Quinella for Maher in G3 Hobart Cup
Trainer Ciaron Maher took two horses south to the G3 Hobart Cup on Sunday and they duly rewarded him with the quinella. Maher’s 8-year-old gelding Strawberry Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) ridden by Declan Bates won by 0.2l from stablemate 5-year-old gelding Promises Kept (Cluster) ridden by Shane Foley. Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained 7-year-old Alhambra Lad (NZ) (Proisir) completed the Victorian trained trifecta.
Strawberry Rock arrived in Australia in the spring of 2021 with three wins under his belt. The Hobart Cup was his first stakes win and he now has six wins from 31 starts and over $580,000. Originally a 13,000 gns (AU$27,000) weanling, who was on-sold as a yearling for €32,000 (AU$52,700), he was sold to Cunningham Thoroughbreds, Ciaron Maher, and Lynch Clarke at the 2021 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale for 185,000 gns (AU$383,000).
He becomes the 142nd stakes winner for Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire), and is the first foal of Strawberry Vodka (GB) (Azamour {Ire}) who left one other winner from three live foals. Her youngest is a 4-year-old. Strawberry Vodka is a full sister to Listed winner Tony Curtis (GB) who was Group 2 placed, and a half-sister to Listed winner Strawberry Martini (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}).
Victoria’s Suntora wins Listed Stutt Stakes
Flemington trainer Nick Ryan won Tasmania’s Listed Stutt Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday with Suntora (Toronado {Ire}) who was ridden by Jamie Melham. She won by 1.5l from Jessie Bazan-trained stablemates Silver Dagger (D’Argento) and Snow Eagle (Alpine Eagle) who was 4l in arrears of the leading pair.
Suntora was unplaced in three starts at two, but Ryan must have thought something of her since she ran midfield in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final at her second start. At three, she’s improved and now has two wins from seven starts with earnings over $105,000. A $150,000 yearling purchase by Express Racing and Nick Ryan from Gilgai Farm’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft, Suntora becomes the 43rd stakes winner for Toronado (Ire).
She provides a fantastic upgrade for her half-brother, Lot 231 at the upcoming Inglis Premier Yearling Sale who is by Wootton Bassett (GB). Her dam, Kansas Sunflower (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) is a Group 3-placed winner of three races from a fantastic European family which includes blue hen mare In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), dam of four Group 1 winners.
Thomas Lyons won by Tassie favourite
Trainer Glenn Stevenson’s 7-year-old gelding First Accused (Turffontein) picked up his first win of the season in Sunday’s Listed Thomas Lyons Stakes, having placed at his last three starts. He narrowly beat familiar rivals 4-year-old gelding Durazzo (Needs Further) by 0.2l with 9-year-old gelding The Inevitable (Dundeel {NZ}) in third. First Accused and The Inevitable frequently come up against each other with the pair first and third in the opposite order last start.
The consistent galloper took his record to 10 wins and 19 places from 40 starts with earnings over $690,000. It was his third Listed win for the $16,000 Motree Thoroughbreds graduate at the Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale. He is out of American juvenile winner Keep On Talking (USA) (Royal Academy {USA}) whose final foal is a 2-year-old full sister to First Accused.
Toronado juvenile wins at Bendigo
Danny O'Brien-trained 2-year-old colt Ornos (Toronado {Ire}) won on debut at Bendigo on Sunday by 0.15l from Brent Stanley-trained gelding Surprisatic (Hanseatic) and Anthony Chibnall-trained gelding Eternal Darkness (I Am Immortal) was third 0.55l from the leader.
Purchased by his trainer for $150,000 from Amarina Farm’s 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, Ornos is the second winner for Gypsy’s Best (Redoute’s Choice), a half-sister to Group 3 winner Taikun (Anabaa {USA}) and Listed winner Super Groove (Dehere {USA}). Gypsy’s Best has a yearling full brother to Ornos.
Around the Nation: Sunday’s highlights
Sunday enjoyed seven meetings around Australia. At the Gold Coast, 3-year-old gelding Lou Vega (Under The Louvre) won on debut, while at Bendigo Lee and Shannon Hope trained 3-year-old filly Scillato (American Pharoah {USA}) won her second start to stay unbeaten.
At Nowra, 3-year-old filly Flaming Moon (Too Darn Hot {GB}) won on debut, while at Taree apprentice jockey Shae Wilkes rode a treble on El Beatle (Magnus), Razella (Hellbent), and Otium (NZ) (Time Test {GB}).
At Lock in South Australia, jockey Wesley Cave rode a treble on a six-race card aboard Solar Mist (Akeed Mofeed {GB}), Our Destrier (Zoustar), and Doctor Robert (NZ) (Proisir). In WA, jockey Austin Galati rode a treble at Mount Barker on 3-year-old gelding Gingerquest (Gingerbread Man), Sirota (Laguna De Bay {NZ}), and Zac Luvs To Fly (Galah).
Falls at Hong Kong
Two bad falls during Hong Kong’s Sunday Sha Tin race meeting have resulted in four jockeys being transferred to hospital. Vincent Ho was conscious and moving all limbs after his fall in race six. Zac Purton, Keith Yeung and Angus Cheung were involved in the other fall in race nine.
Further updates will be provided in TTR AusNZ’s Hong Kong review next issue.
Maher’s sprinters to return on Saturday
Trainer Ciaron Maher will send Growing Empire (Zoustar) and I Am Me (I Am Invincible) for a jump out on Monday before they resume in Saturday’s G1 Lightning Stakes. “(Growing Empire) can mix it with the best of them. We won't shy away,” Maher told racenet.com.au.
“Hopefully he can win first time out and then he's got options to do whatever we want. He continues to furnish all the time. He's still got more to go. One that probably got away was The Valley (Manikato), he was awesome in The Everest.
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He's only going to improve. He's a raw horse and still did little things a little bit wrong last time around, so he's still going to keep furnishing mentally and physically. His run in the Manikato was huge, he was off the bit and quickened under his own accord and was collared on the line. He's probably one of the more exciting colts racing.”
Pride Of Jenni back in work
Horse Of The Year Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) has served her time for EIPH and is back in work with Ciaron Maher. “Tony has got a nice farm and they looked after her really well,” Maher told racenet.com.au.
“She had her time off, she's done a bit of training and we're just going to go slow. We won't drill down on her. I want to see her come back and show everything is in order. It's good to see her happy, healthy and well. Her demeanour seems very similar to what it always is.
Pride Of Jenni | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“You want to make sure every box is ticked before going back to the races but she does seem her old self, very straightforward. The first thing is to make sure she's right. She certainly seems in a very similar headspace.”
Vauban to trial on Tuesday
Now owned in Australia, Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) will trial on Tuesday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. “He blew both (Melbourne) Cups when he got to Flemington, so our job is to take that angst out of him and make him a happy chappy,” Waterhouse told racing.com.
“We’re getting him used to the way he’s trained and the way we race in Australia. He went to Randwick again on Saturday and he handled the experience well. He trials at Warwick Farm on Tuesday and then he’ll have a second trial before his program is put in place.
Gai Waterhouse | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He’s been nominated for all the majors in the autumn, but we’ll wait for the second trial to see how he’s coping in Australia.”
Sir Remlap to resume on Monday
Trainer Scott Singleton will set lightly raced 4-year-old gelding Sir Remlap (Rubick) at Tamworth’s 2025 Hunter & North West Country Championship Heat. “I think he's pretty smart. He is developing into one of the better horses I've had I think,” Singleton told racenet.com.au.
“He had a gallop between races at Scone on Thursday and it is probably the best I have seen him work. And he just looked like a good horse. Because he had to have the 12 months off and he's only had five starts, he is still quite green and he's just sort of starting to put it together. I've just got a hunch that he is going to measure right up in that Heat and then hopefully we can get him a bit further than that to the Final all going well.”
Schofield suspended
Jockey Chad Schofield has been suspended from Sunday, February 16 to February 26 and will miss crucial rides on Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) in the G2 Silver Slipper and Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon) in the G2 Hobartville Stakes. He elected to start his suspension after he rides Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) on Saturday in the G2 Apollo Stakes.
Double Treble for Baker
Trainer Bjorn Baker nabbed a treble at Canterbury on Friday night and another at Randwick on Saturday. “I'm pinching myself at the moment the way the stable is going,” Baker told racenet.com.au.
Bjorn Baker | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“But there are so many different elements to it, and I say it has been years in the building. I've got a great team around me. I wasn't going to go here with Shezanalister, but I had a debate with Luke (Hilton, racing manager) and he said we should run her and he got it right. When you are going well, you tend to place them well, you tend to get your tactics right, and it was smooth ride by Jason (Collett).” Baker has 47 Sydney wins this season, putting him second on the metro trainers table to Chris Waller’s 82.
Tuxedo's half-brother bought by Ritchie
Trainer Shaune Ritchie spent $130,000 on the first day of the Inglis Classic Sale to purchase the Super Seth half-sister to his G1 NZ Derby candidate Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci). “He's a very talented horse. This filly is probably not made in the same mould as Tuxedo, she looks like she'll hit the ground running and she's by a sire whose already left a Karaka Millions 2YO winner,” Ritchie told TTR AusNZ at the sale ground.
Lot 47 - Super Seth x Ball Gown (NZ) (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The boys in Tuxedo are interested in taking shares in the horse, so I don't think the rest will be hard to fill.”
Yellow Brick set for Stradbroke
Trainers Tony and Maddy Sears will set Yellow Brick (The Mission) for the G1 Stradbroke Handicap this winter. “I don't think we will have any problem getting him into a Stradbroke this year,” Maddy Sears told racenet.com.au.
Yellow Brick | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“We are looking at a campaign for him that has him going from the BRC Sprint into the Stradbroke. The Straddy makes sense for him, it is a great 1400-metre race but often you need a miler to win it. We all know how good he is over that distance and how lethal he can be second-up.”
Country Championships series commences
The NSW Country Championships series begins at Port Macquarie on Sunday February 16 and unbeaten 3-year-old gelding Bodhi Boy (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}) will be looking for a place in the final. “He’s winning on raw ability at the moment as he is bred to get over much further than the 1000 metres and 1100 metres,” trainer Lyndall Olson told racingnsw.com.au.
“I don’t think he knows how good he is, and I don’t think we do either at this stage. He’s got a great will to win and it doesn’t matter who we put him up against, he always like to have that nose in front, even in track gallops. It will be lovely to get the win in the Qualifier at Port and gain a ticket to Royal Randwick in the ($1 million) Final.”
Rain causes havoc to Stoney Creek
The races at Stoney Creek on Sunday were abandoned after rain the night before left the track in the unusual rating of “Track variations between a good 3 to heavy 8” according to Racing Victoria stewards. “Unfortunately, our meeting has been abandoned at 12.24pm today due to inconsistencies in the track,” CEO of the Stony Creek Racing Club, Jason Benbow told scst.com.au.
“The stewards believe that with the 8ml of rain that we've had overnight, that's caused the track to be a little bit inconsistent in some spots. So, in their opinion, they thought it went from a Good 3 to Heavy 8 in some parts.
“Naturally, we're a bit disappointed with that result, but safety is paramount, and ultimately, they're making a decision that they believe is in the best interests of both the thoroughbred and the jockeys, which is that safety is paramount.
“So, we have no issues with that regard. But naturally, we're disappointed. We've got everyone starting to arrive and set up for this to be our second meeting in-a-row with similar circumstances. It's quite frustrating, but we'll bounce back. Our cup day is on the 9th of March, so hopefully everyone can rally around Stony Creek and get behind us and bring us home a winner.”
Kentucky Derby points for John Hancock
Stretching out to two turns for Saturday's Listed Sam F Davis Stakes, downgraded to Listed status but still offering 20 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s 3-year-old colt John Hancock (USA) (Constitution {USA}) would not be denied in the early march to the First Saturday in May.
With his 20 point pick up here, John Hancock currently sits in seven on the Derby leaderboard, though third through eighth are all tied with the same number of qualifying points.
Group winner late addition to Arqana
Group winner Belle Promesse (Fr) (Fuisse {Fr}) (Lot 200) is a late addition to the Arqana February Mixed Sale, which takes place on Wednesday, February 12.
A winner of the G3 Prix Christian de Tredern and the Listed Prix d'Arles over hurdles at Auteuil, the mare is out of Promets Moi (Fr) (Satri {Ire}), herself a winner at Auteuil and a half-sister to black-type horse Like A Player (Fr) (Lucky Dream {Fr}). This is the family of Group winners Tarla (Fr) (Lavirco {Ger}), Bandito Conti (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}), and Overlord (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}).
