday.
Walker was non-committal about the Group 1 winner’s 4-year-old program and said her races would be determined by suitable track conditions.
"She trialled up really nicely. She's pulled up well overnight and trotted up well this morning," Walker said. "We'll see how she eats up towards the end of the week and firm up plans after that.
"After she won the Group 1 at Te Rapa, she was out for about four weeks. She's quite a clean-winded type of mare. It just depends on how the weather treats us over the next few weeks. It's always hard for horses when they go from three to four. Some cope with that rise better than others.
"We'll just keep our feet on the ground and target some New Zealand races first and if her form warrants it, we'll consider a trip across the Tasman for her. Her program will be dictated by the weather but the Tarzino is the logical target of course. She's coming along nicely."
Cape Breton lands in Hong Kong
A total of 12 Australian horses have touched down in Hong Kong, headlined by the Coolmore-owned former Chris Waller-trained inmate Cape Breton (Vancouver).
The son of Vancouver has joined the Douglas Whyte stable and last raced in the G2 Queensland Guineas where he finished fifth. The gelding was a three-time metropolitan winner from his nine starts ranging from 1250-1400 metres.
He also finished fifth in the Listed Canberra Guineas and fourth in the Listed Daybreak Lover.
Munce denies wrongdoing
Chris Munce says he is confident he has no case to answer over stewards' charges which allegedly stem from CCTV footage seized from his Eagle Farm stables.
The trainer has written to his owners after News Corp revealed on Monday that he had been served with eight new charges by Queensland stewards.
“I wanted to write to you given that I have been charged with breaches of the Rules of Racing as reported in the media,” Munce writes to owners.
“I am very disappointed that stewards have taken this action two years after the alleged events.
“I am confident that I have no case to answer.”
Munce and his legal team are unhappy that the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission provided News Corp with a statement that detailed eight new charges the trainer was facing and a further two levelled against his stablehand son Corey.
Both men deny all allegations of impropriety.
Melham back with a bang
Ben Melham could not have asked for a better return to the saddle when he guided Delicious Tycoon (Written Tycoon) to an all-the-way win at Sandown.
Injured when he tumbled passing the winning post at Morphettville on Adelaide Cup Day in March, Melham had been back riding for only three weeks following a lengthy suspension.
Melham was one of the Airbnb five that were rubbed out for varying amounts of times following a party during COVID lockdown in Victoria last August.
Dealt a five-month ban for that misdemeanour, Melham hit the ground running upon his return in February, riding 12 winners from 37 mounts before his fall at Morphettville.
"It's been a bit of a process but I'm back to 100 per cent now," Melham said. "Lots of rehab, a lot of core training as well as a bit of weight conditioning, but it's good to be back a winner, for sure. You don't come back until you're relatively fit as it's a tough caper to come back to.
"I've had a long time off over the last couple of years and I'll improve as I go along, but you've got to start somewhere."
Hoo Ya Mal moved to Boughey
The G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) has joined George Boughey for a possible crack at the G1 St Leger before he departs for Australia later in the year.
Formerly trained by Andrew Balding, he was bought by Gai Waterhouse, McKeever Bloodstock, Adrian Bott and Go Bloodstock at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot for £1.2million (AU$1,777,900) last month.
“It’s very exciting to have a horse like Hoo Ya Mal in the yard,” Boughey told Racing TV.
“His work has been good and we are looking at the Gordon Stakes next before a possible tilt at the St Leger before he heads to Australia with Gai Waterhouse for the Carnival out there.”
