Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Race-Day Recap
Promising colt When Stars Align (NZ) (Zoustar) showed his talent at Trentham, securing a win on debut and bolstering his prospects of taking out the R. Listed Karaka Millions 2YO.
The promising colt Straight Charge (Written By) put his hand up for a tilt at next month’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast with a dominant victory at Randwick on Saturday.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable are set to be heavy-handed in next month’s R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast when Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) lived-up to the hype with an impressive victory in the G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The Dan and Ben Pearce-trained Sinful Living (Safeguard) secured an arrogant victory at Ascot on Saturday, roaring away with an easy victory under visiting jockey Rachel King.
Storm Boy shows class
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) was presented with a different situation in Saturday’s G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Eagle Farm to his barnstorming debut success at Rosehill.
The 2-year-old colt missed the start slightly, and was roused up by Adam Hyeronimus, to lead the small field. However, the locals had other ideas, the Les Ross-trained Mishani Aloha (Kobayashi), ridden by Ben Thompson, was keen on holding the lead forcing Storm Boy wide.
Upon entering the home straight and despite the hard run, Hyeronimus clicked up Storm Boy, and after a few strides to gain balance he shot away to secure a rather authoritative 2.4l success.
Connections of Storm Boy after winning the G3 BJ McLachlan S. at Eagle Farm on Saturday | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Chasing hard behind Storm Boy was Poster Girl (Alabama Express) and Customized (Capitalist), who both hit the line strongly. Fading to fourth was the formerly unbeaten Astapor (Tassort).
Speaking to Sky Racing co-trainer, Adrian Bott said, “It was a lovely win. Storm Boy was a little bit awkward coming out of the barriers. He sort of looked to stumble or maybe got a check which put him on the back foot there early.
“It’s never easy coming up to Brisbane but there is still plenty of improvement in him. These small fields can be a little difficult and we always respect the locals on their home track. However, it was wonderful to see him overcome it and run strongly to the line.
“It’s never easy coming up to Brisbane but there is still plenty of improvement in him (Sotrm Boy). These small fields can be a little difficult... it was wonderful to see him overcome it and run strongly to the line.” - Adrian Bott
“We were very easy on him heading into Saturday but with three weeks into the Magic Millions 2YO Classic it will be perfect.”
The Waterhouse and Bott stable will also be represented by Straight Charge (Written By) in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. The son of Written By broke his maiden at Randwick in impressive style and shot to favouritism for the Gold Coast feature.
Storm Boy is the fifth Australasian Group winner for Justify (USA), and his 25th stakes winner overall. The son of Scat Daddy (USA) has proven successful early with daughters of the fellow Coolmore Stud sire Fastnet Rock, Storm Boy who’s dam Pelican (NZ), is a daughter of the great sire becomes the fourth individual stakes winner bred on the cross.
Storm Boy as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Storm Boy was a $460,000 purchase by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing, and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the draft of Coolmore Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Coolmore will offer Lot 33, a Pierro half-brother to Storm Boy, at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The G3 BJ McLachlan S. also provided a milestone moment for Yulong’s Alabama Express. The first-season sire’s daughter Poster Girl picked up $55,500 for her second placed effort which boosted the son of Redoute’s Choice as the first sophomore sire to amass over $1 million in progeny earnings pre-Christmas.
Straight Charge Millions bound
It was easy viewing for backers of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Straight Charge (Written By). The 2-year-old colt, ridden by Tim Clark, led up the field at Randwick before shooting away for emphatic 3.50l success from Erno’s Cube (Rubick) and Pisces (Frosted {USA}), a further 4l away in third.
Straight Charge was having his second start on Saturday. He was placed on debut at Randwick in the G3 Breeders’ Plate behind his stablemate Espionage (Zoustar), showing considerable ability.
Yulong’s general manager, Vin Cox, confirmed earlier in the week that a positive performance on Saturday would see the colt chase success in the $3 million R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast in January.
Straight Charge is the second foal from Matryoshka, a daughter of the Champion Sire I Am Invincible. She is a half-sister to the speedy Winning Rupert, a winner of the G2 Champagne Classic, the G3 Vo Rogue Plate and the Listed Gold Edition Plate, and his talented full sister Tycoon Evie (Written Tycoon). She counts the G3 Pam O’Neill S. among her six victories.
Straight Charge, winner in the 2YO Plate at Randwick on Saturday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Matryoshka has had no foals for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Straight Charge was a $160,000 purchase by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Pegasus Bloodstock from the draft of Twin Hills Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale. Lime Country Thoroughbreds reoffered the colt at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Yulong paid $270,000 to secure him.
When Stars Align continues Te Akau’s iron grip on New Zealand 2-year-old ranks
Promising colt When Stars Align (NZ) (Zoustar) showed his talent at Trentham, securing a win on debut and bolstering his prospects of taking out the R. Listed Karaka Millions 2YO.
The Te Akau Racing operation’s affinity with elite 2-year-old runners looks to have added another limb, off the strength of an impressive victory by When Stars Align.
Burning straight to the front under leading rider Michael McNab, the colt extended away around the home turn, and despite racing greenly had enough in the locker to defeat stablemate Unbridled Joy (Snitzel) by 1.2l in the second race at Trentham on Saturday.
The quinella for co-trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson both showed talent on their respective debuts, and will now embark under different pathways as the horizons broaden for 2-year-old runners into the second half of the season.
Unbridled Joy, who looks to be another in a long line of successful Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchases for David Ellis BAFNZ, having been bought in the 2023 sale for $650,000 out of the Westbury Stud draft. He joins Captured By Love (Written Tycoon) as promising buys from the most recent iteration of the sale, with the filly being aimed at Australian riches down the line.
As for When Stars Align, the Zoustar colt will target the R. Listed Karaka Millions 2YO in late January, having been bought by Ellis out of the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$400,000 earlier this year.
When Stars Align (NZ), winner at Trentham on Saturday | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery, Race Images
Bergerson is bullish about his stable’s chances of featuring further in the coming weeks, telling loveracing.nz, “It always comes around pretty quickly, but hopefully we’ll be there in force again.
“We’ve got another couple of first-starters in on Boxing Day at Pukekohe who can hopefully put their hands up as well.
“We’re really happy with When Stars Align’s win today. Nabber (McNab) was pretty keen to find the fence. He worked the horse on Tuesday and said that he does have a bit of an awkward action and an awkward way of going, so he was pretty keen to find the rail and follow it. Thankfully he did.
“He’s still a pretty raw colt and doing a few things wrong, changing legs there, but it’s all in front of him. He looks like a nice type going forward.
“He’s (When Stars Align) still a pretty raw colt and doing a few things wrong, changing legs there, but it’s all in front of him. He looks like a nice type going forward.” - Sam Bergerson
“The Karaka Millions would be nice, but we’ll see how he comes through this. He’s a nice, big, strong horse. He’s still a bit immature, but it’s all in front of him.”
The dam of Where Stars Align, Shenandoah (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), features in the 2024 iteration of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, with a colt by Almanzor (Fr) being offered by Wentwood Grange as Lot 395.
Nothing Sinful about promising filly
The Dan and Ben Pearce-trained Sinful Living (Safeguard) secured an arrogant victory at Ascot on Saturday, roaring away with an easy win under visiting jockey Rachel King.
After a second-placed finish at her first start earlier in the month, fast 2-year-old Sinful Living was able to pick up almost seven times her purchase price under a controlled ride by Rachel King.
Burning straight the front after leaving the barriers well, the speedy filly turned into the home straight under a good hold, and responded well when King asked her to put the race to bed. The final winning margin of 2.73l was eaten into late by Street Band (Lucky Street), but the result looked a forgone conclusion well before the winning post.
Sinful Living was picked up by co-trainers and siblings Dan and Ben Pearce, who on Wednesday took out the Listed ATA S. with Queen Alina (Mahuta), for just $10,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Winter Yearling Sale. Bought as an all-ladies owned horse, she is eligible for lucrative bonuses if she runs in the R. Listed Magic Millions WA 2YO Classic at Pinjarra in February, a race that was taken out by Super Smink (Super One) on her way to winning the G2 Karrakatta Plate in 2023.
By local stallion Safeguard, she is the first winner for Paris Memory (Redoute’s Choice) from five to race. Her page boasts a number of strong sprinters, including Hong Kong superstar Fairy King Prawn (Danehill {USA}) and the G1 Canterbury S. winner Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor {USA}).
