Cover image courtesy of Bluebloods
Depth Of Character (Deep Field) became The Chase’s first stakes winning graduate when he won the Listed Tattersall’s S. on Saturday. He is from China Horse Club’s The Chase’s inaugural Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, offered in 2023.
“Depth Of Character is a great example of what we are trying to produce at The Chase. He’s a stakes winning 2-year-old who looks very progressive and should improve at three,” said China Horse Club’s Michael Smith who spoke to TTR from France.
“He looks a nice sprinter miler in the making and it’s a high class family that can train on, we are very excited about his future.”
Depth Of Character has won two of his three starts, winning on debut at Canterbury at the end of May, then running in the Listed Oxlade S. to Megastar Heart (Star Turn) and Embassy (I Am Invincible). Saturday’s Listed Tattersalls S. win came at just his third raceday start.
Sold at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $180,000, Depth Of Character was purchased by Annabel Neasham Racing.
“He (Depth Of Character) looks a nice sprinter miler in the making and it’s a high class family that can train on, we are very excited about his future.” - Michael Smith
“Full credit to Annabel for selecting him and handling him masterfully to date. He was a medium sized balanced yearling, with a great colour and a lot of quality.
“His two wins to date have been stylish and he seems to have a wonderful tenacity about him which Annabel has harnessed and channelled to great effect.”
Depth of pedigree
Deep Field, now retired, has 33 stakes winners, led by four Group 1 winners; Portland Sky, Al Muthana, Voyage Bubble, and Sky Field.
Depth Of Character is the second foal of his dam Caricature (NZ) (Power {GB}) who was a winner at a mile in New Zealand as well as placing in the G3 Lowland S., Listed Taranaki Oaks Prelude, and was fourth in the G1 NZ Oaks, won by dual Group 1 winner Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel).
Deep Field | Image courtesy of Newgate Stud
Caricature's first foal, Llanddwyn (Deep Field) was a winner at Canterbury in January this year.
“His dam looks like she could be a special mare for us. We raced her in New Zealand and she was stakes placed on a number of occasions.
“She has a very high quality Zoustar filly weanling, and is in foal to Russian Revolution. She’ll go back to Zoustar this spring.”
Purchased by China Horse Club from Cambridge Stud in 2016 at the NZB National Yearling Sale for NZ$600,000, Caricature is a half-sister to three stakes winners, being G2 Wakefield Challenge S. winner Pussy Willow (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Listed winner and Group 1-placed Pussy O’Reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), and Listed winner Inside Agent (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}). This is the family of last season’s Group 2 winner Zourion (Zoustar).
The Chase aims for quality
“The Chase is built on lovely rolling country in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, we have a great climate with good feed and plenty of rain. We use big undulating paddocks and hills to grow out foals and develop good bone and muscle.
Michael Smith | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“As I said before high quality progressive horses are what we are aiming to produce and with his stakes win this weekend Depth of Character joins other high class China Horse Club bred graduates like Ozzmosis, Communist, Revolutionary Miss and Dame Giselle.”
The Chase have had the best beginning to their yearling offerings with a stakes winning juvenile in their inaugural draft, and the future can only improve from here.
