In Flight to target G3 Sir John Monash Stakes
Trainer Joe Pride will target Saturday’s G3 Sir John Monash Stakes with 4-year-old mare In Flight (Flying Artie) at Caulfield as part of an upcoming spring campaign. “She’s a nice mare and she’s got a good record. If she could win a Group 3 at weight-for-age, I’d be eyeing off targets in the autumn for her like the Oakleigh Plate and the Galaxy next year,” Pride told racing.com.
“She’s won her last two races at Listed level. She won in Brisbane and then in Sydney. Let’s see if she can make it three states in three starts, which would be a great result for her owners, Proven Thoroughbreds.”
Mott returns on Wednesday
Jockey Jamie Mott will return to the races on Wednesday after a month off. “He got done for a suspension in the Doomben 10,000, but it was adjourned and then he got suspended here and then had to take the Brisbane suspension as well, so his nine meetings and 11 meetings ended up being 20-straight meetings as he couldn't serve them concurrently,” Mott’s agent Phillip Roost told racing.com.
Jamie Mott | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“He tried to move his Thailand trip forward but that couldn't happen, so the premiership suddenly got a lot harder. He's got the Group 1 and his numbers for the season are his best ever and so that's a really good return for a great jockey. The opportunities for Group 1 races are starting to open up for him so that'll be a big focus for him this spring.”
Strasbourg double at Port Augusta
Strasbourg sired a double at Port Augusta on Sunday with a pair of 3-year-old geldings both trained by Ron Daniel and Trish Stanbury. Tanna was on debut, and Les Vosges was having his sixth start. Second season sire Strasbourg has 13 winners, led by Group 3 winner Colmar.
At the same meeting, Garret Lynch-trained 3-year-old gelding Mohite (I Am Invincible) made it three wins in succession.
Pair of juveniles win at Grafton
Toby Edmonds-trained 2-year-old filly Steffi Electrica (Graff) won the second at Grafton by 2.5l for jockey Damien Thornton. She was having her fifth start and becomes the fifth winner for her first season sire. Sold by Holbrook Thoroughbreds for $8000 to North Bloodstock at the Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale, Steffi Electrica is the third winner for Magic I Am (Magic Albert) who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Tamaanee (Teofilo {Ire}).
Third on debut, David McColm-trained 2-year-old colt Exoflow (Exosphere) won at Grafton on Sunday for jockey Danny Peisley by almost 2l. A homebred, Exoflow is the first foal of unraced Just A Trickle (Headwater).
Ribchester juvenile wins on debut at Sale
Mongolian Gobi (NZ) (Ribchester {Ire}) won on debut at Sale on Sunday by 4l for trainer Danny O'Brien. The 2-year-old colt was sold by Pertab Racing at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale for NZ$75,000 to Khan Altai Resource.
He is the third winner for Misstrum (Stratum) who won the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes and Listed Soliloquy Stakes in New Zealand.
Juvenile winner for Needs Further at Hobart
Tasmanian sire Needs Further enjoyed a juvenile winner on Sunday when 2-year-old gelding Onlyforaminute took his record to two wins from three starts at Hobart. Trained by Glenn Stevenson, Onlyforaminute was bought by his trainer from Armidale Stud’s Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale draft for $36,000, and now has earnings over $72,000.
He is the only winner so far for Sheez On Top (Face Value) who won 11 races in South Australia.
Alabama Express adds rare juvenile winner in Hong Kong
It’s rare to see a 2-year-old winning in Hong Kong, but as we near the end of the season, a few pop up including John Size-trained Alabama Song (Alabama Express) who won on Saturday night at Sha Tin. The win extended Size’s lead in the championship, but David Hayes struck back later on the card with a double to reduce the lead to 7 wins with three meetings remaining.
Alabama Song, a gelding, ran seventh on debut in mid-June, and this win was at his second start. Sold by Yulong for $52,500 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale to Lyndhurst Park Stud, he was on-sold at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale for NZ$300,000 to Mitchell Bloodstock.
From the second crop of Alabama Express, whose four stakes winners are led by Champion 3YO Filly contender Treasurethe Moment, Alabama Song is out of Catwalk Kitty (Exceed And Excel) who has produced three winners.
History could be made in Narrandera Cup
Prince Of Helena (Sidestep) is going to attempt to be the first horse to claim three successive Narrandera Cups next weekend on Sunday, July 13. “Prince of Helena will be going for a Narrandera Cup hat-trick and if successful, it will be a record since accurate data was compiled from 1977,” Michael Bailey, Narrandera Race Club’s racing manager, told racingnsw.com.au.
Prince of Helena | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“To my knowledge no horse has won the treble and since 1977 only two horses, Walk the Beat (2004-05) and Sonro (2012-13) have achieved the double. Walk the Beat was owned by the well-known Tyack Family at Tullibigeal and trained by Craig Weeding one year and the other by Michael Lynch. Craig Weeding prepares Prince of Helena and is a strong supporter of racing in the area. Craig has already said he’s keen to create history.”
Purton smashes Sha Tin again
Jockey Zac Purton breezed past his previous best record season onto 132 wins with a four-timer at Sha Tin on Saturday night aboard Magnifique (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), Mr Energia (NZ) (Swiss Ace), Igor Stravinsky (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) and Fortune Boy (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}). “It’s been good, all the horses have run well. It’s nice to have a reasonable day towards the end of the season,” Purton told scmp.com.
Zac Purton | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Yorkshire Oaks target for Night Of Thunder filly
Cheveley Park Stud's Estrange (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) remained on course for bigger targets down the line and justified short-priced favouritism with a hard-fought victory in a tactical renewal of Saturday's G2 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock. “Danny (Tudhope) said she normally falls asleep, but today she didn't quite drop the bit and ended up in front a long time,” explained trainer David O'Meara.
“That's not how we'd like to play her, but it was a means to an end. She has a very good action and wasn't as relaxed as she normally is because of the way the race developed. She's four from five and she's won her Group 2 today, so that's brilliant. We were hoping it wouldn't be good-to-firm and the drop of rain helped. We've got five or six weeks to the G1 Yorkshire Oaks now.”
Estrange, a 425,000gns (AU$928,000) Book 1 graduate and one of her sire's 33 Group winners, is the third of six foals out of the unraced Alienate (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), whose first was G2 Park Hill Stakes third Lmay (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). The March-foaled grey is also a half-sister to Listed Silver Tankard third Basalt (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}).
Sweet Azteca wins G2 Great Lady M Stakes again
In a showdown between the top female sprinters in California, last year's G2 Great Lady M Stakes winner Sweet Azteca (USA) (Sharp Azteca {USA}) returned to successfully defend her title on Saturday, defeating multiple Grade 1 winner Kopion (USA) (Omaha Beach {USA}). In a four-race win streak last season for trainer Michael McCarthy which included a win in the G1 Beholder Mile early in the year, the now 5-year-old mare changed barns to Richard Baltas after a poor showing as the heavy favourite in the G3 Chillingworth Stakes last October.
One of six stakes winners and the sole Grade 1 winner for Sharp Azteca, Sweet Azteca is the second foal and winner out So Sweetitiz (USA) (Grand Slam {USA}) who took a pair of stakes in California during her own racing career. Third dam Tizsweet (USA) brings Horse of the Year Tiznow (USA) into the pedigree as his full sister.
Think Big adds Grade 3
When last seen at Saratoga, Godolphin's Think Big (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA}) was struggling home a well-beaten seventh as the heavy favourite in the G1 Jaipur Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs on June 7. Trying a turf mile for the first time in Saturday's G3 Kelso Stakes, the homebred overcame some trouble to register a mild upset at odds of 13-2.
Think Big's dam Always Thinking (USA) (Street Sense {USA}) was a stakes winner over turf sprint trips, having taken out the Sensible Lady Turf Dash at Laurel in 2017. Second dam Que Piensa Cat (Arg) (Easing Along {USA}) was a Group 1 winner in her native country.
For Australians wondering why the name of a G1 Melbourne Cup winner could be reused, the Melbourne Cup has only been permanently on the Internationally Protected Names list since 1996. Prior winners need to be added on request through an International Stud Book process.
