Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sandown-Hillside: G3 Chairman's S., $200,000, 1000m
Scratched from the Listed Lonhro Plate at Randwick to contest this Group 3 instead, Zulfiqar (Exceed And Excel) showed both pace and heart recording his second win from three starts.
Both of his wins have come at stakes level, the Godolphin homebred winning the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. at his debut last October.
One of his wonderful Darley-based sire's 205 stakes winners, he is the first foal for the imported winner Sayf Shamal (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}) whose first three dams are all stakes winners - Alizes (NZ) (Rory's Jester), La Baraka (Euclase) and Triscay (Marscay).
Last spring paying a return visit to Exceed And Excel, Sayf Shamal foaled a Lonhro filly in late October and her previous foal is a full brother to Zulfiqar.
It is a prolific family from which this promising youngster hails, his relations including the triple Group 1 winner Alizee (Sepoy), the G1 Golden Rose winner Astern, the Listed Galilee Series Final winner Mamounia (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) and the Listed National Sprint winner Cuba (All Too Hard).
He is one of the 11 stakes winners (and 50 winners from 58 runners) for Exceed And Excel out of Elusive Quality (USA) mares - a cross that provides for duplications of the influential mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Flower Bowl (USA) (Alibhai {GB}) and Frizette (USA) (Hamburg {USA})... and there is more of the latter's influence in Sayf Shmal's dam sire Rory's Jester.
G3 Bellmaine S., $200,000, 1300m
Lightly raced and promising, Wrote To Arataki (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}) was tough to the line stepping up in class and racing at stakes-level for the first time.
Recording the fourth win of her 10-start career, she was bred by N M Bishop by Highview's G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile winner, a son of High Chaparral (Ire).
She is the first of only two foals for the now retired Galloping Gerte (NZ) (Align), a metropolitan winner whose second foal is the yet to race 3-year-old Ring Jesse (NZ), also by Wrote (Ire).
There is no other black type within three generations of Wrote To Arataki's pedigree but there are diamonds further back - her sixth dam being the great Eight Carat's (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) G1 Railway H. winner Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones).
Boasting three strains of the wonderful mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) - Wrote's fourth dam - Wrote To Arataki is Diamond Lover's 24th stakes-winning descendant and Eight Carat's 67th.
Randwick: G3 Eskimo Prince S., $200,000, 1200m
Part of a big day for jockey James McDonald (his fourth winner), Aft Cabin (Astern) proved a class above his rivals - impressive at his first run since winning the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude in September.
Missing the G1 Caulfield Guineas after a bleeding attack during trackwork forced him to the paddock, Aft Cabin has won three of his five starts and is yet to finish out of the quinella.
One of the six stakes winners for his G1 Golden Rose-winning, Darley-based sire, Aft Cabin is the sixth foal and third stakes winner for the dual city winner Shelters (Lonhro) who has also produced the G3 PJ Bell S. winner Multaja (by Astern's sire Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) and the Listed Lonhro Plate winner Veranillo (also by Medaglia D'Oro {USA}).
Returning to Astern last spring after foaling a Brazen Beau colt, Shelters also has a Harry Angel (Ire) yearling colt. She is out of the three-time Group 2-placed multiple city winner Hut (Danehill {USA}) whose son Benfica (Lonhro) won the G1 TJ Smith S.
A descendant of the influential Democratie (Fr) (Epinard {Fr}) whose other descendants include the successful stallions Red Ransom (USA) and Showdown (GB), Aft Cabin is bred on a 4 X 3 male/female Danehill (USA) cross whilst also boasting duplications of the outstanding mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Lalun (USA) (Djeddah {Fr}).
Listed Lonhro Plate, $160,000, 1000m
A good finish for Yarraman Park's reigning Australian Champion Sire I Am Invincible, providing the quinella - Madeira Sunrise and Sicilian - to this juvenile feature.
Making an impressive debut off the back of good trial form, Madeira Sunrise was bred by the Allam Racing Syndicate and sold through the Yarraman draft to Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) for $200,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The 90th stakes winner for her sire, she is the first foal produced by the stakes-placed, three-time winner Indrabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), full sister to the Listed Alexandra S. winner You're So Good (NZ).
Served last spring by Toronado (Ire) having missed the previous season, Indrabeel also has a yearling filly by Deep Field - due to go through the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 177 for Yarraman Park.
Indrabeel's winning dam Lightning Spur (Flying Spur) is out of the Listed Debutante S. winner Cloister (Marauding {NZ}) who also produced the dual Group 1 winner Melito (Redoute's Choice) as well as the dams of the stakes winners Rocketing By (So You Think {NZ}) and Pariah.
A descendant of one of the great Australian matriarchs in Summoned (Crowned Prince {USA}), Madeira Sunrise picks up on one of the major strengths of I Am Invincible's pedigree - he being a descendant of Summond's acclaimed ancestress Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}).
