Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
It’ll be an exciting morning at Randwick on Monday with many future stars about to step out onto the track for the first time. Such is the excitement around these trials every year, that the Australian Turf Club are hosting breakfast for everyone who attends.
What makes these trials so special?
Last year, we saw several future 2-year-old stakes winner step out for the first time. The 2024 trials featured Group 3 winners Memo (Capitalist), King Kirk (Ole Kirk), Beiwacht (Bivouac) who ran last in his heat, Raging Force (Cosmic Force), Bel Merci (Extreme Choice), North England (Farnan), Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}) as well as R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner O’ Ole (Ole Kirk), Listed winners Tremonti (Hellbent), Bellazaine (Zousain), Group 1-placed Tupakara (Trapeze Artist), and Group 3-placed Farcited (Farnan).
The 2023 trials saw two juvenile Group 1 winners attend; Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon) and Manaal (Tassort). In the last few years, these trials have also seen Group 1 winners Ozzmosis, Coolangatta (Written Tycoon), and King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice) debut here.
In 2024, TTR wrote about all the stars who were first seen on this day over the past five years.
The science behind juvenile racing
Just over a decade ago, in 2013, a study into 100,000 racehorses was completed through University Of Sydney. It found that horses who raced as 2-year-olds had a longer career than those who started at an older age. The study is called “The association of age at first start with career length in the Australian Thoroughbred racehorse population” and was completed by B Velie, P Knight, P Thomson, C Wade and N Hamilton.
“In Australia, horses beginning their careers as 2-year-olds were significantly more likely to be successful racehorses. This suggests that the racing and training of 2-year-old Thoroughbreds is beneficial so long as caution is taken, as the combination of an inappropriate training regime with a genetic predisposition to injuries can result in injuries that ultimately may prevent the horse from continuing or beginning its racing career,” Dr Velie told TTR this week.
“It is likely not the young age of a horse that increases the risk of injury, but the introduction to sport. Like any athlete, be it human, canine or equine, the risk of injury is generally considered to be the greatest when first starting out and decreases slowly as the body adapts to new challenges.”
And so with that in mind and with the impressive list of graduates from these trials over the past six years and beyond, it makes sense to pay attention to these trials because one thing is for certain.
We will see a future star tomorrow.
Heat 1: 9am, 2YO colts and geldings (850m)
Seven colts and geldings line up in Heat 1 led by Godolpin’s colt Accompany (Too Darn Hot {GB}) who is out of Listed winner Maternal (Street Cry {Ire}).
I’m Ya Huckleberry (Home Affairs) will be the first of Home Affairs progeny to be seen publicly in Australia. This colt cost Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing and Kestrel Thoroughbreds $400,000 from Kia Ora Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
I'm Ya Huckleberry as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The first Stay Inside also features in this heat, being Trilogy Racing’s The Machine Gun trained by Peter Snowden. Two Farnan colts will head each other here, Farnanaway and Whip Cracker.
Closely related to Private Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}), Paradoxium (Extreme Choice), who cost Bjorn Baker Racing, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Ridgmont $400,000 at the Gold Coast, features here.
Heat 2: 9:15am, 2YO fillies (850m)
The spotlight shifts to the fillies for the second heat with Satin Summer (Written Tycoon) who is bred to be sharp, out of a G2 Silver Slipper and Listed Widden Stakes winner in Satin Shoes (Flying Spur), and a half sister to a Listed Gimcrack Stakes winner in Satin Slipper (Pierro). It would be no surprise to see her following the family traits of being a sharp juvenile.
The first Acrobat will be seen here with Lee and Cherie Curtis-trained Acrohope. Home Affairs filly Home Invasion is joined by fillies by Farnan, Street Boss (USA), King’s Legacy, All Too Hard, and Trapeze Artist.
Heat 3: 9:30am, 2YO colts and geldings (850m)
Annabel and Rob Archibald’s colt Courthezon will be the first runner for Captivant in the third heat. He’s up against Eviction Notice (Stay Inside), and King Of The Nile, an impressive I Am Invincible colt in the Bjorn Baker yard, who cost Baker and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) $800,000 at the Gold Coast.
King Of The Nile as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
We’ve already seen a Wild Ruler win a jump out in Victoria with Face The Wild, and this heat sees Spring Ruler step out. Blake Ryan will showcase another Farnan with Superb Twentysix and the heat concludes with Threads (Snitzel) who is the first foal out of the G3 Triscay Stakes winner Tailleur (Shooting To Win).
Heat 4: 9:45am, 2YO fillies (850m)
Back to the fillies and Stay Inside has another representative with Ignition Code from the Waterhouse and Bott stable. Michael Freedman’s Mayflower (Capitalist) is out of a 2-year-old Listed winner Harlem River (Fastnet Rock).
Wyong trainer Denim Wynen is travelling up with Magic Storm (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}), while the rest of the heat includes fillies by Farnan, All Too Hard, Written By and Yes Yes Yes.
Heat 5: 10am, 2YO colts and geldings (850m)
The Farnan colt Knightsbridge is one to watch, he was purchased for $750,000 from the Lime Country draft at Magic Millions by James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership and Tony Fung Colts, and is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. Knightsbridge is a half-brother to the Group 3 winner Semana and the Listed winner Gala Queen (Deep Field).
Knightsbridge as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
He’s up against Our Emperor (Stay Inside) out of the dual Listed winner Our Crown Mistress (Sar Witness), and Axhro who is one of the last Lonhro’s to grace the turf. Bjorn Baker has a Wild Ruler here called Flight Of Power, and the Archibald team will run a colt called Half Pipe by first season sire Extreme Warrior, who has already had a trial winner in South Australia.
The Autumn Choice (The Autumn Sun) and Written In Munny (Written Tycoon) round out the heat.
Heat 6: 10:15am, 2YO fillies (850m)
Lilandra may not have been among the most expensive yearlings, but the well-bred filly is by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), who is currently making quite an impact in the Northern Hemisphere. She is a half-sister to a Listed winner and cost Waterhouse, Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds $200,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Lilandra as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Another rival here is Biripi Perfection (Capitalist), a half-sister to three-time Listed winner Tactical Advantage (Bel Esprit). Lady Grey (Tagaloa) runs for Marc Conners.
Give Her Strength (Farnan) adds to the collection of youngsters by Farnan running on Monday. Bjorn Baker will run Masvingo (Zoustar). Godolphin have two fillies by Exceed And Excel in this heat with Handloom trained by Gary Portelli, and Semantics by Anthony and Sam Freedman.
Heat 7: 10:30am, 2YO colts and geldings (850m)
Current Champion Sire Zoustar has Starblitz in Heat 7. He cost Waterhouse, Bott, Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Kia Ora Stud $800,000 and is out of the G1 winner Bonaria (Redoute’s Choice).
Starblitz as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
He’s up against College Boy (The Autumn Sun), Gratifying (Bivouac), I’m Relevant (Written By), and Iambubb (I Am Invincible).
Heat 8: 10:45am, 2YO fillies (850m)
Seven fillies go around in heat eight including Waterhouse and Bott-trained Shiki (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and the stable also has Wild Ruler filly The Wildling.
An interesting runner is Nick Olive-trained Star Of Lily (Standout) who is one of only 19 foals from the first crop of Standout, a son of Exceed And Excel.
Fillies by Better Than Ready, Capitalist, Nicconi and Street Boss (USA) round out the trial.
Heat 9: 11:00am, 2YO colts and geldings (850m)
In the last heat of the morning, the high-priced Incognito (Stay Inside) headlines the new boys’ progeny. He cost the James Harron Bloodstock Partnership and Tony Fung Colts $1 million at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Eureka Stud draft. Double Value (Stay Inside) doubles the number of Stay Inside runners in this heat.
Incognito as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Too Red Hot (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is out of the G1 Queensland Oaks winner Tinto (Red Dazzler). Danielle Sieb travels north with Kinduku (Ole Kirk). Juvenile colts by Trapeze Artist and Hellbent round out the heat.
