Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
R. Listed Inglis Nursery - the next star is born?
The R. Listed Nursery at Randwick has proved in the past a good jumping-off point for top-class 2-year-olds, with the race producing two G1 Golden Slipper S. winners in Mossfun (Mossman) (2013) and She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain) (2019), meanwhile stallions Acrobat (2020), Wild Ruler (2019) and Extreme Choice (2015) also notched victories in the 1000-metre event.
Following a pair of blistering quick and smart trials, Facile is certainly the buzz horse heading into the race and the filly is looking to become the second winner for her sire Trapeze Artist, whose first winner, Disneck, also lines up. Trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, Facile is the most expensive purchase set to take aim at this year’s race, having set her trainers back $420,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale earlier this year.
A total of 11 runners will take their chance in this year’s race and six of the entrants have already had racecourse experience. The aforementioned Bjorn Baker-trained Disneck will be looking to follow-up his last-start Rosehill success, while Blanc De Blanc (I Am Invincible) - a $360,000 purchase at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale - will be hoping to keep her scorecard unblemished having opened her account at Newcastle on November 27.
Trapeze Artist is not the only first-season sire represented in the race, his barnmate Written By will have one contender in the race in the shape of Istoria Girl.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have landed the $500,000 twice in as many years and on Saturday they will rely on Bold Julius (Brazen Beau), a $200,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase, who comes into the race off the back of a pair of modest trials.
Listed Calaway Gal - female juveniles play starring role
Since 2008, a pair of fillies have snared a victory in this 1000-metre race en route to a triumph in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic, with 2019 winner Away Game (Snitzel) and 2009 victor Military Rose (General Nediym) having both come home in front in this event before repeating the trick in the $2,000,000 race on the Gold Coast.
Out of the 10 runners lining up at Eagle Farm, Excel D’Or (Exceed And Excel) and Within Reason (Spirit Of Boom) and Must Be The Money (No Nay Never {USA}) will be the only three making their career debuts in Saturday's race.
Excel D’Or is one of two runners for the powerful Annabel Neasham stable and she will be joined in the race by her stablemate and G3 Ottawa S. runner-up Empress Of Wonder (Choisir) and she will attempt to become the second winner for her sire, Choisir, who sired Champ Elect - winner of the race in 2016.
Empress Of Wonder, the current favourite for the Listed Calway Gal at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Chris Munce-trained Freeman (Lean Mean Machine) is the only winner accepted for the race and she enters the frame having made an impressive winning debut at Doomben on November 5.
Better Than Ready and Spirit Of Boom have both sired the winners of the Listed Calaway Gal once and on Saturday, Spirit Of Boom will be relying on Malabom and Within Reason to hand him a second winner, while Better Than Ready’s daughter, Trifling, is set to take her chance, coming into the contest following a fourth-place finish on debut.
Listed Phelan Ready - expensive Godfather to debut
A small but select field take to the track for the Listed Phelan Ready at Eagle Farm with seven horses set to line up in the Listed race.
All eyes will be on the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Godfather (I Am Invincible), who was purchased by James Harron Colt Partnership for a mighty $1.1 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Yarraman Park. The colt is out of Group 2 winner Meliora (Ad Valorem {USA}), meaning he is a half-brother to Group 3 winner and now Swettenham Stud-based inmate I Am Immortal.
Yarraman’s I Am Invincible has sired a total of two winners of the race, with Emperor King landing the contest in 2015, while Bassillique took out the 1000-metre event in 2013
Godfather, the current favourite for the Listed Phelan Ready at Eagle Farm | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Newgate’s Capitalist is represented by two runners in the $150,000 race as his sons Capital Chase and Worx take to the track.
Two of Saturday’s runners will be attempting to win the second races of their short careers when they tackle the Listed Phelan Ready. The first is the Ryan Tyrell and Tom Button-trained Risky Investment (Power {GB}), who broke his maiden on his first start at Eagle Farm on October 8, but then failed to back-up the win, when finishing fifth on six runners on his next start at the Gold Coast 10 days ago.
The other winner in the field is the Stuart Kendrick-trained Torque I Tee (Shalaa {Ire}). The colt made an impressive debut at the Gold Coast on November 19, before backing up with a second-place finish behind the potentially top-class filly Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready) last weekend.
G2 The Ingham - high-class field chase $2 million purse
Formerly known as the G2 Villiers S., $2 million The Ingham has had a rebrand and a cash injection this year, which has clearly paid off, attracting a high-class group of horses at Royal Randwick.
Among the 20 runners set to take their place in the Group 2 is last year’s winner Brutality (Shamus Award). The Joe Pride-trained runner is very good on his day, but he will need to recapture the sort of form that saw him salute in the 1600-metre event, having not tasted victory since his win in the race 12 months ago.
This year’s contest also see the return of the highly talented European-bred Huetor (Fr) (Archipenko {USA}), who landed the G1 Doomben Cup earlier in the year, but has not been seen since finishing eighth in the G2 The Q22.
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained gelding has been struggling with a problem with his eye that was very nearly career-ending, but if he returns in the same sort of form he was in when he won his Group 1, he could prove a class apart.
Group 1 winner, Huetor (Fr), returns in the G2 The Ingham at Randwick | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Champion trainer Chris Waller has only one victory in the race on his CV courtesy of Honor In War’s (USA) (Lord Of War {Arg}) win in 2008 and he has given himself a good chance of landing the race for a second time, with five runners expected to line up.
Making up 25 per cent of the field, Waller will saddle this season’s G2 Matriarch S. winner Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel), 8-year-old mare Polly Grey (NZ) (Azamour {Ire}), Skyman (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}), New Mandate (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) and Longvilliers (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).
Meanwhile, John O’Shea will saddle four runners; Kirwan’s Lane (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), Diamil (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), Berdibek (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Group 1 winner Lion’s Roar (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}).
Diamil comes into the race off the back of a sound fourth-placed effort in The Five Diamonds and looks to be O’Shea’s best chance to take out the contest for a third time, having it won it first with Grey And Gold (Danehill {USA}) and then again in 2003 with On A High (Pauillac).
G3 The Gold Rush - last hurrah in Perth
Another rebranded and rejuvenated race takes place in Perth on Saturday. The G3 The Gold Rush, the name chosen from thousands of suggestions by readers of The West Australian, was formerly known as the G3 AJ Scahill S., and has had its prizemoney increased to $1.5 million, having been run last year for $200,000.
The 1400-metre race has attracted a full field of 16 runners, headed by Godolphin pair Kementari (Lonhro) and Vilana (Hallowed Crown).
The son of Lonhro will be attempting to regain his crown in the Group 3, having first landed it in 2020 and should he achieve the feat he will become the second horse to win back their crown and will also emulate Watermans Bay (Eternity Range), who remains the only horse to land the contest on two occasions.
Kementari looks to become just the second horse to win the G3 The Gold Rush twice | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Vilana is one of only two horses coming into the Group 3 off the back of a last-start win, with Minsk Moment (I Am Invincible), who won the Listed Carbine Club S. on November 19, being the other. The James Cummings-trained Vilana was last sighted taking the $1 million The Hunter and looks well-placed to follow up that victory on Saturday.
The 2020 G1 Winterbottom S. winner Elite Street will line up in this year’s edition of the Group 3. Last seen running six in the G1 Winterbottom S., the son of Street Boss (USA) will be on the hunt for his first victory since his win in the G3 Roma Cup in May.
This’ll Testya (Testa Rossa), who was last seen running fourth in the G1 Winterbottom S., has been in great form all season, making the frame in all four of her starts, which also included a win in the G2 Colonel Reeves. She could be one on the improve and could give some of her market rivals something to think about.
G3 Eulogy S. - 3-year-old fillies to strut their stuff
Since Savabeel sired his first winner of the G3 Eulogy S. in 2012, the Waikato Stud-based sire has had a stranglehold on the Awapuni Group 3, with four other of his daughters saluting in the 1600-metre race. The stallion is represented by one runner this year in the shape of the Stephen Marsh-trained Sedaka (NZ), a last-start sixth in the Listed Eagle Memorial on November 26.
A total of 11 fillies are set to tackle the 2022 edition and no less than seven of those runners are coming into it off the back of last-start victories.
Sakura Girl (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) is the most unexposed runner in Saturday’s contest and makes the step into stakes company having made a winning debut at Taranaki on October 28.
Sophmaze (NZ), the current favourite for the G3 Eulogy S. at Awapuni | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
She will line up alongside Tivaci Princess (NZ) (Tivaci) and she was last seen shedding her maiden status at her sixth attempt and should take the step up in class in her stride, while Te Akau-traced Family Ties (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}) ran third on debut and was most recently seen shaking off her maiden by 0.8l at Hastings.
Trainer Allan Sharrock will send out Librarsi (NZ) (Reliable {GB}) and she will be having her third try at stakes level and first as a 3-year-old, having finished fourth and sixth in the Listed The O’Learys Fillies S. and Listed Ford Ryder S. respectively last season. The filly is one of two contenders in the race for her Westbury Stud-based sire, Reliable Man (GB) who is also the sire of last-start winner In The Loop (NZ).
