Cover image courtesy of Michael McInally
Eagle Farm: G1 Queensland Derby, $1,000,000, 2400m
He was odds-on and he won like it, Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) proving to be a class above his rivals - recording the sixth win of his nine-start career.
Already a dual Group winner, Kovalica had taken on the older horses at his previous outing, finishing a close-up third in last weekend's G1 Doomben Cup.
Bred by Nearco Stud, he was purchased by Mulcaster Bloodstock for NZ$110,000 from the Curraghmore draft at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
One of the 20 stakes winners for his Waikato Stud-based sire, he is that G1 W.S Cox Plate winner's fourth Group 1 winner.
He is the second foal - and the first to race - for the city-placed winner Vitesse (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) whose half-brother The Bostonian (NZ) is by Jimmy Choux (NZ) who, like Ocean Park (NZ), is by Thorn Park.
The Bostonian is a 10-time winner with three of his successes coming at Group 1 level - the Doomben 10,000, the Kingsford-Smith Cup and the Canterbury S.
That horse is one of two stakes winners for Vitesse's winning dam Keepa Cheval (NZ) (Keeper) whose 3-year-old daughter Cheval D'Or (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) won the recent G3 Championship S. at Pukekohe Park.
Keepa Cheval is a half-sister to a multiple Group 1 winner - the two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year and New Zealand Hall of Fame member Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire {GB}).
Another smart 3-year-old hails from this in-form family - his fourth dam Silver Sheila (NZ) (Silver Dream {GB}) being the third dam of the G3 Bonecrusher S. winner Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}).
Vitesse paid a return visit to Ocean Park last spring, previously missing to Almanzor (Fr) with her yearling being a daughter of Super Seth.
G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup, $1,000,000, 1300m
Nine starts, eight wins - that is some record for the oh so exciting Think About It (So You Think {NZ}) who justified his favouritism for the upcoming G1 Stradbroke with this gutsy performance.
Racing for the first time at the elite level, Think About It became his Coolmore Stud-based sire's 10th individual Group 1 winner.
One of that globe-trotting star's 53 stakes winners, Think About It was bred by Lightning Thoroughbreds and sold through the Newgate Farm draft for $70,000 to Proven Thoroughbreds and Joe Pride Racing at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
He is the second foal and second winner for the city-placed winner Tiare (Flying Spur), a half-sister to the G2 Gilgai S. and dual Listed winner Keen Array (Bel Esprit).
Last spring foaling a colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) and the year before a Pierro colt, Tiare is a granddaughter of a half-sister to the Hong Kong Group 1 winner The Duke (Danehill {USA}) from the family of another Hong Kong Group 1 winner in Sky Field (Deep Field).
Think About It's pedigree brings together six different sons and daughters of Northern Dancer (Can) - Sadler's Wells (USA), Nijinsky II (Can), Danzig (USA), Fanfreluche (Can), Nureyev (USA) and Storm Bird (Can).
G2 BRC Sires' Produce S., $1,000,000, 1400m
Building a good record with this, his third win from seven starts and his second at stakes level, the last start G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic winner Cifrado (Encryption) was again too good.
Bred by Black Soil Bloodstock, he was sold by Eureka Stud - home to his to dual Group-winning sire Encryption (a son of Lonhro) - to Cliff Little for $320,000 at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The first stakes winner from his sire's debut crop, he is the third live foal and third stakes horse for the city winner Madame Fly (Excites), also dam of the Listed Eureka Stud Classic winner Miami Fleiss (Spirit Of Boom) and the stakes-placed Cochrane (Spirit Of Boom).
Sadly, Cifrado is Madame Fly's second last foal as she died after foaling a Spirit Of Boom filly in the spring of 2021.
Madame Fly's dam is the stakes-placed multiple city winner McFly (Perugino {USA}) who also produced the G3 George Moore S. winner Chapter And Verse (Rothesay) and the stakes-placed Soaring Heart (Show A Heart). And her dam Freebird (Bluebird {USA}) is also grandam of the G3 Vo Rogue Plate winner Boomsara (Spirit Of Boom).
Carrying three Danehill strains - Exceed And Excel, Camarena and Danewin - Cifrado is also line-bred to Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) via Octagonal (NZ) and Danewin.
G3 Premier's Cup, $200,000, 2400m
An exciting four-horse battle over the final stages saw a photo required to determine the finish, the horse with his nose in the right place being Kukeracha (NZ) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) who became a millionaire with this success.
A horse who loves racing in Queensland - also winning the 2021 G1 Queensland Derby and last year's Listed Tails S., Kukeracha was bred by Dr C.R Phillips and purchased by Mulcaster Bloodstock for NZ$130,000 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
One of the 34 stakes winners for his former shuttling sire, he is a half-brother to the G3 Keith Nolan Classic winner Cameo (Shamardal {USA}) out of the imported winner Portrait Of A Lady (USA) (A.P Indy {USA}), a half-sister to the G3 Prix de Cabourg winner Layman (USA) (Sunday Silence {USA}).
Served last spring by Pinatubo (Ire) and Hellbent, Portrait Of A Lady foaled a colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) in August.
A descendant of the legendary Pretty Polly (GB) (Gallinule {GB}), Kukeracha is bred on a 6 X 4 cross of the wonderful mare Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) via her grandson Sadler’s Wells (USA) and son Nureyev (USA).
G3 Lord Mayor's Cup, $200,000, 1800m
Charging home to secure his fourth stakes win, and his first on Australian soil at just his second local outing, Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) created a big impression.
Successful at Group 3 level and twice in Listed company in the UK, Without A Fight is a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum. One of the 111 stakes winners for his former shuttling sire, he is out of the talented race mare Khor Sheed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Group 3 and dual Listed winner.
Another three of her foals are winners and she is the grandam of the G3 John C. Mabee S. winner Avenue De France (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}).
Khor Sheed is one of the nine winners produced by Princess Manila (USA) (Manila {USA}) whose son Prince Kirk (Fr) (Selkirk {USA}) won the G1 Prix d'Ispahan. Princess Manila's dam is the dual Listed winner Halo's Princess (Can) (Halo {USA}) whose son Hailsham (Can) (Riverman {USA}) won the G1 Italian Derby.
Line-bred to the wonderful mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Victoriana (USA) (Windfields {USA}), Without A Fight is a descendant of the influential matriarch Lady Juror (GB) (Son In Law {GB}).
G3 Fred Best Classic, $300,000, 1400m
In great form since joining the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, Hawaii Five Oh (I Am Invincible) was in winning form for the third time from just seven starts - making it two in a row having taken out the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas last month.
A homebred for Gerry Harvey, he is one of the 95 stakes winners for his Yarraman Park Stud-based reigning Australian Champion Sire and one of two for her G1 Coolmore Classic-winning dam Aloha (Encosta De Lago).
Also dam of the triple Group 2 winner Libertini (also by I Am Invincible), Aloha is a daughter of the Listed Ottawa S. winner Tennessee Midnight (Danehill {USA}) - grandam of the two-time Group winner My Emotion (NZ) (Savabeel) and third dam of the G1 Champagne S. winner Seabrook (NZ) (Hinchinbrook).
Tennessee Midnight's dam is the dual Group winner Tennessee Morn (Bletchingly) whose son Malaguerra (Magnus) won twice at the elite-level whilst her Newhaven Park-based grandson Cool Aza Beel is also a big race winner.
What a great line of stakes winners this is, Tennessee Morn's dam being the triple Group 2 winner Tennessee Vain (Whiskey Road {USA}). Ancestress of this prolific family is the most influential of all female G1 Melbourne Cup winners - the 1945 victor Rainbird (The Buzzard {GB}).
Hawaii Five Oh's sire and grandam are bred on the same Danzig (USA)/Bletchingly cross - noting that both of those stallions hail from the same family as I Am Invincible's sire Invincible Spirit (Ire).
Listed Helen Coughlan S., $160,000, 1200m
Winning two in a row in February before resuming with a strong finishing third in the Listed Bright Shadow S. a couple of weeks ago, Comrade Rosa (Capitalist) has been in great form since transferring to the Tony Gollan stable.
She was bred and sold by Kitchwin Hills to Peachester Lodge for $100,000 at the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Comrade Rosa is the 13th stakes winner for her Newgate Farm-based G1 Golden Slipper S.-winning sire with her dam being the Listed Carrington S. winner No Looking Back (Redoute's Choice).
A regular visitor to sons of Written Tycoon, No Looking Back was served last spring by Written By after foaling a colt by Ole Kirk. She'd had the season prior off with her previous foals being a yet to be named full sister to Comrade Rosa and the 3-year-old Torque (Spirit Of Boom) who was a debut second at Beaudesert a few weeks ago.
The dam of another three winners, No Looking Back is out of the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Mirror Mirror (Dehere {USA}) who hails from the same prolific "Tennessee" family as Hawaii Five Oh (I Am Invincible) who earlier in the day won the G3 Fred Best Classic.
The sire of Comrade Rosa is bred on a Biscay/Vain/Danehill (USA) cross whilst her dam is Danehill/Biscay/Vain.
Belmont Park: G3 Hyperion S., $200,000, 1600m
It was a deserved stakes success for the prolific winner that is Startrade (Trade Fair {GB}), the Allen family homebred who has done such a great job winning 13 of his 39 starts - showing that he had the required class when finishing a close-up third in the G1 Railway S. last spring.
The 19th stakes winner for his late sire, Startrade is one of the five winners produced by the more than handy race mare Startego (Star Pak), a nine-time winner who won seven times at metropolitan level (all at Belmont).
Startrade is the second last foal for that lovely mare who died in 2020 having passed on her willingness to find the line to her progeny - her five winners between them winning 45 races.
Startego's dam Ortego (Kaorugo) is one of the seven winners produced by the city winner Chantelisa (Inceptor {NZ}) - dam of the Listed Challenge S. winner Oxidation (Metal Storm {Fr}), grandam of the stakes winners Beat The Storm (Scenic {Ire}) and Like An Eagle (Oratorio) and third dam of Trix Of The Trade (Trade Fair) who won the Railway in which Startrade was third.
Pukekohe Park: Listed Auckland Futurity S., NZ$80,000, 1400m
Having finished off so well at his first two starts over shorter trips, Saltcoats (NZ) (Ardrossan) look well suited up to the 1400 metres of this contest and he broke his maiden in easy fashion.
A homebred for Lib Petagna's JML Bloodstock, he is the third stakes winner from just nine runners for his Waikato Stud-based sire, a Group 3-winning son of Redoute's Choice.
He is to date the only winner for his winning dam Savanite (NZ) (Savabeel) though another two of her progeny are placed. She is one of the 10 winners produced by the unraced Jelignite Jen (NZ) (Crested Wave {USA}), dam of the G2 Waikato Gold Cup winner Singing Star (NZ) (Danasinga) and grandam of the triple Group 1 winner Viadana (NZ) (Towkay), the G3 Lowland S. winner Miss Selby (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) and the three-time Listed winner Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
Hailing from the same family as the Group 1 sprinter Hellbent, Savanite has not had her stud book records updated since being served by Shocking in 2022.
Saltcoats' sire and dam are bred on the same Sir Ivor (USA)/Semipalatinsk (USA)/Baldric (USA) cross and he also boasts crosses of the stakes-producing mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Never Too Late (USA) (Never Say Die {USA}) and Lady Marlboro (USA) (Sweep {USA}).
Sandown-Hillside: Listed Bel Esprit H., $175,000, 1000m
Saluting at big odds rising in class off a BM100 win at Sandown a few weeks ago, Pintoff (Toorak Toff) upstaged his more fancied rivals with this determined effort.
Bred by PA Sandars and JW Mann, Pintoff was already a stakes winner - taking out the Listed Regal Roller S. at Caulfield back in August 2021.
He is one of the three stakes winners for his dual Group 1-winning sire who last stood at Kingsley Park, Tasmania.
Pintoff is the final foal produced by the unraced Pinashoy (Pins) who was retired from stud duties in 2019. All of her five to race are winners and she is a half-sister to the Moonee Valley winner Danaman (NZ) (Danasinga).
The stakes winners Made Of Diamonds (Made Of Gold {USA}), Untamed Diamond (Snitzel) and Prince Call (Aurum {GB}) hail from this family, one which has its ancestress the 1895 G1 Melbourne Cup winner Auraria (Trenton {NZ}) who has a feature race in Adelaide named after her.
Pintoff is one of the 30 stakes winners line-bred to Kaoru Star.
