Saturday Summary: It's all Sunshine at Doomben

Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography

Sunshine In Paris overcomes run of bad draws

In a field filled with eleven Group 1 winners, Sunshine In Paris (Invader) had to overcome another wide barrier draw in Saturday’s G1 Doomben 10,000. And overcome it she did. Ridden by James McDonald for Annabel and Rob Archibald, she flew late down the outside of the field to swamp the pack and win by 0.22l from Rob Heathcote-trained stalwart 7-year-old gelding Rothfire (Rothesay) who was having his second start back from another injury to dig deep for second. In third, only half-a-length from the winner was outsider 4-year-old gelding Payline (Shooting To Win) who snuck into the field thanks to two scratchings for trainers Chris and Corey Munce.

“I was getting pretty excited. I'm just so pleased for the mare, she's been great all prep she just hasn't had a good draw, so I'm really pleased it worked out well. Thanks to her owners for being brave enough and supportive enough to run her on a track which probably isn't to her liking. Annabel would have been cheering very loudly back home, she loves this mare as does everyone involved with her,” said Rob Archibald.

“It worked out really well. James came and galloped her a couple of weeks ago and said she's spot on, which gave us all the confidence we needed. We were still a bit worried about the ground, but we didn't need to in the end because it all worked out very well.

“Rothfire was very brave and he's a very good horse in his own right. So it was a real fight over the last 50 metres, and I'm just so pleased she managed to get her head in front.”

Sunshine In Paris, owned by John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds who hold a slot for The Everest, won on debut as a spring 3-year-old, then won the G1 Surround Stakes at her fifth start. Nine of her 17 starts have been in Group 1 company, and she also won the 2024 G1 VRC Sprint Classic. She came into this run off a third in the G1 All-Aged Stakes and the win took her record to seven wins and five placings with earnings over $6 million.

Sold as an unraced 2-year-old by Blue Sky Premium Consignment at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $90,000 to Champagne Bloodstock, she was sold at the same sale a year later as a Group 1 winner for $3.9 million to James Harron Bloodstock. The only stakes winner for G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Invader, a son of Snitzel, Sunshine In Paris is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Macroura (Snitzel), both out of winning mare Zenaida (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner and Horse of the Year in NZ Vosne Romanee (NZ) (Electronic Zone {USA}).

Listed trifecta for Russian Revolution

Russian Revolution provided the trifecta for the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone when Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 4-year-old gelding The Instructor (Russian Revolution) added his second Listed win in his last three starts. The Instructor won by 0.16l from David Pfieffer-trained 5-year-old gelding Whinchat (Russian Revolution) with Kris Lees-trained 5-year-old gelding Brudenell (Russian Revolution) in third.

The win gave Waterhouse and Bott a stakes double for the day with juvenile filly Stardom (Zoustar) in the Listed Woodlands Stakes earlier in the day, and both were ridden by Adam Hyeronimus.

The Instructor is a Lyndhurst Stud $230,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate, bought by First Light Racing in conjunction with his trainers, and now has seven wins from 17 starts and earnings over $710,000. His dam, Right Of Way (Denman) has an unraced 2-year-old Bodysnatcher (Better Than Ready).

Russian Revolution has twelve stakes winners with both Brudenell and The Instructor already on that list prior to the Luskin Star Stakes, while Whinchat gained his first stakes result and he was resuming after more than a year away from the track.

Imperialist overcomes issues with front running ride

Trainer Chris Waller has a puzzle to untangle with 3-year-old gelding Imperialist (NZ) (Churchill {Ire}) who has been inconsistent in his 13 start career. On Saturday, Waller removed the blinkers and jockey Tommy Berry rode him more positively to sit in the leading bunch before he galloped clear to win the G3 Rough Habit Stakes by 1.37l from Paul Shailer-trained Deep Focus (NZ) (Deep Field) with the training partnership of John O'Shea and Tom Charlton providing third and fourth with King Of Thunder (NZ) (Tivaci) and Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth).

“We didn't know what to do with him after his last start, we tried blinkers and it didn't work. So we took them off and suggested to Tommy that we ride him a bit closer to the speed today. He had a nice soft time up front and it sparked some interest. He brought some good form to Sydney from Melbourne, but then didn't quite stay the 2400 metres (of the G1 Australian Derby),” said Waller.

“We'll try to make him stay now. I'll have a chat to Tommy to see what he says, but I do have some concerns over the 2400 metres (of the G1 Queensland Derby). The Churchills tend to be slightly speedier horses, so we'll have a think over the next few days about whether or not we go there (to the 2000 metre Doomben Cup).”

Winner of the Listed The Phoenix Stakes at his third start, Imperialist did nothing much as a spring 3-year-old, then improved this autumn to run third in the G2 Autumn Classic and second in the G2 Alister Clark Stakes before failing in the G1 Australian Derby. Sent to Brisbane, he was ninth in the G2 Queensland Guineas last start.

Purchased at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$170,000 from Curraghmore by Waller and Guy Mulcaster, Imperialist’s two wins have netted his connections just over $380,000. He is one of 31 stakes winners for his sire, and is out of Fastnet Rock mare Dancing Hare who won three races and is out of unraced Global Dance (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Cerulean Sky (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}). This is the family of Hong Kong Group 1 winner Wellington (All Too Hard).

Summer Flame’s consistency pays off in Denise’s Joy Stakes

With several horses fanning wide across the track, it was jockey Jeff Penza who took the short path along the rail in the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes to finish strongly late on Rosemont Stud’s homebred 3-year-old filly Summer Flame (Written Tycoon) who dashed to the lead to win by 0.34l from Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Gerringong (Blue Point {Ire}) who was also closing quickly for jockey Winona Costin. Close in third was James Cummings-trained Thames (Lonhro) with six horses finishing within a length of each other.

“She is a filly who is a bit highly strung so we asked Jeff to look after her and just basically work with her and try to be as economical as he can with her,” assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said.

“She was a massive price but she came up from Melbourne where she raced for us last preparation with a bit of a wrap on her. She has performed well in all three starts down there. It's obviously a big step up into Listed grade but she was a slow developing type, which the Written Tycoons can be, and she has taken it in her stride.”

Summer Flame won on debut in January at Mornington, then placed twice in her next two starts. She has earnings over $190,000. Bought north to Scone, she becomes stakes winner number 77 for her sire. The second foal of G3 Begonia Belle Stakes winner Divine Quality (Sepoy), whose first foal is winning mare Divino Cavallo (Pierro), Summer Flame has an unraced 2-year-old half-brother, Augusta National (Zoustar) and a yearling full sister. Divine Quality was purchased by Rosemont Stud as a broodmare prospect for $725,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Divine Quality is out of winning Fastnet Rock mare Nun Faster, a half-sister to Listed winner Vatican (God’s Own), from the family of triple Group 1 winner, New Zealand Horse Of The Year, and sire King’s Chapel (NZ).

Caballus resumes with a stakes victory

Bjorn Baker will look at the 2023/24 season with fondness, and his great record continued on Saturday with 4-year-old gelding Caballus (I Am Invincible) resuming after time out for throat surgery with a 0.64l win in the Listed Ortensia Stakes ridden by jockey Ashley Morgan. In second was Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 4-year-old gelding The Novellist (Written By) with Peter Snowden-trained 4-year-old gelding Fire Star (Deep Field) a length back in third.

“Josh Parr has ridden him in a couple of his trials and Josh said to me about a month ago, 'he is airborne, this horse. He's a different horse to what he was',” stable representative Glen Lobb said.

“So both ops (throat and gelding) have done him good. He drew one but he slightly missed it and had to do a bit of work to get up there. Ash had to dig him up then he over-raced a little bit and I was a bit worried. But gee, when he let down he let down good.”

Originally sold by Bhima Thoroughbreds to Tom Magnier for $1 million at the 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Caballus was a winner at his second start at two, but failed in the G3 Up & Coming Stakes as an early 3-year-old. He was sold at the Inglis Digital October 2023 sale for $315,000 to Darby Racing and sent to Baker. Caballus returned in the autumn to win the G3 Eskimo Prince Stakes but failed in five starts as a spring 4-year-old.

Now gelded, and with successful throat surgery, this was his first start this calendar year. He has four wins from 14 starts and earnings over $590,000. With a yearling price tag like that comes a strong pedigree, and he’s by Champion Sire I Am Invincible from G3 Dark Jewel Classic-placed Calming Influence (Commands), a daughter of stakes winner Calming (Zeditave). R.Listed Inglis Nursery winner Saltaire (Star Turn) also features in this family as does Group 1-winning sprinter and sire War Artist.

Sir Delius, a 1.3 million gns buy, wins on Australian debut

Sale topping 4-year-old entire Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}) showed he was worth the investment when he made his Australian debut in the G3 Chairman’s Handicap at Doomben. Ridden by Tim Clark, he sat just behind the speed on the Heavy surface. In the straight, Matthew Smith-trained Floating (Puissance De Lune {Ire}) shot clear, dragging Sir Delius with him, and the pair put a few lengths on the rest of field, but it was Sir Delius who finished best, winning by 1.32l from Floating. Manzoice (NZ) (Almanzor) for trainer Chris Waller was best of the rest, 3.45l from the leader.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were part of a partnership with Go Racing, De Burgh Equine, and McKeever Bloodstock who splashed out 1.3 million gns (AU$2.7 million) on Sir Delius at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale last October. The Group 3-winning 3-year-old colt and third in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris ran eighth in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe only a few weeks before his sale.

“He's a real quality individual. He'd shown that previously and you could see the quality in him in the yard today. It was great to see him put it all together and he's only going to improve from here off the back of that experience. He's still well short of his best distance, and you saw how strong he was through the line. I thought he showed a nice turn of foot and good acceleration, so it's only up from here,” Bott said.

“He's bred to get over much further and his form in Europe suggests that as well. He was always purchased as a Melbourne Cup prospect, he's got that quality about him spo everything we do in this preparation will be geared towards that. No firm commitments about another run this prep, but if we did a race like the Q22 looks suitable.

“He's lightly-raced and has been very well looked after in his career. He's a lovely big individual and a beautiful physical specimen. He thrives on his work and has a great constitution. Sir Owen Glen identified him as a Melbourne Cup prospect and we were able to partner up with him as a major shareholder. We put together a nice partnership with some existing stable clients.” Sir Delius took his record to four wins from seven starts with earnings over $380,000.

One of 156 stakes winners for Frankel (GB), Sir Delius is out of the placed Daylami (Ire) mare Whatami (GB) and is a full brother to stakes winner and multiple Group-placed Juan Elcano (GB) and a half-brother to stakes winner Nkosikazi (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Whatami is a half-sister to stakes winner Whazzis (GB) (Desert Prince {Ire}) and a full sister to Listed winner Whazzat (GB), who is the dam of G2 Mill Reef S. winner and G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest second James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed And Excel), and is also the granddam of current top 3-year-old colt Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) (Kameko {USA}).