Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Race-Day Recap
Tulloch Lodge trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Lott were again to the fore in a juvenile race when their promising 2-year-old Fully Lit (Hellbent) scorched the Rosehill turf to start his career in perfect style.
A well-related filly, Kuroyanagi (Written Tycoon), from the Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea stable, made a statement at Gawler in South Australia on Saturday. Kuroyanagi raced away to win by 2.7l on debut.
Commanding Artist (Trapeze Artist) improved from his debut fifth behind Parkour (Extreme Choice) to break his maiden in style at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The Simon Miller-trained Madhi Girl (Winning Rupert) found her best to record her first victory at start two in the Magic Millions Plate at Ascot on Saturday.
Tulloch Lodge Fully Lit
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are once again enjoying a marvellous run with their juveniles. The Tulloch Lodge duo recently claimed the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic with the brilliant Storm Boy (Justify {USA}) and added the $500,000 Magic Millions The Debut 2YO Fillies Plate with Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
On Saturday at Rosehill, the stable was back in play, sending out Hellbent colt Fully Lit in the opener over 1100 metres. Fully Lit was taking on a field that included a $900,000 half-brother, Bosustow (Blue Point {Ire}), to the star galloper Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}). At the same time, there was also the presence of the Group 3-placed Customized (Capitalist) and a royally bred colt in Caravanserai (Blue Point {Ire}), a son of Darley’s famed broodmare Essaouira (Exceed And Excel). She is the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner Alizee (Sepoy), G1 Golden Rose winner and Darley stallion Astern, alongside Newgate Farm’s promising first-season sire Tassort.
However, in the concluding stages of the event, it was all Fully Lit, ridden by Regan Bayliss, who defeated the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained King Of Roseau (Capitalist) and Tartaglia (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
Fully Lit is a son of Yarraman Park’s Group 1-producing sire Hellbent, a son of their Champion Sire I Am Invincible. The colt is the second foal from the Snitzel mare Sunlit. She is building an exemplary record at stud, with her first foal being the G3 BJ McLachlan S. winner, The Novelist (Written By).
Fully Lit, winner of the 2YO H. at Rosehill on Saturday | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Sunlit foaled a filly by Newgate Farm’s North Pacific, who will be offered by Glenlogan Park as Lot 750 at the 2024 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. She subsequently missed to Spirit Of Boom before being served by Widden Stud’s Zoustar. Sunlit won twice and is a daughter of the Group 3-placed Smile Of Desire (Red Ransom {USA}), who produced the six-time winner Vo Heart (Show A Heart), who won twice as a 2-year-old, including the G2 Champagne Classic.
Furthermore, Fully Lit is from the family of the G1 VRC Oaks victress Magical Miss (Danehill {USA}) and her daughter Mystery Miss (Animal Kingdom {USA}), won three Listed races in Western Australia.
Fully Lit was a $60,000 purchase by Redfox Racing from the draft of Glenlogan Park at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Vieira homebred Commanding at Eagle Farm
Commanding Artist, a homebred son of Trapeze Artist for Bert and Gai Vieira of the Vieira Group, improved from his debut fifth to break his maiden at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Commanding Artist, trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, defeated Dream Smart (Smart Missile) by 0.34l, while there was a margin of 3.04l to the third placed Enterprise Defence (Divine Prophet).
Ryan trained the colt’s sire Trapeze Artist to success in such races as the G1 TJ Smith S., the G1 All Aged S., the G1 Golden Rose and the G1 Canterbury S. before he retired to Widden Stud.
The Vieira Group has heavily supported the son of Snitzel with their finest broodmares. Among them is Love Commands, the dam of Saturday’s winner. The daughter of Commands won on the racetrack but has proven to be a classy producer. Her daughter Sky Command (Deep Field) won the G3 Nivison S. and the Listed Razor Sharp S. and was served by Trapeze Artist this season.
Trapeze Artist | Standing at Widden Stud
Love Commands is a daughter of the Octagonal (NZ) mare Sky Love, a victress of the G3 Tattersall’s Cup and the G3 Christmas H. and is a half-sister to the G1 Emirates S. winner Sky Cuddle. The daughter of Snippets also won the G2 Rose Of Kingston S. and the G3 Spring S. in a career that produced six victories and a fourth in the G1 Cox Plate.
Commanding Artist is the fifth foal from his dam, who has been virtually married to Trapeze Artist since foaling Commanding Artist. Love Commands produced a colt by the sire in September and was served by him in October.
Kuroyanagi stretches out on debut
Yulong Stud’s Champion Sire Written Tycoon looks to have a smart prospect when the Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea-trained Kuroyanagi was a dominant winner on debut at Gawler on Saturday.
The well-related filly, ridden by Ben Price, took control of the small field rounding the corner and continued to put a margin between herself and her opposition on the line, winning by 2.7l. Holding on to second stoutly was the race-experienced Colmar (Strasbourg), while Darlinc (Nicconi) finished third and Bad To The Bone (Impending) rounded out the field.
Kuroyanagi is the sixth foal from Tetsuko. The daughter of I Am Invincible won as a 2-year-old and was placed in the G2 Sweet Embrace S. and the Listed Gimcrack S.
Tetsuko is a full sister to the Listed-placed and five-time winner Invincible Lad. At stud, Tetsuko has produced the G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies)-placed Zousuko (Zoustar).
Also adding black type to the page is the Listed winner and Group 2-placed Magdalena (Snaadee {USA}) and Entisaar (More Than Ready {USA}), who was crowned the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly in South Africa with victories in the G1 Allan Robertson Championship, the G2 South African Fillies Nursery and the Listed Ruffian S.
Another classy relative is Mizlecki (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a winner of six races from 1000 to 2000 metres, scoring victories in the Listed Raconteur S., the Listed Sheila Gwynne Classic, the Listed Belmont Oaks and the Listed Old Comrade S.
Tetsuko has a filly by the pensioned Deep Field and was served by Brave Smash (Jpn) after slipping to Darley’s Bivouac.
Kuroyanagi as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Kuroyanagi was a $390,000 purchase by Clarken Bloodstock and Ridgeport Holdings from the draft of Yarraman Park Stud at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Miller’s Girl takes out Millions Plate
Simon Miller’s Madhi Girl (Winning Rupert) improved on her debut fifth-placed effort at Ascot in December by taking out the $80,000 Magic Millions Plate at the same venue on Saturday.
The daughter of Winning Rupert, ridden by Steven Parnham, found the better of the Rommel-sired pair Wotugot and the favoured Desert Whisper.
Madhi Girl is from the Gingerbread Man mare Very Angry Girl. She won as a juvenile and is half-sister to Profit Street (Viscount), who won nine races, including the Listed Bolton Sprint and was placed in numerous Group 3 contests in Western Australia.
Furthermore, the filly is from the family of brilliant Delicacy (Al Maher). She was crowned the Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in Australia and retired a winner of 12 races, including the G1 South Australian Derby and the G1 Schweppes Oaks.
The filly has a half-sister by Yarraman Park’s Hellbent. While Very Angry Girl foaled a filly by the speedy Profiteer, a son of Capitalist, she was subsequently covered by Universal Ruler.
Madhi Girl was a $68,000 purchase by Teleah Hulse when offered by the Western Breeders Alliance (Darling View Stud, Einoncliff Park and Westbury Park) at the 2023 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
