Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Warwick Farm hosted a full card of trials on Thursday morning and they kicked off in good fettle with a strong reappearance by the globetrotting Artorius (Flying Artie).
It was the first look at the 4-year-old horse for many since his return from a European campaign last year and, ridden by James McDonald, he kicked clear of a qualified field by 2.21l, one that included the likes of the G1 Spring Champion S. winner Profondo (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who ran home for second.
The 1000-metre trial was clicked over in 1:00.26, the last 600 metres in 33.08s, and it was as good a return as the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable could have hoped for. Artorius is nominated for the G1 TJ Smith S. during The Championships, a race he hasn’t yet tackled in his 14-start career.
The trial was a Group feature of the morning and, along with its winner and Profondo, the latter looking very good, it also featured the Annabel Neasham-trained Sibaaq (GB).
Sibaaq (GB) | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
This horse is a son of Dark Angel (Ire) that has rapped on the door of Sydney’s rich pop-up races, running second to Ellsberg (Spill The Beans) in The Five Diamonds last November, and third to Rustic Steel (Deep Field) in the Big Dance.
Neasham’s three-strong hand in Thursday’s Group trial also included the Toronado (Ire) 6-year-old Bois D’Argent (GB) and the 5-year-old import Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).
Heat 7 – Music Queen on-song for Tulloch Lodge
Heat 7 on Thursday morning was the first of five juvenile trials, and it was also the first of the three won by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with thier typically in-form string of 2-year-olds.
Music Queen, a Snitzel filly trained by the stable for a syndicate led by Mystery Downs, won Heat 7 in her very first trial appearance, leading home the Bjorn Baker-trained Miscavolini (Written By) and the Godolphin filly Simplicity (Epaulette). All three are unraced.
Music Queen, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, winner of Heat 7 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The 800-metre trial was concluded in 47.43s, which was the second-slowest of the five juvenile trials.
Music Queen was bought by Waterhouse and Bott, alongside Kestrel Thoroughbreds, for $360,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She was consigned by Coolmore Stud with a pedigree well-familiar to the Irish operation.
This is the family of Coolmore’s Melbourne Cup placegetter and later sire Mahler (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and, more recently, the family of first dam Muzyka (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was third to Ambience (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G3 Wakeful S. in 2015.
Heat 8 – Oz Empress for the Bott family
The 2-year-old filly Oz Empress (Exceed And Excel) followed her stablemate Music Queen with a stout victory in Heat 8. Also ridden by Tim Clark for Tulloch Lodge, she leaped away to win by 4.48l from Neasham’s Americoola (NZ) (U S Navy Flag {USA}) and Baker’s Gemeel (Dundeel {NZ}).
There were just four horses in this tidy trial but the winner was streets ahead. She completed what proved her debut appearance in 47.01s.
Oz Empress, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, winner of Heat 8 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Oz Empress was initially Lot 4 in the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. She was withdrawn and retained by her breeder, Tony Bott’s Evergreen Stud Farm. The filly is a daughter of Vanilla Princess (Lonhro), in turn a daughter of Bott’s $3 million, multiple Group 1-winning purchase Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago).
This is the family right now of Argentia (Frankel {GB}), whom Bott also bred, sold to John Camilleri and whom has been Group-placed on three occasions.
Oz Empress is raced in the same colours as the dual Group 1 winner Converge (Frankel {GB}), and she is a half-sister to the Group 3-placed Key (Exceed And Excel).
Heat 9 – Encap first of a Portelli double
Heat 9 was the first of the trials for the colts and geldings, and also the first of a Gary Portelli juvenile double. The Warwick Farm trainer split the five juvenile results with Waterhouse and Bott.
Encap, a 2-year-old Capitalist colt, was the winner of this event, leading home Neasham’s Linara (Lonhro) and the Maher-Eustace colt Griff (Trapeze Artist).
The winning margin was 1.43l with the final time 46.82s. It was the slowest among the boys but faster than both of the fillies’ trials on Thursday morning, albeit the colts and geldings raced two metres shorter (798 metres).
Encap was stepping out in silks for the very first time, coaxed along by jockey Zac Lloyd and the win was fairly comfortable.
Encap, trained by Gary Portelli and the winner of Heat 9 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
This Capitalist colt was picked up by Portelli for $200,000 at the 2022 Inglis Australian Yearling Sale, direct from the draft of Newhaven Park. He is a son of the Stratum mare Enquare, who won the G3 Vo Rogue Plate and was second in the G2 Blazer S., and also third in the R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas.
The first two dams on this page are Group winners, with second dam Skewiff (Mookta) a dual Group 3 winner that was good enough to be third in the G1 Emirates S.
Heat 10 – Waterhouse/Bott seeing Red
Gai Waterhouse declared a healthy excitement recently at the success of Russian Revolution at stud, in particular when The Instructor (Russian Revolution) was a standout winner of the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (Colts and Geldings), and so the train rolled on in Heat 10 when Red Resistance (Russian Revolution) was a runaway winner by 5.86l.
It was a galloping display by the youngster, but probably not unexpected. This smart colt for Go Bloodstock and Newgate Farm is undefeated in two starts and was a last-start winner of the G3 Canonbury S. last month.
The time of 45.36s was by far the quickest among the boys, with jockey Brett Prebble allowing the colt to coast clear and kick away. He led home the Neasham-trained Libertad, also by Russian Revolution, and Portelli’s Missile Seeker (Smart Missile).
Red Resistance, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, winner of Heat 10 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Red Resistance was initially consigned by Newgate Farm to the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale but he was withdrawn.
He is the second foal from the Lonhro mare Heatherly, who won the G2 Rubiton S. and Listed Bob Hoysted H. Heatherly was also second to Extreme Choice in the G1 Moir S.
There is a bit of pedigree in the third dam on this page also. Our Heather (NZ) (Centaine) was the dam of the G1 Stradbroke H. winner Linton, whose marvellous career resulted in five Group wins and further placings in the G1 Australian Cup and G1 The BMW.
Heat 11 – Tivaci youngster for Portelli
The final of the juvenile heats on Thursday went the way of Portelli’s 2-year-old gelding Kenology(NZ), a Kiwi-bred son of Tivaci.
This was a closer contest than the heat before it, with Kenology winning with Zac Lloyd aboard by 0.56l to the Ian Finn-trained Bold And Blazen (Mendelssohn {USA}) and the Waterhouse-Bott youngster Kaizad (Capitalist). The time was 46.27s.
Kenology (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Kenology was a yearling purchase for Portelli at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, bought for $250,000 from the Sledmere Stud consignment, who was selling on behalf of Waikato Stud. The gelding is the second foal from the Savabeel mare Touting (NZ).
This is a pretty good family, with Touting a three-quarter sister to the Group 3 winner Love Affair (NZ) (Savabeel). She is also a half-sister to a stack of black-type performers, including the G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup winner Somepin Anypin (NZ) (Pins), the Listed winner Rule Of Engagement (NZ) (Danasinga) and the Listed winner Salsa (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}).
