Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Please note the meetings at Randwick and Belmont were postponed
Caulfield: G3 Bletchingly S., $200,000, 1200m
Capping off a wonderful season for his Yarraman Park-based sire, King Of Sparta (I Am Invincible) was a determined winner of Melbourne's last stakes race for this racing year.
Bred by Yarraman Park with HG and MG Cope, King Of Sparta is raced by them with various other owners including the China Horse Club who, with Newgate Bloodstock and Starlight Racing, bought him for $700,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The winner of this year's R. Listed Magic Millions Guineas, King Of Sparta is one of his sire's 79 stakes winners and one of three winners for his G3 Cockram S. and Listed Kevin Hayes S.-winning dam Octavia (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
Also dam of the metropolitan winners Aviemore (Written Tycoon) and Ljungberg (I Am Invincible), Octavia foaled a full brother to King Of Sparta last October and was again served by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).
She missed the year after producing King Of Sparta with her next foal being the I Am Invincible yearling filly Penny For who has been retained by her breeders.
Octavia is one of the eight winners produced by the multiple city winner Filming (Brocco {USA}) whose dam is the two-time Group 1-placed, two-time Group winner Paklani (Haulpak), dam of the Group 3 winner Real Mak (Brahms {USA}) and grandam of the South African Group 1 winners Stellite (SAf) (Fard {Ire}) and Zirconeum (SAf) (Jallad {USA}).
Bred on a 4 X 4 Danzig (USA) (Northern Dancer {Can}) cross, King Of Sparta also boasts duplications of the influential mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
New Plymouth: Listed Opunake Cup, NZ$80,000, 1400m
What a grand effort by the 7-year-old Helena Baby (NZ) (Guillotine {NZ}) to win the same race twice - and three years apart with a career overseas in between!
Bred by Windsor Park Stud who stood his G2 Feehan S.-winning sire who was exported to China seven years ago (eight stakes winners to his credit), Helena Baby was in great form over the autumn and winter of 2019 - winning five in a row including this race.
Subsequently Group 1 placed, he made his way to Hong Kong where he did not manage a win, having his last start there in July last year and reappearing in New Zealand with a third at Waikato in May.
Fifth up from a spell on Saturday, he recorded his sixth win from 28 starts.
Bred on a 5 X 6 cross of Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}), Helena Baby is one of the four winners produced by the Kensington winner Hot Stash (Secret Savings {USA}), also dam of the metropolitan winners Hover (Starcraft {NZ}) and Pacific Mystical (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).
Served last spring by Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) after foaling a Rageese (Street Cry {Ire}) filly, Hot Stash is out of the stakes-placed five-time winner Abeel Hostess (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) whose dam is the G2 Magic Night S. winner Fickle Hostess (Lunchtime {GB}), daughter of the triple Group-winning juvenile Vaindarra (Vain) who was second to Marscay (Biscay) in the G1 Golden Slipper S.
