Written by Keely Mckitterick
Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Coolmore Stud’s Churchill (Ire) has enjoyed a fruitful spring in Australia with his son Attrition winning the G1 Toorak H. while in Hong Kong, Churchill’s consistent son Encountered (Ire) provided him with his 15th stakes winner when scoring the G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse.
The Manfred Man-trained 5-year-old gelding was ridden by Derek Leung to prevail from Champion Dragon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) and La City Blanche (Arg) (Cityscape {GB}).
Encountered had been good before Sunday’s Group 3 victory, placing in the G2 Sha Tin Trophy behind the outstanding California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner). The G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse was the eighth career victory for Encountered.
The 5-year-old is from the Pivotal (GB) mare Enrol (GB), a victress of three races; she was also placed in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup.
Encountered is a half-brother to Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), he won the G2 Richmond S. and was placed in the G1 2000 Guineas and the G1 Dewhurst S.
Suzanne Roberts paid 160,000gns (AU$318,900) to secure the son of Churchill from the 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Churchill (Ire) | Standing at Coolmore
Starspangledbanner, who also stands under the Coolmore banner, saw his son, Champion Dragon, finish second in the Group 3 but didn’t let Churchill steal all the attention. Race 10, the last race on the Sha Tin card, was won by Drombeg Banner (Ire), a son of Starspangledbanner.
Woodside Park stallions sire quinella
The John Size-trained Wunderbar, a son of Woodside Park’s Rich Enuff, had his first career start in Hong Kong at Sha Tin on Sunday. Ridden by Karis Teetan, the 3-year-old gelding was sent out at double-figure odds in the Kate Tokyo Class 4 H. over 1000 metres but had enough in hand to defeat the favoured Multisuper, by Vancouver, who now plys his trade at Woodside Park, over 2.8l away in third was Run Run Timing (Deep Field).
Before Wunderbar’s exportation to Hong Kong, he had won a trial over 1000 metres at Morphettville Parks in February of this year. The son of Rich Enuff had started trialling in Hong Kong in September, finishing third in his first outing at Conghua and then winning his latest over 1200 metres at his venue before his successful debut.
Wunderbar is the seventh foal from the unraced General Nediym mare Could Be Something. She is the dam of six named foals, four of whom are winners, including the nine-time winner Roselli Sting (Casino Prince).
Could Be Something is a half-sister to the star juvenile Phelan Ready (More Than Ready {USA}), crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old in Australia in 2009; Phelan Ready claimed the G1 Golden Slipper and R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Wunderbar as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Wunderbar was a $140,000 purchase by Richard and Chantelle Jolly from the draft of Angas Bank at the 2022 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
Eighth winner for Capitalist
The Ricky Yiu-trained Winning Data provided Newgate Farm’s Capitalist with his eighth winner from 11 runners in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Stepping out as a 15/1 chance in Race 6, the Class 4 La Colline H., Karis Teetan was able to extract the best from Winning Data for a 1.3l victory over Ariel (Exceed And Excel) and Champion Instinct (Holler).
The 4-year-old gelding is the first foal from the three-time winner Solar Burst, a daughter of Northern Meteor. Winning Data hails from the family of the Group 1-producing sire and the 2007 French Champion 2-Year-Old Myboycharlie (Ire), while this is the family of Snowland (Snippets), a victor of G1 The Galaxy H. and the G2 Up And Coming S.
Winning Data was a $90,000 pinhook by O’Gorman Racing Stables from the draft of Murrulla Stud at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. O’Gorman Racing Stables reoffered the son of Capitalist at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs In Training Sale where Ricky Yiu and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $330,000.
Winning Data as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Stakes winner 200 for Deep Impact
The influence of the late Deep Impact (Jpn) is still strong, with the great stallion siring stakes winner 200 on Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse.
The Yasutoshi Ikee-trained Zeffiro (Jpn), ridden by Joao Moreira, saluted in the G2 Republica Argentina and recorded his fifth career victory.
Zeffiro, bred by Shadai Farm, is from the Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare Wild Wind (Ire). She won twice in Ireland, including the Listed Ruby S., and was placed in the G3 Dance Design S.
Zeffiro hails from the family of the 2005 Champion European 2-Year-Old Filly, Rumplestiltskin (Ire) (Danehill {USA}), a victress of the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.
Rumplestiltskin also achieved the title Broodmare of the Year in 2014 and has produced Tapestry (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the G1 Yorkshire Oaks.
