Wednesday Racing: 650k Private Life impresses for Waller

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Sneaky chance for the Derby after strong maiden win

Lindsay Park will look at the G1 Victoria Derby for Giddy Up Warrior (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) after the Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained 3-year-old gelding won the first at Sandown over 1500 metres. Coming off a last-start second at Caulfield, Giddy Up Warrior was sent out as the $2.25 favourite for jockey Mark Zahra and closed strongly to catch the leaders and win by 0.5l from the Shawn Mathrick-trained Brullen (Holler) with the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Khabalov (Russian Revolution) in third.

“We are hoping he can get out over a bit further. He’s got to tell us every time we ask him to, but he’s bred to. He’s a lovely long horse and he’s only improving into the prep and he could be a sneaky Derby chance," Hayes said.

Giddy Up Warrior was sold as a yearling by Yarran Thoroughbreds for $40,000 at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, purchased by Riverslea Park who on-sold him at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale where Lindsay Park Racing purchased him for NZ$140,000.

Saxon Warrior (Jpn), a beautifully bred son of Deep Impact (Jpn) and European Champion 2YO Filly Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), delivered on his pedigree, winning Group 1 races at two and three. At stud, he has 11 stakes winners led by G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire), while his oldest crop in Australia are 4-year-olds and include Listed winner and Group 1-placed Archaic Smile.

Giddy Up Warrior became the sixth winner for Listed Andrew Ramsden S. winner Persian Star (Shot Of Thunder) who in seven races won up to two miles. She is out of a winning half-sister to G1 Nakayama Sprinters S. winner Ultra Fantasy (Encosta De Lago). The pedigree is a mix of stamina and speed, which could be perfect the Victoria Derby which requires an early maturing stayer with plenty of class.

Private Life has a big future

Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old colt Private Life (Written Tycoon) looks to have a big future after making it two in succession at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. From barrier one, Nash Rawiller had the colt sitting quietly on the fence behind the leaders, and as they rounded the turn, the leaders spread wide and Private Life had to go wider to get a free run. He sprinted home late to win by 0.33l from the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained Lilac (Justify {USA}) with Private Life’s stablemate Declichy Boulevard (Snitzel) in third.

Private Life was fourth on debut as a May 2-year-old before winning in Sydney three weeks later. Wednesday’s win was his first run at three. Raced by Coolmore Stud and partners, he was purchased by Tom Magnier for $650,000 from Arrowfield Stud’s 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

Written Tycoon had a fantastic season in 2023/24, adding three Group 1 winners, and looks to have several exciting youngsters heading towards the spring Group 1 races this season.

Private Life is one of four winners for Group 3 winner Aliyana Tilde (Snitzel) who placed in the G1 Australian Oaks, G1 Vinery S. and G1 Sydney Cup. Private Life’s unraced half-sister Double Deel (Dundeel {NZ}) is the dam of Listed winner Noah ‘N’ A Deel (Maurice {Jpn}). Aliyana Tilde has three stakes-winning siblings, led by full sister Teaspoon who won the G3 Widden S. Her half-sister Group 3 winner Smytzer’s Trish (Geiger Counter {USA}) is the dam of Listed winner Swish Trish (Redoute’s Choice), while Listed-winning half-sister Stella Artois (Geiger Counter {USA}) is the dam of Group 2 winner Freestyle (Snippets) and the granddam of globetrotting Group 1-placed, Group winner The Astrologist (Zoustar).

Pieris holds off challengers to make it two

Front running 3-year-old colt Pieris (Snitzel), trained by Robbie Laing, held off a group of fast-finishing challengers to win by 0.75l at Sandown on Wednesday. Ridden by Jamie Kah, he now has two wins from eight starts.

“I would ride this horse any day. He’s just a beautiful animal, he tries very hard. You can put him in any spot you want to. Robbie was keen to take a sit today and he relaxed and did everything right. I was just a passenger then,” said Kah.

Pieris won from the Ciaron Maher-trained Kalkallo (Alabama Express) and the John McArdle-trained Viasain (Zousain). Passed in as a yearling by Baramul Stud, Pieris had three starts at two, two in Group company, before winning at his first start at three. Since then, he has had three starts in the city for one second behind Ndola (Justify {USA}).

The seventh winner for stakes-placed winner of four races, Mother’s Milk (NZ) (Savabeel). Pieris is a half-brother to G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies)-placed Fresh (Fastnet Rock), who also won at two, and to Ringside (Stratum) who has put together 10 wins with earnings over $178,000.

Mother’s Milk is a daughter of Group 3-placed winner Baileys On Ice (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who is a full sister to G1 Patinack Classic winner Swick. Snitzel currently has 146 stakes winners.

El Castello adds to Castelvecchio’s growing record

A wall of horses hit the line in the second on the card at Warwick Farm on Wednesday and it was the Anthony Cummings-trained 3-year-old colt El Castello (Castelvecchio) who lunged at the right time to win by 0.15l for jockey Joshua Parr. Close in second was the Robert and Luke Price-trained Monte Veebee (Snitzel) with the Chris Waller-trained Mr Artimisea (The Autumn Sun) in third.

El Castello showed promise early, running third on debut at two before a classy effort to run second in the Listed Fernhill H. behind Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) who would go on win two Group 1 races at two. A mid-field effort in the G1 Champagne S. had him sent to the paddock and he resumed today with this win which took his record to a win and two placings from four starts with earnings over $100,000.

Sold by Cambridge Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $220,000, he was purchased by his trainer and becomes the fifth winner for Castelvecchio.

Castelvecchio won the G1 Champagne S. and G1 Rosehill Guineas and is a son of Dundeel (NZ), so on paper, his progeny ought to improve from two to three just as he did.

El Castello is the second foal and first winner for winning mare Word Games (Fastnet Rock) whose 2022 foal by Wootton Bassett (GB) unfortunately died, while she has a yearling by Almanzor (Fr). Word Games is a full sister to dual Group 1 winner Fiveandahalfstar who won over $2.6 million, as well as to the Group 3-placed winner Wordplay. Her half-sister Ritzy (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) won over 2000 metres and is the dam of dual Listed winner Rhapsody Rose (Star Witness).

Alpha Bravo is bold and brave

Flashy 3-year-old colt Alpha Bravo (Better Than Ready) stuck his big white nose in front on the line in the first race at the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday to win for trainer Danny Bougoure and jockey Martin Harley. Sent out as second favourite by punters, Alpha Bravo rallied down the straight to pull ahead by 0.5l of 3-year-old filly Dazzling Diamond (Written By) who was fighting hard as the favourite but faded on the rail. Alpha Bravo clung on to win by 0.2l, with the Kelly Schweida-trained Brazen Act (Brazen Beau) a further 2l back in third.

Alpha Bravo, with his three white socks and big white blaze, was having his first start at three, previously having placed three times as a 2-year-old. Purchased by Brent Wilkinson for $130,000 from Yarramalong Park’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, this win took his earnings beyond $84,000 (including QTIS bonuses) and he looks like there is more to come.

Better Than Ready has been a solid sire in Queensland with 12 stakes winners, led by Group 1 winner Apache Chase, and his Group-winning son Alpine Edge retires to stud this year. His filly Skirt The Law won the 2023 R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

Another good winner out of a Snitzel mare, Alpha Bravo’s dam Summer Glen won twice and was second in the Bendigo Gold Rush 2YO S. and fourth in the G3 Thoroughbred Club S. Her first foal Lazy Susan (Capitalist) has won three races including one at Caulfield, and Summer Glen’s winning dam is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Grey Song (Unbridled’s Song {USA}) and Group 3 winner Tonz More Fun (More Than Ready {USA}).

Lux Libertas makes it three in a row

A day after Cambridge Stud and Haras d’Etreham announced that Almanzor (Fr) would be staying in New Zealand permanently, his 4-year-old mare Lux Libertas (NZ) made it three in-a-row at Wednesday’s Matamata meeting. Trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scot and ridden by Warren Kennedy, she won by 0.4l from Baronet (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}) and Khafre (American Pharoah). Lux Libertas has now won three of her five starts, with all three wins in succession.

“I thought it was a very good win, especially on a testing track like it was today,” Kennedy told Loveracing.nz. “She’s run on Heavy tracks and handled it well, she’s big and strong and it was a good win. Although the margin wasn’t big, it was better than what it looked like. She’s a filly that we’ve been settling and the way the track was running today, it looked like it would be on-speed.

“Three in a row is not easy to do, she’s been placed really well by Lance and Andrew and when I first won on her, I said she was a stakes filly. Hopefully they’ll step her up now to that level and see how she competes there.”

Lux Libertas was rejected by her dam as a foal. “She’s a very special girl, she’s got a big heart and is a lovely filly. She had a rough start to life, her mother didn’t want to know her, so I think she just relishes all the love and attention she gets from Wexford, she wants to be here. The mother died after a while, but we had another mare that needed a foal at Blandford and there you go, she was adopted out,” said Kylie Bax, who co-owns the mare bred by her parents, Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax, alongside JML Bloodstock.

“I pre-train her and broke her in, and I think she’s got a lot of class. I don’t think a better track will be any problem at all, she’s got a lot of heart.”

Almanzor has sired 19 stakes winners led by Group 1 winners Manzoice (NZ) and Circle Of Fire (GB), and is a son of Wootton Bassett (GB) who shuttles to Coolmore Stud. Lux Libertas is a half-sister to Listed Perak RC Charity Cup winner Trigger Pegasus (NZ) (Deep Field), and both are out of the stakes-placed winner Miss Fi (NZ) (Makfi {GB}). Miss Fi is a half-sister to dual Listed winner Peaceful (NZ) (Savabeel) and her dam is a winning daughter of G3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies) winner World Peace (Danehill {USA}).

Pinecliff pair shine at Sandown

Pinecliff Racing enjoyed two winners at Sandown with 4-year-old mare Zloties (Snitzel) winning race four for trainer Grahame Begg and jockey Jordan Childs, while at the end of the card, they share the ownership of blueblood 4-year-old mare Isthmus (I Am Invincible) with Arrowfield Stud.

Zloties has now won two in succession after placing on debut. “She got back a little bit further than we expected, we thought she would be in the first half dozen, but she was given them a good head start down the dip,” Begg said about Zloties.

“But I really like the way she stretched her neck out - she seems to be all racehorse. She still has it all ahead of her… she has a lot of potential.”

Zloties is by Champion sire Snitzel out of Polska (Encosta De Lago) and her name is based on the Polish currency ‘zloty’. Zloties is a half-sister to Group 2 winners Catch A Fire (Sebring) and Seaburge (Sebring).

Isthmus was first-up from a spell, having run in the G3 PJ Bell S. at the end of her 3-year-old campaign, and took her record to three wins from eight starts. Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, the daughter of Champion Sire I Am Invincible wasn’t offered as a yearling.

She is the first foal of Champion 3YO Filly Shoals (Fastnet Rock) who won the G1 Myer Classic, G1 Surround S. and G1 Robert Sangster S., winning seven races in total with earnings over $2.5 million. Shoals has an unraced 3-year-old colt, Chelsea (Written Tycoon) who is trained by Chris Waller and was a $1 million purchase by Aramco Racing and Yulong at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from Arrowfield Stud. Chelsea is her only foal to go to auction so far. Her 2-year-old is an unnamed filly by I Am Invincible, while she has a 2023 filly by Maurice (Jpn).

Shoals is a full sister to Listed winner Groundswell, and their winning dam The Broken Shore (Hussonet {USA}) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice, and Group 1 winners Manhattan Rain and Platinum Scissors, as well as two other stakes winners. This is also the family of Rubick and Schwarz (Zoustar).