Cover image courtesy of Darren Tindale
G1 Moir S., $1,000,000, 1000m
What a great effort by the Maher and Eustace team, saddling up three runners in this Group 1 dash and having them finish first (Coolangatta by Written Tycoon), second (Bella Nipotina by Pride Of Dubai) and fourth (Generation by Snitzel).
This year’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner, Coolangatta was having only her second run since her G1 Golden Slipper S.-placing in March - finishing third when resuming in the G2 McEwen S. and deriving benefit from her first time racing the Melbourne way.
Able to out-speed her older rivals, Coolangatta recorded the fourth win (all at stakes level) of her six-start career.
One of the 50 stakes winners for her high-achieving, Yulong Stud-based sire, she was bred by Highclere Stud Australia and purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for $280,000 from the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft of Milburn Creek.
She is just the second foal for the lightly raced Piping Hot (More Than Ready {USA}) who, from just four starts, won two races in Sydney. Her first foal is the Waterhouse and Bott-trained dual city winner Snitzonfire (Snitzel) (a $425,000 Magic Millions graduate) whilst her third is a yet to be named Dundeel (NZ) filly. And she just recently foaled a full sister to Coolangatta.
Piping Hot is a daughter of the G2 Moonee Valley Oaks winner Ribe (Danehill {USA}) whose other seven winners include the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Reaan (Hussonet {USA}). Ribe’s grandam is the G3 Colin Stephen H. winner Pontiac Lass (NZ) (Pevero {Ire}).
With his strong Mumtaz Mahal (GB) (The Tetrarch {GB}) influence, Written Tycoon picks up well with further strains and it is interesting to note that Coolangatta’s third dam sire Kaapstad (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) is a descendant.
G2 Stutt S., $300,000, 1600m
Looking the part in the mounting yard and racing up to his looks, Tijuana (American Pharoah {USA}) cemented his reputation as one of Victoria’s most promising 3-year-olds with this, his second stakes win from just five starts.
The winner back in April of the Listed ANZAC Day S. at Flemington, the Hayes family-trained colt was bred in Queensland by Eureka Cambooya Thoroughbreds and Black Soil Bloodstock and sold through the Eureka Stud draft to Best Bloodstock and Lindsay Park Racing for $100,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
One of 30 stakes winners (three in Australia) for his American Triple Crown-winning stallion who has shuttled to Coolmore Stud on five occasions (not this year), Tijuana is the sixth and final live foal produced by the terrific mare Mexican Rose (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) who earned the titles of Singapore Champion 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Filly with her 10 wins - three at Listed level.
Sadly, she and her last born foal (a Spirit Of Boom colt) died in the spring of 2020. She did a good job producing another three winners including the stakes-placed Mexican Tycoon (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and the metropolitan winners Sacred Sham (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Nucleonic (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}) and Mexican Gal (Encosta De Lago) who did her dam proud also winning several races in Singapore.
A half-sister to the stakes-placed Latin Rose (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Mexican Rose hails from the same branch of the prolific Marchetta (GB) (Marco {GB}) family as the G1 Arlington Million winner Mill Native (USA) (Exclusive Native {USA}).
G2 Stocks S., $300,000, 1600m
The only horse all night to come from the rear to win, Daisies (Sebring) reaffirmed her liking of the Moonee Valley circuit by recording her second stakes win (the Listed Alexandra S. in March the first) at the track.
Also the winner last spring of the G3 Ethereal S., Daisies is one of the 78 stakes winners for her late sire.
Bred by Widden Stud (and sold out of their draft), Boeara Holdings, Ms C Richards, Mr D Shaw and Ms E Bertoli, she fetched $250,000 to the bid of Sheamus Mills Bloodstock at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
A full sister to the stakes-placed Motown Lil and the city winner Passionate Lass, she is out of the dual city winner Tigress Lily (Snitzel) whose dam is the G1 VRC Oaks placegetter Empress Lily (Zabeel {NZ}), daughter of the outstanding mare Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon {Ire}), the triple Group 1 winner who earned the crown of New Zealand Horse of the Year.
Producing a Pierata filly last spring (subsequently served by Written By), Tigress Lily has a Zoustar 2-year-old (the John O’Shea-trained Zou Tiger) showing promise; that $200,000 Inglis Classic graduate a recent easy Kensington maiden winner who was not disgraced as favourite in the G3 Ming Dynasty S.
Daisies is bred on a 4 X 4 Danehill (USA) cross, also carrying strains of that stallion's close relations Northern Dancer (Can) and Halo (USA).
G3 Scarborough S., $200,000, 1200m
Never in any danger of defeat once able to dictate in front, Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) impressed winning her third Group 3 race from just seven starts.
Also winner of the G3 Black Opal S. and the G3 Widden S., Queen Of The Ball has had a great year and on the back of this performance which came at just her second run back from a spell, she looks set for further success.
A homebred for Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock, Queen Of The Ball is one of the 81 stakes winners for Yarraman Park Stud’s reigning Champion Sire.
She is the first foal for the speedy Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock) - a $430,000 yearling purchase for Paul Moroney who won four of her eight starts for Go Bloodstock - including the Listed Denise's Joy S.
Served last spring by Flying Artie after foaling a Written Tycoon filly, Miss Debutante also has an exciting 2-year-old daughter in the shape of Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) who earlier this week won a Randwick trial for the Waterhouse and Bott stable.
Queen Of The Ball is a member of a long line of female stakes winners - her dam a Listed winner whilst her grandam More Than Real (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}) took out the G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf S. Her third dam Miss Seffens (USA) (Dehere {USA}) was five times successful at Listed level and her fourth dam Noise Enough (Can) (Bold Ruckus {USA}) was a Listed winner at two.
Bred on a 4 X 4 Danzig (USA) (Northern Dancer {Can}) cross, Queen Of The Ball also carries duplications of the excellent mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Somethingroyal (USA) (Princequillo {Ire}).
G3 JRA Cup, $200,000, 2040m
One of Chris Waller’s buying trips to the UK is paying dividends with Desert Icon (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) looking set for a profitable spring on the back of this dominant on pace victory - the lightly raced 7-year-old’s first at stakes level.
Bred by Ecurie Des Charmes (the French stud which is home to both thoroughbreds and standardbreds), the 210,000gns (AU$370,700) purchase for Waller at the 2020 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale has now won three races in Australia - as many as he won in the Northern Hemisphere.
The 99th stakes winner (and his seventh on Australian soil) for his multiple Group 1-winning Gilltown Stud-based sire, Desert Icon is out of the two-time winner Plume Rose (GB) (Marchand De Sable {USA}) whose other four winners include the Group 3-placed Gardol City (Fr) (Elusive City {USA}).
Plume Rose is one of the eight winners produced by the unraced Peace Signal (USA) (Time For A Change {USA}) whose son Painter’s Dream (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) is a Listed winner in South Africa.
Peace Signal is a daughter of the Group 2-winning mare Peinture Bleue (USA) (Alydar {USA}) who did a great job at stud with her four stakes winners including the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Peintre Celebre (USA) (Nureyev {USA}).
