Cover image courtesy of Ajay Berry (Race Images South)

New stakes winner for Written Tycoon

Written Tycoon continues to defy his age and on Wednesday, his 5-year-old mare Acquarello won the G3 Canterbury Breeders’ S. over 1400 metres. Ridden by Michael McNabb for trainer Tony Pike, Acquarello was sent to the front early and stayed there winning by 1.5l from Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained Third Decree (NZ) (War Decree {USA}), with Anna Furlong trained Goldie’s Chance (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) in third.

“She’s been competing in very strong Rating 75 races up north and this looked a good chance for her to get black type. I was sure she would run well and there’s still a fair bit of improvement to come deeper into the season,” Pike told Loveracing.nz. The win was her fourth from 12 starts and her first win at black type level and took her earnings above NZ$120,000.

“It looked like a race with no tempo, so Michael had the option to lead and they got it pretty soft. She’s a beautiful type of mare and she’s only going to get better, it’s exciting to have one like her.”

The win was satisfying for jockey Michael McNab who is just returning from injury. He fractured vertebrae in a fall in June. “She’s a beautiful mare and there didn’t look to be a lot of speed and she flew the lids,” McNab said. “She got into a nice rhythm and it was never in doubt, I thought she was the best mare in the race.”

Purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $400,000 at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from Sledmere Stud, Acquarello was bred by Rifa Mustang and is raced by Trelawney Stud. She becomes the 68th stakes winner for Written Tycoon.

Acquarello is the second foal and only winner for River Pebbles (Al Maher) who is a half-sister to Kulgrinda (Exceed And Excel) whose nine wins included four at stakes level, and River Pebbles is also a full sister to Listed Black Pearl S. winner River Delta. This is the family of Group 1 winner River Dove (Hurricane Sky), dam of successful sire Headwater, and first-season sire and Group 1 winner Captivant also features in this family.

Blanket finish in G3 TAB Mile makes for exciting racing

Margins of a head, a head, and a head covered the first three home in the G3 TAB Mile at Riccarton for a thrilling contest. Last season’s champion apprentice Lily Sutherland rode 7-year-old gelding Kopua (NZ) (Shocking) and lifted him over the line to win from Matscot (NZ) (Haradasun), ridden by Michael McNab who earlier won the G3 Canterbury Breeders’ S., and Perfect Scenario (NZ) (Iffraj {GB}). The trifecta was formed by three horses from the same 2017 crop in a strong result for showcasing the longevity of the thoroughbred.

“They have just been so supportive of me and it’s so good to ride a big winner for the family. We got squeezed up a bit early, but he travelled really well into the race,” Sutherland told Loveracing.nz.

Kopua has won two of his four starts this time in, and in total has eight wins from 31 starts with earnings over NZ$340,000. Bred by Maria Bloodstock, Kopua is part-owned by Kevin Myers and wasn’t seen at an auction as a young horse.

“It was a great ride by Lily to get over the top of them. It’s great for her to get a big race, Lily is an extremely hard worker and she’s just improving all the time,” trainer Kevin Myers’ son Jason told Loveracing.nz. “We thought $25 was well over the odds and we’d been quietly confident with him, he was very unlucky in the race last year.”

This was Kopua’s first stakes win and he becomes the 25th stakes winner for G1 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, whose four Group 1 winners include I’m Thunderstruck (NZ). Kopua is one of two winners for unplaced mare Kendall Marie (NZ) (Pins) who has been mediocre as a broodmare until now with five named foals for two winners, but a stakes winner lifts her status considerably. Kendall Marie is out of winning Lord Ballina mare Kilsheelan Marie (NZ), who is a full sister to G1 Winfield Classic (now the G1 Coolmore Classic) winner Acushla Marie (NZ) and Listed winner Clovelly Bay (NZ) (English Harbour {GB}). This is the family of Myers-trained G3 Cuddle S. winner Yanna Marie (NZ) (Lord Ballina).

Group target for unbeaten Cool Aza Rene

Te Akau Racing’s juvenile filly Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) remains unbeaten after winning at her second start at Riccarton on Wednesday. Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, she was sent out the $1.30 favourite and delivered with a 0.75l win. She had to work for it with Miss Ziggy (NZ) (Brazen Beau) pushing her all the way and the two juveniles fought head and head for most of the straight with Cool Aza Rene pulling away at the post to win.

Third-placed Quisiera (NZ) (Sweynesse) was 2.25l further back with a neck to fourth placed Fourofus (NZ) (Tivaci {NZ}).

“She’s a nice filly and just loves being a racehorse,” Bergerson said. “She’s got plenty of condition for a young horse and hadn’t missed a beat since Otaki, she stuck her neck out and really tried hard.” She will likely head to next month’s G2 Wakefield Challenge S. at Trentham.

Cool Aza Rene was the first winner for first season sire Cool Aza Beel when she won on debut at her last start. She was a $55,000 purchase by David Ellis at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Newhaven Park.

“She’s the ultimate professional and behind the gates she was walking around like a kid’s pony. When she got to the front she was stargazing around a bit, but she was very good,” jockey Craig Grylls told Loveracing.nz.

The first foal of unraced mare Irene (Xtravagant {NZ}) whose second dam is Champion 2YO Filly and dual Group 1 winner Hasna (Snippets). Irene is a half-sister to G3 MVRC Champagne S.-placed Mintha (Redoute’s Choice) out of winning Encosta De Lago mare Hades.

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

The fashion of Hello Romeo’s (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) dominant and front-running 1.75l win in the 2YO H. at Bendigo on Wednesday was “just like his old man”, according to Cambridge Stud CEO, Henry Plumptre.

The Lindsay Park colt became the first victor from Group 1 winner Hello Youmzain’s (Fr) New Zealand crops at Cambridge Stud.

Hello Youmzain was the leading first-season sire in France by earnings, winners and stakes winners, and his first Northern Hemisphere 2-year-olds include Group 3 victors Misunderstood (Fr) and Electrolyte (Ire).

Plumptre was delighted with the high-cruising speed Hello Romeo displayed under jockey Koby Jennings at Bendigo on Wednesday, before finding another gear on the straight to comfortably hold off stablemate for Ben, Will and JD Hayes, Mrs Iglesia (Dirty Work).

“It was quite like his old man. Hello Youmzain was a horse who didn’t come from the back with a withering burst,” Plumptre told The Thoroughbred Report.

“He just sat up on the pace and kicked away from them in his really good wins, like the Haydock Sprint Cup and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

“He sat on the pace and toughed it out, and that’s the style of horse he was. And that was pretty much what that colt did (on Wednesday). It was good to see.”

Ready to greet more winners

Hello Youmzain has now produced 19 winners from 46 runners, with 105 named foals in total, and Cambridge Stud shares the belief that he will continue producing winners.

By Kodiac (GB), the sire of 102 stakes victors, Plumptre said demand for Hello Youmzain progeny would continue to increase next year.

Plumptre said the Kodiac bloodline was “the gift that keeps on giving”.

“He (Hello Youmzain) has got five or six stakes horses across France and England,” he said. “So his first year up there was very good, and good enough for his fee to go from €25,000 to €40,000.

“He’s obviously going to be in demand next year. And we’ve got a lot of faith in the horse.

“(Cambridge Stud onwers) Brendan and Jo (Lindsay) have probably got 16 or 17 Hello Youmzains in work with various trainers. We’ve got a couple with Mark Walker at Te Akau, we’ve got a lot with our private trainer Lance Noble – some beautiful fillies with him.

“So we’ve got a lot of faith in him. That Kodiac bloodline is the gift that keeps on giving for us.”

A $150,000 purchase from Lindsay Park from Hallmark Stud at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Hello Romeo is out of Jomara Bloodstock-bred Julieta (NZ) (Shooting To Win), who just produced her third Hello Youmzain foal in a row at Cambridge Stud.

She is a half-sister to gelding and three-time Group 1 winner, Humidor (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}).

“They didn’t look like obvious early 2-year-olds, but a lot of the mares who were mated with Hello Youmzain in his first crop were from pretty fast families,” Plumptre said.

“He (Hello Romeo) was bred by the Carter brothers (John and Mark, as well as sister Rachael) at Jomara Bloodstock, and there’ll be a bit of speed in that family. So that probably played a hand in Hello Romeo’s win. You’re always looking for 2-year-old winners.

“When you’re breeding horses which are predominantly going to Australia, it’s so important to get some 2-year-old runners on the board.

“The Carters have been big supporters of Hello Youmzain. They’ve sent some beautiful mares to him. They’re good supporters of ours, and it’s great to see them get that success.”

Hello Youmzain, now an 8-year-old stallion, currently stands for NZ$30,000 (plus GST) at Cambridge Stud.

“We like our 1-2 trial runners”

Hello Youmzain also had a trial winner at Ruakaka, when filly Remala (NZ) (out of Alamer {NZ} by Alamosa {NZ}) beat stablemate and fellow Hello Youmzain filly, homebred Hello Hayley (NZ) (out of Hayley Grace {NZ} by Thorn Park) for Noble on Monday.

Cambridge Stud bought Remala for NZ$180,000 from Kilgravin Lodge at the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

“Remala beat her stablemate, and we like them both,” Plumptre said.

“She was quite surprising to do what she did because she’s quite a big, leggy type of filly and a little bit backward.

“So she did it on raw ability. It was really pleasing to see.”

Cambridge Stud has enjoyed plenty of recent success, with colt El Castello (Castelvecchio), gelding Ceolwulf (NZ) and mare Snazzytavi (NZ) all saluting at G1 level.

Ceolwulf and Snazzytavi were both by late Champion Sire, Tavistock (NZ).

Joe Pride bought Ceolwulf for NZ$170,000 from Riversley Park at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale

Randwick trainer Anthony Cummings purchased El Castello for $220,000 out of Cambridge Stud’s draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

“You don’t realise how hard the Group 1s are to get until you start looking for them,” Plumptre said. “I think we had four Group 1s in the space of three weeks. Ceolwulf won two, El Castello won another and our own Tavistock mare here, Snazzytavi, she won a Group 1 here (the Livamol Classic at Waikato).

“But Tavistock is no longer with us, and he’s greatly missed.”

On Wednesday in NSW Parliment, Hon. Mark Latham introduced the Thoroughbred Racing Amendment (Racing NSW Accountability) Bill 2024, calling it an “urgent” measure to restore integrity to Racing NSW.

Citing a 20-year track record of unchecked power and alleged impropriety, Latham describes the organisation as having “lost its bearings” and warns it has become “a law unto itself.” In an impassioned plea to NSW Parliament's Legislative Council, he argues the need for legislative intervention to restore public trust and impose long-overdue accountability.

A “Frankenstein’s Monster”

Latham accused Racing NSW of operating without oversight, likening it to a “Frankenstein’s monster” that has “become a law unto itself.” He argues that the organisation’s unchecked power has led to a range of unethical practices, from misappropriating funds to silencing critics.

“Racing NSW believes it is the law—free to misappropriate money, present fraudulent accounts, abuse its regulatory power, dispense favouritism, breach workplace laws, intimidate industry participants, mislead Parliament, out whistleblowers and silence its critics by setting its media acolytes upon them,” Latham said.

He believes that Racing NSW’s conduct would not be tolerated in any other regulatory body.

“If any other regulator, such as SafeWork, the NSW Education Standards Authority or a health regulator, functioned that way, there would be public outcry and immediate action by the Minns Government to clean out the cronyism,” Latham argued, lamenting that Racing NSW has been allowed to operate under what he describes as a “protection racket.”

What the Bill proposes

Latham’s bill outlines four key reforms designed to enforce transparency and restore public accountability to Racing NSW:

1. Parliamentary Accountability: Racing NSW would be subject to scrutiny during budget estimates hearings and under Standing Order 52, which allows Parliament to compel the production of documents. “To make better laws and be better legislators, we need to have our Standing Order 52 call for papers power over Racing NSW,” Latham emphasised, explaining that this would enable Parliament to assess Racing NSW’s conduct and make more informed legislative decisions.

2. Financial Oversight: The proposed bill mandates that Racing NSW’s finances be audited by the NSW Auditor-General, which Latham argues is a necessary step in “lifting the veil on the organisation’s financial dealings.”

3. ICAC Jurisdiction: Latham’s bill would grant the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) the authority to investigate Racing NSW. He notes that although the Minister for Racing, David Harris, has referred concerns about Racing NSW to ICAC, the current regulatory structure prevents ICAC from launching an inquiry. “This bill will fix up a jurisdictional issue that the Minister has been trying to act on,” Latham noted.

4. Regular Reviews of the Thoroughbred Racing Act: To prevent Racing NSW from again amassing unchecked power, Latham proposes that the Thoroughbred Racing Act be subject to five-yearly reviews, ensuring ongoing legislative oversight and preventing the emergence of inappropriate behaviours.

Evidence of misconduct

In support of these reforms, Latham cites the testimony of a whistleblower—a former Racing NSW employee—who has allegedly come forward with evidence of criminal activity within the organisation.

“The key whistleblower has provided sworn evidence of New South Wales and Commonwealth laws being broken,” Latham explained, adding that Racing NSW’s leadership has repeatedly misled Parliament, with CEO Peter V’landys allegedly providing “false testimony” on 13 separate occasions in his testimonial to the select committee inquiry to sell Rosehill Racecourse.

Latham accuses the Rosehill select committee of failing to act on this information and suggests it may allow Racing NSW to avoid scrutiny by running out the clock. He reminded Parliament of its duty to act on these allegations under Section 316 of the NSW Crimes Act, which requires citizens to report serious crimes to the police.

“Cleaning out these Augean Stables”

In an especially pointed remark, Latham described the task ahead as akin to cleaning the “Augean stables,” a mythical reference to an overwhelming and dirty job. For him, the bill represents more than just legal amendments; it is a call to restore the integrity of racing regulation in New South Wales.

Latham closed his statement with a final plea to his colleagues, emphasising that “only the crossbench in this place” has been willing to challenge Racing NSW. The bill, he argues, is necessary to restore Racing NSW to its intended role: an accountable and ethical regulator that serves the interests of the public, not a powerful few.

ATC Chairman Peter McGauran recently updated members on the timeline for the member vote on the proposed sale of Rosehill Racecourse, announcing it will now take place on April 3 next year. Originally set for 2024, the vote has been postponed as the ATC completes due diligence.

The parliamentary select committee examining the details of the proposed sale of Rosehill is set to release its findings on December 6.

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Rob Archibald made an unselfish call to stay in Sydney instead of joining co-trainer and partner Annabel Neasham on a plane to Melbourne, which meant he missed seeing his first Group 1 triumph trackside as a conditioner.

But it is this team-first attitude which is typical of the Neasham operation, and a large reason why Sunshine In Paris (Invader) saluted in the $3 million Champions Sprint over 1200 metres at Flemington on Saturday.

The 5-year-old mare was expertly ridden by champion jockey James McDonald, who drove her between Stretan Angel (Harry Angel {Ire}) and Baraqiel (Snitzel) before launching for home inside the final 100 metres and beating runner-up Right To Party (Zoustar) by 0.15l on the line.

After the race, Neasham said she felt bad for Archibald and wished he was standing beside her to experience the euphoria of winning his first Group 1 as her fellow trainer in such thrilling fashion.

But the former Australian polo standout was still on a high when talking about his feat this week, putting his teammates first and staying back in the New South Wales capital to help prepare their runners for the 10-race card at Rosehill.

“Not at all (do I regret not being in Melbourne). I’ve only been training for five minutes, so I’m really pleased that Annabel was down there,” he told The Thoroughbred Report.

“She’s worked hard and got the business to where it is today. I just felt very fortunate to be on the training ticket with her, and I was just happy the horse got the win.

“I wasn’t too worried about being in Sydney.”

Archibald was Neasham’s racing manager, before gaining approval from Racing NSW to be her co-trainer in August.

He has previously worked for David Simcock and Hugo Palmer in the United Kingdom, then the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott stable and for Coolmore.

The skilled horseman has always been impressed with Neasham’s work ethic, who also worked for Waterhouse and excelled under Ciaron Maher, before becoming the head of Maher's Sydney stable at Warwick Farm.

In the 2020-21 racing season, Neasham was granted 36 boxes to begin her solo training career, and her rise as a conditioner has been rapid.

Saturday was her 11th Group 1 victory after travelling to Australia on a working holiday in 2016, and loving the country so much that she decided to stay.

Like Archibald, she too has outstanding horsemanship capabilities, winning the Mongol Derby over 1000km and across 10 days in 2018.

Neasham is now very business savvy and a fine leader of horses and people, according to Archibald.

“She leads by example and works very hard. She’s a great trainer and she’s built up a really solid business,” he said.

“Now it’s about trying to consolidate that and just improve little things as we go along.

“She’s a good leader, hard worker and deserves all the success that’s come her way.

“I’m very proud to be a part of the team, and hopefully we can keep building on it.

“I think it (winning the Champions Sprint) was a good reward for everybody. She (Sunshine In Paris) is a really good mare and she deserved that.

“It’ll probably take a while for it to sink in, but it’s great.”

It could be the first of many G1 wins

While it might take a while for Archibald to process Saturday’s achievement, he is destined to share a lot more success alongside Neasham.

An outstanding polo career after growing up in a successful polo family in Scone put him on the trajectory to join the exclusive elite trainers’ club as a Group 1 winner.

“I think it (being a polo player) definitely has helped. It’s been a good grounding. I’ve spent my whole life with horses, mostly riding them and competing in various tournaments around the world,” he said.

“I think a lot of training is just keeping horses happy and healthy and fit, and that was a big part of what I did as a polo player.

“That combined with spending a fair bit of time with Gai Waterhouse and a few trainers in England, so I’d like to think that’s put me in relatively good stead.

“And I had a good couple of years with Annabel before training, so I’ve got a good grounding.

“There’s still so much to learn, and you never stop learning. The polo has definitely helped.”

Archibald recently returned to Scone to help his training operation set up a 30-box complex, after relinquishing its boxes at Rosehill.

Neasham and Archibald train over 300 horses, but now only have two sites to manage – Warwick Farm and Scone.

And they have both been delighted with their expansion into the Hunter Valley.

“We had a stable at Rosehill, and we decided we didn’t want two bases in Sydney. We just wanted it all under one roof,” Archibald said.

“So we shut the Rosehill stable down and took the opportunity to get 30 boxes in Scone.

“We think that’ll offer our owners more options. It gives us an opportunity to train some of our country horses in the country, rather than in Sydney.

“The Scone facilities are fantastic – they’ve got really good access to grass, which at times can be hard in Sydney.

“So we’ll get some of our better horses on the grass earlier in their preparations, which is a plus.

“And also a nice country environment can suit some of the slightly hotter fillies in training. They can start off up there, and it gives them a really good start.”

It has been a full-on schedule for Archibald since becoming Neasham’s co-trainer in August, tasked with overseeing so many competitive horses.

But he is someone who has always enjoyed a challenge, while adding the operation won’t be expanding anytime soon.

“It’s a great challenge. We love what we do. It keeps us busy, and we’re very fortunate that we’ve got a really good team of people behind us that we rely on to take some responsibility as well,” he said.

“It’s a big team effort, but we love it. If you want to compete against the best, you need an army of horses behind you to help you do that.

“I don’t think we envisage getting any bigger than we are. We’re pretty happy with our number. We feel like we’ve got a really good handle on that number.

“We do have a great team of people behind us that allow us to do a good job with those horses.”

Mare's form built to shine bright for Champions Sprint at Flemington

Sunshine In Paris displayed continual improvement in her preparation leading into Saturday’s G1 Champions Sprint, winning the G2 Sheraco S., coming fifth in the $20 million The Everest and finishing 1.79l behind Everest winner Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) in the Russell Balding S.

The only slight concern Archibald had was whether his mare would back up for the first time from her excellent performance in the Balding S. at Rosehill on November 2, fighting hard for second place after she was second last at the turn for home.

But with her coolheaded mentality, Archibald need not have worried about how the 5-year-old would handle her first start down the Flemington straight.

“She’s never had to back up, and we were just pleased with the way she travelled down,” he said.

“She was very fresh on the track. She had been ticking all the boxes and she’s been in great order all preparation.

“We were happy with the way she presented going into the run. J-Mac (McDonald) was keen to ride her, so that was a plus.

“Tommy (Berry) had done a great job with her all preparation and was dealt a couple of tough draws to deal with.”

Sunshine In Paris now has six wins from 13 starts for a total of $4,762,025 in prizemoney.

“First time down the straight she coped with that well, and she was at the peak of her powers to get that result on Saturday," Archibald said.

“It was a good reward for her. She deserved a result like that, and it was a good reward for the whole team, particularly her owner John Camilleri.”

She can become a top broodmare

Sunshine In Paris was first offered for sale at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale of 2022 – two months before turning three – by Blue Sky Premium Consignment.

Bought by Champagne Bloodstock for $90,000, she brought swift rewards for her new connections, saluting in three of her first five starts, concluding in a victory in Randwick’s G1 Surround S. in February last year.

Her owners opted for a fast cash-out, and it was one they surely would not regret.

Sunshine In Paris was then acquired by Camilleri, via agent James Harron, for $3.9 million from Newgate’s draft at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, making her the second-highest lot of the auction.

By Snitzel stallion Invader, the now 10-year-old won the 2017 G1 Sires Produce S. and has produced 76 winners from 139 runners.

Sunshine In Paris was his first stakes winner.

She is out of 13-year-old Zenaida (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), who has produced one other stakes winner, Macroura (Snitzel), the half-sister to Sunshine In Paris.

Macroura, now a 7-year-old broodmare, had an unnamed filly by I Am Invincible that was purchased by Seib Racing and Champion Thoroughbreds for $260,000 from Yarraman Park Stud at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Yulong bought Macroura for $1.5 million from Vinery Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Archibald said Sunshine In Paris was a smooth mover, and he believes she can go on to become an excellent broodmare.

“To look at her she’s a beautiful mover. She’s a great walker, and personality-wise she’s very tough,” he said.

“She’s tenacious and someone you want on your team. She’s a lovely mare and I think she’ll be a lovely broodmare in time.

“By a fair way, she’s the best of the progeny of Invader. She’s lovely physically, and no doubt one day she’ll make a lovely broodmare.”