Sixth stakes winner for Justify
At Del Mar in the United States on Saturday (local time), 2-year-old Justify (USA) filly Justique (USA) became her sire’s sixth first-crop stakes winner when she triumphed in the Listed Desi Arnaz S.
Third in her previous start, the G2 Chandelier S. last month, Justique is familiar with Del Mar having broken her maiden there at the first attempt at the end of July.
It was a remarkable victory on Saturday, with Justique giving her rivals a 12l headstart early on in the 1400-metre contest, before picking them off one by one to eventually prevail by a 2.5l eased down.
With pundits pointing towards the G1 Kentucky Oaks next year for his filly, winning trainer John Shirreffs said: “That is our hope - fingers crossed, obviously. She looks like she has that kind of talent, and stretching her out should do her well.”
Justify shuttled from his native North America to Coolmore Australia for three seasons beginning in 2019, and his first crop of juveniles have acquitted themselves well in 2-year-old trials in Australia, with a single of his fillies taking to the track so far.
Sweynesse sires fifth stakes winner
Novara Park Stud resident Sweynesse (NZ) was handed his fifth stakes winner on Sunday when his son Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) landed the G2 Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin.
The 4-year-old gelding signalled he was as black-type winner in the making when finishing second in the G2 Premier Bowl H. last month and he finally broke through at stakes level when he defeated Lucky Patch (NZ) (El Roca) by 0.2l.
Standing at Novara Park for a fee of NZ$9000 (plus GST), Sweynesse’s progeny was well-received at the recent New Zealand Ready to Run Sale earlier in the week when he had five lots sell for an aggregate of NZ$475,000 at an average of NZ$118,750.
Teofilo mare tops final day's trade at Goffs November Sale
It has been a season to remember for Teofilo (Ire) as a broodmare sire with Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) flying the flag at the highest level and it was his daughter Hightown Heights (Ire) (Lot 1418) who topped the final day's trade at the Goffs Breeding Stock Sale.
A significant pedigree update played a major role in Brian Jones going to €75,000 (AU$116,200) to secure Hightown Heights from Ballintry Stud on a day where Goffs chief Henry Beeby hailed the strong trade.
Off the back of an exceptional foal sale that saw turnover rise 16 per cent on last year's figures to €29,561,000 (AU$45,816,600) and the average climbed 15 per cent to €40,110 (AU$62,200), similarly strong figures were posted in the breeding stock sale.
The average was up 27 per cent to €55,560 (AU$86,100) while the aggregate climbed two per cent to €16,501,400 (AU$25,575,500) and the median was also up a massive 41 per cent to €24,000 (AU$37,200). The clearance rate of 79 per cent represented a two per cent drop.
Combining the November Sale results, turnover was up 10 per cent to €46,062,400 (AU$71,392,100) while the average rose by 20 per cent to €45,548 (AU$70,600) and the median up 20 per cent to €24,000 (AU$37,200).
Beeby said, “It's hard to find the appropriate words to describe trade this week but it can really only be defined in the richest of superlatives. The four-day Foal Sale set the tone especially throughout the marquee Wednesday session when the cream of the Irish foal crop provoked a session of truly frenzied bidding that was the highlight of a sale of depth, consistency and hunger for the best.”
Moroney looks to Caulfield for Bankers
Trainer Michael Moroney has earmarked the G1 Caulfield Cup for Saturday’s Listed Ballarat Cup winner Bankers Choice (NZ) (Mongolian Khan), who was gaining his first victory in Australia.
Immediately after the race Moroney said that races such as the G1 Doncaster H. could be on the agenda for the 5-year-old gelding, but has since indicated that he may test the horse over further during this campaign, with an eye on a future preparation for the Caulfield feature.
Bankers Choice (NZ) winning Saturday's Listed Ballarat Cup | Image courtesy of Country Racing Victoria
“The more I’ve watched the replays we might change tack with him as his stamina was the main part of his win and he ran right through the line,” Moroney told Racing.com.
“The Caulfield Cup in the spring might be his go. We had always thought 2000-metre races might be more like it. I’m well aware he’s deep into his preparation and we’ve trained him up to go deep into it but it warrants a fair bit of thought to test him over more ground.”
Luncies heads to Zipping
Kris Lees will extend the campaign of 6-year-old gelding Luncies (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), to take in this weekend’s G2 Zipping Classic. Luncies was most recently seen finishing second to subsequent G1 Melbourne Cup ante-post favourite Soulcombe (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G3 Queen’s Cup earlier this month.
“Luncies has come through the Queen’s Cup well and this will only be his fifth run in the campaign,” Lees told Racing.com.
“He goes from a Quality handicap to the weight-for-age conditions of the Zipping Classic but he deserves a crack at it and generally the race doesn’t draw a big field.”
Sound bids for third Zipping
Sound (Ger) (Lando {Ger}) will bid for a hat-trick in the G2 Zipping Classic this weekend, with his trainer Michael Moroney hopeful that he can defy his likely double-figure odds, just as he did when prevailing at $20 in last year’s renewal.
“It would be great for the horse himself,” Moroney told Racenet.
Michael Moroney | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“He's such a lovely, lovely horse and it would be good for the owners, they paid a bit of money for him, he's won it all back and plus but it would be a fitting part of his career to win three.
“If he could do that he would be remembered as one of the better horses that stayed around for a while because it's a hard race to win three times.”
The 10-year-old gelding is a winner of nine of his 52 starts, and has amassed $1.96 million in prizemoney during his mammoth career.
Lane's successful Japanese raid
Australian jockey Damian Lane produced an excellent ride to claim victory in the G1 Mile Championship (1600 metres) at Hanshin in Japan on Sunday.
Riding the 3-year-old colt Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), the pair stormed down the outside late on to record a 1.25l victory over Danone The Kid (Jpn) (Justaway {Jpn}).
Trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida, Serifos won two stakes races as a juvenile and came into Sunday's feature off the back of victory in the G2 Fuji S. last month.
Serifos is out of the well-named Le Havre (Fr) mare Sea Front (Fr), a Listed winner in her native France. The colt's victory was a seventh Group 1 winner for Daiwa Major (Jpn), a son of the influential Sunday Silence (Jpn).
Golden Sixty won't lie down
Hong Kong Mile Champion Golden Sixty (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) put in a fierce display of his talents as he returned to the track at Sha Tin on Sunday, lowering the colours of young pretender California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) in the G2 Jockey Club Mile.
Trained by Francis Lui, the 7-year-old gelding was winning the Group 2 for a third consecutive time. He hit the front with just 50 metres to run, eventually prevailing over 4-year-old California Spangle by just a head.
McDonald's trip worthwhile
Champion Jockey James McDonald made his brief sojourn in Hong Kong worthwhile on Sunday afternoon when he rode a double, headlined by victory in the G2 Jockey Club Cup aboard Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}).
Trained by Danny Shum, the 4-year-old gelding finished his last campaign with victory in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Earlier in the card McDonald teamed up with the same trainer for victory aboard Victor The Winner (Toronado {Ire}) in a Handicap event.
Reigning Hong Kong Champion Jockey Zac Purton wasn't to be left out of the action on Sunday, riding three winners including the G2 Jockey Club Sprint aboard Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse).
Schofield ban emerges from Gong
After a messy running of the race, Chad Schofield plead guilty to careless riding following Saturday’s $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange.
The Group 1-winning jockey partnered the Chris Waller-trained Oscar Zulu (Epaulette) in the feature race, and was deemed insufficiently clear when moving across Wild Planet (Animal Kingdom {USA}), which affected several other horses.
Schofield's ban will take effect from this Sunday, running until Thursday, December 8 inclusive.
