Juvenile trial winners for the old guard
Randwick-Kensington hosted a card of trials on Tuesday morning, with two juvenile heats producing winners for both I Am Invincible and Exceed And Excel.
The first was 2-year-old filly Blanc De Blanc (I Am Invincible) for trainer Michael Freedman, who was a $360,000 yearling for James Harron and the Freedman Brothers from the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft this year of Yarraman Park. Her dam, Another Sunday (Redoute’s Choice), is a three-quarter sister to King’s Legacy and Not A Single Doubt.
Following this, the 2-year-old Fludway (Exceed And Excel) won his juvenile trial, also for Michael Freedman. This colt had been bought by Freedman and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) from Torryburn Stud for $110,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. His dam is a three-quarter sister to the dam of both Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern.
Railway for Imperatriz
The 4-year-old mare Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), a multiple Group 1 winner and Champion 3-Year-Old who was last seen finishing at the tail of the field behind La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) in the G1 Arrowfield Stud S. last month, is likely to have her next start in the G1 Railway S. at Te Rapa on New Year’s Day. Following the Arrowfield, she was found to be amiss.
Imperatriz when racing | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“She’s at the water walker at the moment,” said Te Akau trainer Mark Walker. “She was just a bit crook behind, so whether she did that jumping out of the barriers last time, I’m just not sure. She’s had a break and she’s good to go towards the Railway.”
Waihaha Falls awaits The Hunter
Trainer John O’Shea is hoping his talented son of Sacred Falls (NZ), the 5-year-old Waihaha Falls (NZ), will take his place in this Saturday’s million-dollar The Hunter at Newcastle. The horse is currently 22nd in the order of entry for a 16-horse field.
“I definitely have the right horse to be effective, but whether he gets a run is another thing,” O’Shea told Racing HQ. “He would have got in last year’s race, but this year’s is a good bit stronger with a lot more participants.”
Waihaha Falls (NZ) | Image courtesy of Bradley Photos
Kerrin McEvoy is on-call for the ride should the horse make the field, otherwise apprentice Reece Jones will ride Waihaha Falls, who was a last-start fourth in the $2 million Sydney S., in a benchmark race at the meeting. O’Shea won The Hunter last year with Lost And Running (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
Written Tycoon’s big numbers at Magic Millions
Written Tycoon has the largest representation of yearlings in Book 1 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the catalogue for which was released on Tuesday. The Yulong resident has 55, pipping Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible at 53 and Newgate Farm’s Deep Field at 51.
Written Tycoon | Standing at Yulong Stud
Other sires with large representations include Snitzel (46), Zoustar (39) and Capitalist (35). Leading the first-season sire race by numbers is Widden’s Zousain, with 26 in Book 1 (and 36 across both books), while Pierata is close behind with 32 across the catalogue.
The largest representation in Book 2 belongs to the Lyndhurst Stud sire Better Than Ready with 16, and 24 across both books of the sale.
Lunar Flare career up in the air
Trainer Grahame Begg said the immediate racing future of Lunar Flare (Fiorente {Ire}) remains undecided after the 7-year-old mare was withdrawn by Racing Victoria vets twice during Melbourne Cup Week.
Lunar Flare | Image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Lunar Flare was a $17 chance to win the G1 Melbourne Cup when scratched on race morning from last week's $8 million event due to lameness in her off foreleg.
The opportunity for Lunar Flare to grab a consolation success in last Saturday's G3 Queen's Cup was denied by a panel of three RV vets, who believed she still presented with lameness in the off foreleg.
Blue Army among new Hong Kong entrants
Last year's G2 Sandown Guineas winner Blue Army (NZ) (Savabeel) is among the latest Australian horses to arrive in Hong Kong this week and will now be trained by Danny Shum.
The James Harron-owned Capitalist colt Eros, who broke his maiden at Morphettville in July after four career placings, has been sold to Hong Kong and will join the Jamie Richards stable as will the G3 Vo Rogue S. winner Tiger Legend (Better Than Ready).
Everest option for Highfield Princess
Trainer John Quinn has floated the idea of running his multiple Group 1-winning filly Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in next year’s The Everest.
The filly who was most recently seen running fourth in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Saturday.
“She could go back to the Breeders' Cup possibly or there's The Everest (in Australia) and later on there's Hong Kong, so there are a few different options,” said Quinn.
“With all that in mind, we want to give her a good break, bring her back for York and then you've Royal Ascot and the Nunthorpe and the Flying Five again. They're all very hard to win, but the mare would have a chance in all of those if she's at the top of her game.”
Alpinista, Baaeed for Cartier Horse of the Year
Arc heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Shadwell’s brilliant Baaeed (GB), a son of Sea Of The Stars (Ire), head the nominations for the 32nd Cartier Racing Awards, which will be held at London’s Dorchester Hotel on November 9.
Both horses are trained at Newmarket and have accrued 11 Group 1 victories between them. They are joined on the shortlist by Highfield Princess (Fr), a daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire), and Coolmore’s leading stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Alpinista (GB) | Image courtesy of PA Media
Both horses are also among those shortlisted for the Cartier Older Horse of the Year, while the 2-year-old category for colts and geldings features the Ballydoyle No Nay Never (USA) pair of Blackbeard (Ire) and Little Brown Bear (Ire), and, in the same category for fillies, the Zoustar filly Lezoo (Ire) is among nominations.
Sea The Stars to stand for €180,000
The Aga Khan Studs' stallions Sea The Stars (Ire), Siyouni (Fr) and Zarak (Fr) are all set to stand for increased fees in 2023.
Heading a powerful roster, Sea The Stars, sire of the brilliant Baaeed (GB) and Stradivarius (Ire), will cover at a career-high fee of €180,000 (AU$278,000) at Gilltown Stud. Currently third in the sires' table behind Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB), Sea The Stars is the sire of 19 Group 1 winners among his 101 stakes winners.
Also on the rise is the current champion sire in France, Siyouni, whose fee will be increased from €140,000 (AU$216,200) to €150,000 (AU$231,600) having spent his first four years at stud standing for €7000 (AU$10,800). The son of Pivotal (GB) has been represented by more than 30 stakes horses in 2022, including the Aga Khan's smart juvenile filly Tahiyra (Ire), who is unbeaten for Dermot Weld and won the G1 Moyglare Stud S. on her second start.
The roster at Haras de Bonneval is also enhanced by the rising young stallion Zarak. The son of Dubawi and the champion racemare Zarkava (Fr) (Zamindar {USA}) has been represented by five group winners from his first two crops with a strike-rate of 11 per cent stakes winners to runners. His fee, which started at €12,000 (AU$18,500) and rose to €25,000 (AU$38,600) last year, has been set at €60,000 (AU$92,700).
Baaeed to command a fee £80,000
The highest-rated turf horse in a decade, Baaeed (GB) will stand for £80,000 (AU$141,500) in his first season at Shadwell's Nunnery Stud in 2023. The winner of 10 of his 11 starts, including six consecutive Group 1s, he is joined under the Shadwell banner by G1 Sprint Cup hero Minzaal (Ire), who will also be standing his first season next year, at €15,000 (AU$23,200)
Stephen Collins, European bloodstock manager for Shadwell, said, “Baaeed's fee reflects his current status as the champion turf horse in the world for 2022 and also his impeccable race record and superb pedigree, being a direct descendant of Height Of Fashion, the dam of top-class performers Nashwan, Nayef and Unfuwain.
“The 135-rated Baaeed is a wonderful addition to the Shadwell stallion roster and we have been inundated with enquiries for nominations. We have been overwhelmed with the response from breeders from all over Europe and further a-field.”
Almanzor fee reduced
Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (Fr), the sire of G1 VRC Derby winner Manzoice, will stand at the reduced fee of €25,000 (AU$38,609) for 2023.
Among his potential top-class 3-year-olds for next season are the Aga Khan's unbeaten Rajapour (Fr), winner of the Listed Prix Isonomy at Deauville last month, and Ecurie Billon's Around Midnight (Fr), who was beaten a short-head for second in the G3 Prix des Reservoirs.
Also commanding a fee of €25,000 (AU$38,609) for next season is the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Persian King (Ire), who has his first foals on the ground this year. Like Almanzor, his fee has been clipped from €30,000 (AU$46,300). The son of Kingman (GB) remained in training at four to take the G1 Prix d'Ispahan and G1 Prix du Moulin, and also finished third in the Arc.
His fellow Etreham resident and Cambridge Stud shuttler Hello Youmzain (Fr) has also been represented by his first crop of foals this year from a debut book of 128 mares, and the dual Group 1-winning sprinter will stand next season at €22,500 (AU$34,700), trimmed slightly from €25,000 (AU$38,600).
