Speedy Godolphin horse Ingratiating heads to Oakland Park

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Retiring to stud as the winner of just under $2 million in stakes, the handsome Ingratiating is a timely addition to the Oakland Park roster with the stud currently racing the exciting 2-year-old Bustling by the same sire - Frosted (USA). Ingratiating will stand for an introductory service fee of $9,000 (inc GST).

Racing in the Duncan family yellow and black Maltese cross silks made famous by their superstar galloper Northerly (Serheed {USA}), Bustling has won four of his first five starts.

The horse Neville Duncan describes as 'a cruisy character from day one' has given nothing else a chance with dominant on-pace victories in the Listed Perth S., the G2 Karrakatta Plate and the G3 Western Australian Sires Produce S. at his last three outings.

“Because of him, we know what Frosted is capable of,” Duncan said, excited to have welcomed Ingratiating to his new home a few weeks ago.

And delighted with how well - and how quickly - the 5-year-old settled in.

All gentlemen

“Godolphin's horses are handled by experts on a daily basis,” he said, “so they're all gentlemen - it makes our job very easy.”

As “a major Lonhro fan,” Duncan is happy to see a lot of that late champion in Ingratiating whose dam Obsequious was a member of Lonhro's third crop.

And a talented mare she was too, striking winning form at just her second start as a 2-year-old before a game second splitting Military Rose (General Nediym) and Solar Charged (Charge Forward) in the G2 Reisling S.

Continuing to race in the best of company at three, she added to her resume the G3 San Domenico S. defeating Solar Charged, Decision Time (Foreplay) and Spirit Of Boom and the G2 Light Fingers S. from Red Tracer (Dane Shadow).

Obsequious took her good form to stud where she has done a great job with five winners from her six first runners - and there is more to come, the attractive mare with a look of her sire served last spring by Bivouac with her yearling being a full brother to Ingratiating.

Also dam of the dual city winner Deference (Exceed And Excel) and the promising last start winning 3-year-old Elvis (also by Frosted), Obsequious is one of the four winners produced by Sycophant (Commands) who raced just the once - creating a big impression.

Weaving through the field before racing away to a three length victory at her one and only start at Kensington, Sycophant (who is also still at stud) is one of the six winners for the five times winner (from 13 starts) Shand (Quest For Fame {GB}).

A winning family

And so this is a running - and a winning family - and Ingratiating also showed that he really knew how to find the line with his five wins and nine placings from 25 starts.

Successful at his 2-year-old debut in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial down the famed Flemington straight, Ingratiating had an easy length on his rivals. Tackling Group 3 contests at his next two starts, he was a game second on both occasions before a dominant win as favourite in the Listed Talindert S.

Turning into the straight in front in the G1 Blue Diamond S., Ingratiating was run down late - splitting two very smart ones indeed; Artorius and Anamoe.

Not having the best of luck heading up to Sydney, Ingratiating still ran exceptionally well - good to the line finishing on the heels of the placegetters in the G3 Pago Pago S. and an eye-catching third having got too far back from a wide gate in the G1 Golden Slipper S. quinellaed by Stay Inside and Anamoe.

That was seven starts at two - two wins and four placings. And he took no harm from that busy juvenile season, at his 3-year-old debut charging home to take out the G3 Vain S. at Caulfield.

Shortly after tried against the older horses, Ingratiating was again in the thick of things finishing third to Jonker and Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) in the G1 Manikato S. And he was still in good form the following spring, winning a Caulfield handicap with 4.5kg more than his nearest rival before a G2 Schillaci S. second to Paulele.

Longevity and toughness

There was still more to come for Ingratiating who last winter in his final campaign was able to win the G3 Bletchingly S. at Caulfield.

It was that longevity and toughness that appealed to Neville Duncan, as well as his outstanding 2-year-old form - placings in Melbourne and Sydney's majors.

“To front up in both of those races and finish in the placings was a great effort,” he said, noting that had Ingratiating won either he would not be heading to Western Australia.

Describing Ingratiating as “the best performed Australian bred 2-year-old to retire to stud in Western Australia,” Duncan said that he is “a handsome 16 hand stallion who was well regarded by his trainer and riders.”

“I always had a lot of time for him,” Damien Oliver reported - “he was a bit more precocious than Anamoe but there was little between them.”

“It is a rare feat for a colt to run in both our prestigious 2-year-old sprints,” James Cummings said - “but he had the class and could coil up and zoom to the line.”

“He furnished into a pretty classy animal and colts like Ingratiating with his style and physique are hard to find,” he continued.

“He thrived on training and had that glint in his eye that indicated he knew when it was race day.”

Duncan could not be more impressed with Ingratiating on type - “he has a great hindquarter, massive forearms and good leg,” he enthused.

A member of the Tapit (USA) (three times US Champion Sire of 31 Group 1 winners and 132 other stakes winners) branch of the Seattle Slew (USA) sire line, Ingratiating is one of his triple Group 1 winning sire Frosted's 27 stakes winners.