Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
On Tuesday, Rosehill held 15 trials on a Heavy 8 surface. In Heat 2, Godolphin’s Tamerlane (Golden Horn {GB}) impressed by winning the 1030-metre heat by 1.24 lengths over Jumeirah Beach (Pride Of Dubai) and Junqueira (Capitalist).
Tamerlane, a son of Golden Horn (GB), the G1 The Derby and the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor, has won nine races, including the Listed Paris Lane S. and the $300,000 The Buffering.
Meanwhile, in Heat 3, Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes’ unraced Madam Instrife (Russian Revolution) won the 1030-metre event. The daughter of Russian Revolution has now triumphed in her last three trial outings, and her race debut is eagerly awaited given her outstanding pedigree.
Madam Instrife as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Madam Instrife is the seventh foal from the unraced Galileo (Ire) mare Abscond. Abscond is the dam of 12-time winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible), whose biggest success came in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara. She is also the dam of Group 3 winner Secret Blaze (Sizzling) and Listed winner Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice).
Customized catches the eye
Peter and Paul Snowden’s Customized (Capitalist) returned a trial winner on Tuesday morning with an eye-catching effort in Heat 4 over 1030 metres. The son of Capitalist, with Tommy Berry in the saddle, came from mid-pack to hold off a late charge from Take Me To Church (Churchill) and Foursomes (Russian Revolution). Chris Waller’s Sting In The Tail (NZ) (Savabeel) cruised to the line under a hold, while Flying Chevrolet (Flying Artie) was doing her best work late and after the line.
Customized as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Customized, a veteran of two starts, was placed in the G3 BJ McLachlan S. He is the second foal from the Not A Single Doubt mare Single Sapphire, who is from the family of Group 2 victress Twilight Royale (Testa Rossa), Serasana (Snitzel), winner of the G2 Sandown Guineas, and the eight-time victor Superhard (All Too Hard).
The son of Newgate Farm’s G1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist was a $400,000 purchase by the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership from the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Kandinsky returns
A bit has happened since the already royally bred Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar) went for an eight-week let-up after winning at Warwick Farm and then finishing unplaced in the Listed South Pacific Classic.
The Chris Waller-trained gelding now has a new stakes-winning sibling, Clean Energy (Zoustar), a $2.6 million yearling who claimed the Listed Bill Carter S. On Tuesday, Kandinsky Abstract returned to action in Heat 5 over 900 metres.
Partnered by James McDonald, he went to the line under his own steam in third, just behind High Blue Sea (Merchant Navy), as Silentstar (Russian Revolution) stormed down the outside to win the heat.
High Blue Sea | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
In addition to Clean Energy, Kandinsky Abstract is a full brother to the triple Group 1 winner Sunlight and the Group 3 victress Sisstar. The son of Zoustar was a $3 million purchase by Tom Magnier from the draft of Widden Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Progressive daughter of Supido looks the goods
There is no doubt that Widden Stud’s Supido can sire a talented horse; Buenos Noches and What You Need immediately come to mind. Now, the son of Sebring appears to have another promising runner on his hands with the David Pfieffer-trained Explosive Torpido.
The 4-year-old mare has raced twice, with her best effort to date being a third at Goulburn before finishing fifth at Gosford in June last year. However, Explosive Torpido’s performance on Tuesday in Heat 6 showed some promise.
Explosive Torpido as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Partnered by Dylan Gibbons, she showed abundant speed and went to the line a winner under minimal effort, holding off Annabel Neasham’s Chartwell (Churchill) and Conscript (Time For War) from the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou stable.
Explosive Torpido is the first foal from the three-time winner Tswalu, a daughter of Northern Meteor. The daughter of Supido was bred by Widden Stud, David Pfieffer, G Newcombe, K Newcombe, and A Quested. She was withdrawn from the 2021 Inglis HTBA May Yearling Sale, and her breeders have remained in her ownership.
Kingdom gets up narrowly
The $800,000 colt, Kingdom Undersiege (I Am Invincible), from the Peter and Paul Snowden stable, showed intent in Heat 7, ridden by Tommy Berry. The 2-year-old colt was made to chase down and pass the Richard and Will Freedman-trained I Am A Winner (Written Tycoon) in the 900-metre contest.
I Am A Winner held stoutly, with Kingdom Undersiege managing a narrow difference of 0.01 lengths, in a trial that saw little action from those behind. Best of the rest in third was Written Gold (Written By) from the Ryan and Alexiou stable.
Kingdom Undersiege is the fifth foal from the Choisir mare Rose Of Choice, who won seven races, including the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic. Her best produce to date has been the Hinchinbrook gelding Vendidit, who won five races.
The son of I Am Invincible was an $800,000 purchase by China Horse Club, Newgate, Go, and Trilogy from the draft of Yarraman Park Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He has raced twice, with his best effort being a seventh in the Paul Perry Classic at Newcastle on March 8.
Essaouira's family affair
Godolphin’s once-raced colt Gram (Exceed And Excel) stepped out in Heat 8, ridden by James McDonald. The 2-year-old colt came from last to comfortably overtake Theblade (Toronado {Ire}), while Delrico (Kingman {GB}) finished third.
Strong Trade (Written Tycoon), in the Yulong silks, also finished strongly under his own steam. Meanwhile, First Seal’s (Fastnet Rock) son Chief Of Staff (Zoustar) took a run closer to the fence and worked home nicely.
Gram debuted in the Max Lees Classic at Newcastle in November, finishing third to the subsequent Group 2 victress Erno’s Cube (Rubick). He returned in February for a trial and was put away until May, where he finished second in a trial at Hawkesbury before Tuesday’s impressive effort.
Exceed And Excel | Image courtesy of Darley
The son of Exceed And Excel is the second foal from the well-related Ayf Shamal (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}). Her first foal, Zulfiqar, a full brother to Gram, won the G3 Chairman’s S. and the Listed Maribyrnong Trial.
Ayf Shamal is a half-sister to Essaouira (Exceed And Excel), whose progeny Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern have accounted for 13 stakes victories between them, including four Group 1 races. Meanwhile, her lightly raced son Tassort has already sired a Group 1 winner from his first crop.
Fittingly, in Heat 10, Caravanserai (Blue Point {Ire}), the 11th foal from the blue hen mare Essaouira, claimed victory. Partnered by Kerrin McEvoy and carrying the royal blue silks, Caravanserai defeated Call Me Mojo (Toronado {Ire}) by 0.66l, with Brave One (Exceedance) finishing third.
Essaouira's next foal, a colt by Frosted (USA), has been named Chergui. Last spring, she foaled a filly by Pinatubo (Ire) and was served by Too Darn Hot (GB).
Duo of first-season sires leave impression
A duo of first-season sires left a strong impression at the Rosehill juvenile trials on Tuesday morning. Firstly, it was Newgate Farm’s Tassort, whose son Mawjood, carrying the Emirates Park silks, took out Heat 9. The Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes-trained 2-year-old gelding has raced once, finishing unplaced at Canterbury in February.
Partnered by Jay Ford, Mawjood defeated Bitten By Barry (D’Argento) and Le Troisir (NZ) (Proisir). The son of Tassort is a homebred for Emirates Park and is out of the Eavesdropper (USA) mare Maysoon, who finished fourth in the G2 Sheraco S. and is the dam of the Group 3-placed Mayaaseh (Exceed And Excel).
Rounding out the first-season sires was Chris Waller’s Swelter, a daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) carrying the familiar silks of Magic Bloodstock (the same carried by Winx (Street Cry {Ire}). Swelter took out Heat 13 with James McDonald in the saddle. The unraced filly, wearing blinkers, responded to encouragement from McDonald to hit the line strongly over Otherside (Lonhro) and Art’s Alive (Snitzel).
The daughter of Darley’s Too Darn Hot (GB) is the third foal from the Exceed And Excel mare Boorooj. She ran fourth in the G3 Widden S. and is a half-sister to Invest (Dehere {USA}), a winner of the G1 Schweppes Oaks and the G3 Doomben Roses.
Boorooj is also from the family of the Group 3 winner and G1 VRC Derby-placed Sunsets (Dundeel {NZ}). Swelter was a $410,000 purchase by Magic Bloodstock, Noel and Maria Greenhalgh, Julia Ritchie, and Neil Werrett from the draft of Segenhoe Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Conquer stikes a blow
In Heat 11, She Conquers struck a blow for Kingstar Farm’s speedball Unite And Conquer. The unraced filly from the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou stable was ridden by Tim Clark. Despite showing some inexperience, she was able to get the upper hand over Kilkenny (I Am Invincible), the second foal from the Group 1-winning mare Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel). Making up ground in third was Verona’s Cleopatra (Castelvecchio), who narrowly edged out Call Me Sassy (Zoustar).
She Conquers | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
She Conquers is the third foal from the Sebring mare She Brings It, a winner of four races. The filly was a $44,000 purchase by Group One Thoroughbreds, Gerald Ryan Racing, and her co-breeder and vendor Kingstar Farm, who remained in the filly after offering her at the 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Scandal caps good morning for Snowdens
The unraced Written Scandal (Written Tycoon) capped a good morning for Team Snowden by winning Heat 12. The juvenile, ridden by Tom Sherry, had enough in hand to overtake Chris Waller’s Extremely Hardys (Extreme Choice), while Socrazyinlove (I Am Invincible) finished third in the 900-metre contest for fillies.
Written Scandal as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Written Scandal is the first Australian-bred foal from the War Front (USA) mare Scandaleuse (USA). A winner in North America, Scandaleuse’s first foal, Scandaleuse Atlas (USA) (Karakontie {Jpn}), has won three races. The filly’s second dam, Aruna (USA), a daughter of Mr. Greeley (USA), won the G1 Spinster S. at Keeneland and was placed in the G1 Diana S. at Saratoga.
Written Scandal was a $320,000 purchase by Australian Bloodstock, Snowden Racing, and William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) from the draft of Arrowfield Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
