Friday summary: Coolangatta continues females' good record in Moir with brave victory

Cover image courtesy of Darren Tindale

Coolangatta grabs her Group 1

Star filly Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) translated the brilliance she showed as a 2-year-old into her Classic season, as she grabbed a much-deserved first Group 1 in the G1 AJ Moir S., continuing the impressive record for females in the top-flight contest.

In winning the race, which was elevated to elite status in 2013, Coolangatta continues the fine record for females in the Group 1 and becomes the 11th of her sex to win the contest in 21 runnings, joining the likes of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), Samaready (More Than Ready {USA}), Viddora (I Am Invincible), Pippie (Written Tycoon) and She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), who was the last 3-year-old filly to prevail in the Moonee Valley feature.

An impressive winner of the G3 Gimcrack S. and G3 BJ McLachlan S. last season, the daughter of Written Tycoon returned as a 3-year-old with a promising first-up run to finish third behind Rothfire (Rothesay) and Zoustyle (Zoustar) in the G2 McEwen S. earlier this month, a performance that left some lingering questions surrounding whether she had trained on.

However, she put any doubts to bed with her performance on Friday evening, shooting out the stalls with Jamie Kah in the saddle. After the filly began to draw clear in the straight, her stablemate Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) emerged from the pack and mounted a serious challenge, but just came up short, finishing 0.2l away in second.

Further back, the winner and runner-up’s stablemate Generation (Snitzel) ran a brilliant race to finish fourth. Queensland raider Zoustyle (Zoustar) finished third, while Coolangatta’s other G2 McEwen conqueror, Rothfire, had little luck in running and eventually came home in fifth.

Along with her brace of Group 3 wins as a juvenile, the daughter of Written Tycoon was also victorious in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, before running a good third in the G1 Golden Slipper S. on her final start as a 2-year-old.

Super job

It was a first win in the race for Maher and his training partner Eustace and the former said he was delighted with the performance of all of his runners.

"It's fantastic. A super job by the team. It was her first run going this way the other day (in McEwan) and there were a lot of doubters that said, ‘What are you putting a 3-year-old filly in a race like that against those hardened sprinters?’

“I was very confident in the horse and knew the way she pulled up the other day. I knew she had a tough run but she pulled-up very well. She was very fit going into it,” said Maher.

"It was a super ride by Jamie (Kah). There's not too many jockeys that can ride 50kg and ride as well as her at any weight.

"I thought she'd be sitting behind one, but she took the initiative, she took the luck out of the race. Full credit to the team. They have done a great job with her across the states and it's a massive thrill to get a horse this early in her career to win a Group 1 like that."

When asked if he thought Coolangatta could stretch out to 1200 metres, Maher said: "She probably can. There's not much she can't do, so around here again and I'm sure Jamie would like to ride her again. We'll see how she pulls up, but it's a big tick and if she did nothing else this prep, she's a maturing filly and it was a big effort and a great thrill."

Maher confirmed that the runner-up, Bella Nipotina, would now head to the G1 Manikato S., having finished an agonising second in the Group 1 last season.

“Bella Nipotina put the writing on the wall as she loves The Valley. She had it up against her but Craig (Williams) knows her so well. Bring on the Manikato for her,” he continued.

Coolangatta was purchased by the Maher team for $280,000 from the Milburn Creek draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2021 and she is out of the winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Piping Hot.

Piping Hot herself is daughter of Group 2 winner Ribe (Danehill {USA}) meaning she is a half-sister to G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Reaan (Hussonet {USA}).

In 2022, Coolangatta’s half-sister by Dundeel (NZ) was bought by Kennewell Racing, Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) and Trilogy for $300,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and this season she has foaled a sister to Coolangatta.

With Coolangatta’s victory in the Group 1, Written Tycoon’s total Group 1-winning haul has now moved to 12 and she is the second elite-level bred on the Written Tycoon / More Than Ready cross, with La Luna Rossa being the other.

Yulong Stud-based sire Written Tycoon is currently covering his 16th book of mares at a fee of $165,000 (inc GST).

Tijuana enters Caulfield Guineas mix

The Ben and JD Hayes-trained Tijuana (American Pharoah {USA}) entered the reckoning for the G1 Caulfield Guineas when he stamped his class on the G2 Stutt S. at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

The son of Coolmore's American Pharoah (USA) sat two wide throughout the race, in the slipstream of the early leader, He’s Heaven (Zoustar).

As the race began to heat up, Tijuana loomed up alongside the leader and raced away with the victory to eventually beat Foujita San (Maurice {Jpn}) by 0.5l, while Virtuous Circle (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) was another 0.4l away in third.

The 3-year-old colt has carved an impressive record together winning both his starts as a juvenile, culminating with a first stakes win in the Listed ANZAC Day S. He has come back this season in good form, finishing third in both the G3 HDF McNeil S. and Listed Exford Plate.

Ben Hayes was delighted with the colt’s performance and said it was all systems go ahead of the G1 Caulfield Guineas, while the colt also holds a nomination for the G1 Cox Plate and Hayes was not ruling out the colt running in the Moonee Valley Group 1.

“He's definitely a horse on the up. He's so exciting and a big congratulations to the Jarrod (Magnabosco, Best Bloodstock),” Hayes said.

“We're keeping the dream alive. He'll have to win the Caulfield Guineas to contemplate a Cox Plate, but on his win tonight he has put his hand up.”

Meanwhile, jockey Mark Zahra echoed Hayes’ sentiments: “He's a very good horse. He only jumped fair, and it was a bit busy early and obviously the way the track is playing, everyone wanted to have a piece of it,” Zahra said.

“I had to hold him a bit above his average there, a bit above his comfort speed just to hold them out and then he relaxed really good.

“There is a bit to look at here and he's a colt, so he had a bit of a look around.

“They had the winkers on today (Friday) which helped a bit, but he couldn't see what was coming. When he got a peep at them about the 100 or the 50 (metre mark) he found again.”

The colt was bought by the Lindsay Park team and Jarred Magnabosco’s Best Bloodstock for $100,000 at the 2021 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Eureka Stud.

Tijuana is one of four winners out of the Singapore Champion Mexican Rose (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}), who died in 2020.

American Pharoah has not returned to Australia for the 2022 breeding season and he is represented by 30 stakes winners worldwide, with Tijuana one of three Southern Hemisphere-bred black-type winners for the Triple Crown winner.

Queen reigns at The Valley

Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) used her blistering pace to her advantage to snare her third win at stakes level when she took out the G3 Scarborough S. at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Ridden by Blake Shinn, the daughter of I Am Invincible was coaxed straight to lead in the early stages and set impressive fractions at the front. As the field rounded the turn, Troach (Epaulette) had every chance to go and win the race, but Queen Of The Ball wasn’t stopping and she eventually came away with a comfortable 1.5l victory.

Trained by Michael Freedman, Queen Of The Ball showed her talent as a 2-year-old, breaking her maiden on her second start in the G3 Widden S., before finishing fifth in the G2 Silver Slipper S.

The filly then took out the G3 Black Opal S. and was then far from disgraced when she finished a sound eighth in the G1 Golden Slipper S. on her final start as a 2-year-old.

The filly had her first start this preparation in the G2 Silver Shadow S. and again produced a good effort to finish fourth and Shinn told Racing.com there was more to come from the filly.

“It was a tenacious run in the Slipper and she has trained on, which is good to see,” Shinn said.

“We owned the race from the start and used her speed. Once I controlled it from the front, we were going to be hard to run down because I was able to back off mid-race and then I ramped it up.

“That's one of her best assets and her fighting qualities. When I got that breather mid-race I put it to Craig (Williams, on Troach) and the best horse won the race.

“She's got a good fighting spirit. She was strong at 1200 metres and who knows where she might end up. Michael might go to a Coolmore (Stud S.) or might aim a little bit lower, but I think she's a filly of high quality.”

Bred and raced by Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock, the filly is out of Listed winner Miss Debutante (Fastnet Rock), who is herself a daughter of G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. winner More Than Real (USA) (More Than Ready {USA}).

More Than Real was relocated to Australia after she was purchased by James Bester for US$675,000 (AU$1,025,500) at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds purchased Queen Of The Ball's Zoustar half-sister for $600,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year, while in 2021 Miss Debutante produced a filly by Written Tycoon and is expecting a foal by Flying Artie.

Daisies in full bloom at The Valley

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Daisies (Sebring) produced a brave performance to win the G2 Stocks S. on Friday night and could now be set for a tilt in the G1 Empire Rose S. at Flemington on October 29.

The daughter of Sebring has shown her affinity for the course and distance having landed the G3 Alexandra S. last season, but her race looked over before it had even begun on Friday after she missed the kick.

However, the 4-year-old was able to keep tabs on her rivals and eventually flew down the outside to catch Elusive Express (NZ) (Jakkalberry {Ire}) in the shadows of the winning post, beating her by 0.1l, while Lady Of Honour (No Nay Never {USA}) was the same distance away in third.

This was a third stakes win for Daisies, having also won the G3 Ethereal S. in 2021 and she was purchased by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA), who remains in the ownership, for $250,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2020.

"When she missed the kick I thought to myself, 'I'm going to the bar here, it is a complete waste of time and obviously they've been leading all night," said Mills.

"What an unbelievable ride. Obviously, when you have no luck you have to ride for luck and I still can't believe she won, to be honest.

"I think the Empire Rose (is the plan). She's probably a ten furlong horse but there's not for them other than the Matriarch so we're thinking that we'd try and keep her fresh."

Bred in partnership that includes Widden Stud, where her sire Sebring resided until his untimely death in 2019, Daisies is out of the four-time-winning Snitzel mare Tigress Lily, whose four other foals to race have all been winners and they also include Daisies’ stakes-placed sister Motown Lil and Zou Tiger (Zoustar).

Tigress Lily herself is a three-quarter sister to Listed-winning pair My Sister Lil (Snitzel) and Ygritte (Snitzel) and they also derive from the same family as Champion New Zealand-bred mare Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon {Ire}).

In 2021, Tigress Lily produced a filly by Pierata and was covered by Written By last September.

Desert Icon takes JRA Cup

Since arriving in Australia in 2020, the Chris Waller-trained Desert Icon (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has landed just two races and on Friday night the son of Sea The Stars (Ire) added a third Australian win and first stakes level to his CV when the landed the G3 JRA Cup at Moonee Valley.

The 7-year-old gelding, who began his life in England with Newmarket-based trainer William Haggas, came into the race off the back of an impressive win in the Powerflo Solutions H. over course and distance on September 3 and he built on that performance when beating Nerve Not Verve (NZ) (Shocking) by 3.5l. Persan (Pierro) was a further 0.5l away in third.

Desert Icon is not entered for the Cups and Waller’s representative Jo Taylor said they were going to take things slowly with the gelding.

“He had a fairly easy time up from. It is just a matter of him being a horse that is not as effective when it gets too Heavy and with a Soft 6 he handled that well today but that is as soft as he'd like it,” she said.

“I think we'll just take it one step at a time. There are bigger tasks that he can be set for but it really was just to see what he could step up to this preparation and tonight again it was a step up for him and he showed that he's up to the task.”

Purchased by his trainer for 210,000gns (AU$353,200) at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale in 2020 and he is now raced by Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds.

In winning the race, Desert Icon becomes the 99th stakes winner for Sea The Stars, who stands at the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud in Ireland.