Cover image courtesy of Hayfield Racing
Charlotte Littlefield and Julian Hay’s boutique operation of Hayfields Racing has been thrust thoroughly into the spotlight by the exploits of G3 Bellmaine Stakes winner She’s Bulletproof (Shooting To Win), but there’s more where that’s come from. After the team’s biggest yearling sales season yet, Littlefield has a raft of exciting young prospects coming through her stables, as well as several familiar faces making a start to their spring.
Charlotte Littlefield | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Older horses
She’s Bulletproof, 5-year-old mare (Shooting To Win x Offshore Sham {Shamardal {USA}})
“She trialled on Tuesday morning. We’re more than likely to head to the G2 Gilgai Stakes on Saturday week. She weighs 537kg, she ate all of her breakfast, I think she definitely needed it. It was a good solid hit-out for her and it tightened her up nicely.
“She was possibly slightly underdone going into that first-up run and, probably in hindsight, she probably wasn't conditioned enough to go those sort of speeds at that level of race first-up, so she did definitely peak during the run. The ground wasn’t suitable and the ground wasn’t suitable as well (on Tuesday). She likes fast going, so it was good to see her put in that effort (on Tuesday).
“She'll really derive a lot of fitness from that and then we'll head to her next start with a bit more confidence.”
She's Bulletproof | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Modown, 5-year-old gelding (Toronado (Ire) x Miss Mo {Uncle Mo {USA}})
“He had back surgery and he’s back in work. He's up to the galloping stage now and he will be trialling in two or three weeks. We've got a few targets for him, one being the VOBIS Gold Bullion race on Pakenham Cup day. He won that last year, and he might have a little run over Cup week as well, just to get him a start during the spring carnival. We'll just weigh it up as and when, but we'll just see how he's going. We're not close enough yet to decide which race.
“He has come back better. He was racing with kissing spine, he’s had the surgery, and he’s in really good order now. I ride all of his track work and he's definitely moving a lot better. He's a lot happier, more comfortable, so I'm excited to see what he can do this time.
“It’s really overwhelming for me actually, I’ve ridden his work his whole career and to actually get on and feel the (improvement). We're really hopeful that he hasn't remembered any sort of pain from those final couple of runs and that he can bounce back in really good form.”
4-Year-Olds and 3-Year-Olds
Big Swinger, 4-year-old gelding (Trapeze Artist x Found The One {Bel Esprit})
“He's one of the boom horses for our stable. He had a nice long break after that Caulfield win. He just wasn't there physically - his bones needed time to develop. He needed time structurally to develop and just not have the weight of a rider or the rigor of training, so we gave him a really nice long spell. He's come back bigger and stronger.
“He's a lovely horse. We've got a lot of time for him and we think he's got a lot of potential obviously at that top level. We had him in the Arrowfield Sprint as the favourite that day, he just didn't get any luck in the running. Now he’s won the city race, which is what we just wanted to achieve before tipping him out.
Big Swinger | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“He'll likely have a start during Cup week as well, and his aim will be the Supernova slot race at Pakenham. For geldings like him, it's a really good opportunity to boost their prize money and earning potential, and it’s on his home track. He's won here before and I think it will really suit him. It's a fair track and that's what we want for him - he's a big striding horse that needs plenty of room and tracks like Pakenham will really, really suit him.”
Feeling Dusty, 4-year-old gelding (Puissance De Lune (Ire) x Paniz (NZ) {Falkirk {NZ}})
“He’s a homebred by Puissance De Lune and he's won two races for us so far. He’s a nice 2000-metre horse or stayer in the making. We were aiming him at the greys race on Oaks day, but he might actually go to the Country Mile if we can get him in the series. If he can qualify, I think the mile of Flemington would suit him better than the 1400 metres. So that's possibly a way we can go with him, but he's a horse that will be racing over spring and we really like him.”
Angel In Black, 3-year-old filly (Shamus Award x Twice As Sweet {Bel Esprit})
“She’s a nice 3-year-old filly that jumped out for the third time on Tuesday morning. Craig Williams came and rode her. We like her. She's performed nicely in two jump outs this preparation, and she’s a Shamus Award filly, she just took a little bit of time to mature.
“She's still not the fully furnished product, but we'll be giving her her maiden start in the next couple of weeks, most likely at Ballarat. And the way she won her jump out (on Tuesday), she's got some ability.”
Angel In Black as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
2-Year-Olds
Cobar, 2-year-old colt (Sandbar x Moss My Name {Mossman})
Purchased by MIRunners Australia for $25,000 from Kooringal Stud at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
“We actually went to the sales and bought quite a few this year. We went to every sale, and we've got between 25 and 30 2-year-olds now that are coming through the system, which is really exciting. We have a nice Sandbar colt from MIRunners. He's in a really nice shape of a horse and he's very professional. He's not looking like he needs to be gelded any time soon. He's got his mind firmly on his job and he looks a very precocious 2-year-old.”
Cobar as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Unnamed 2-year-old colt (Dundeel (NZ) x Spanner Head {Helmet})
Purchased by Hayfields Racing and Intel Bloodstock (FBAA) for $220,000 from Tyreel Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“We have a really nice Dundeel colt. He's an absolute beauty. He's out of a mare called Spanner Head. The owner of Spanner Head, James Ch’ng, is a lovely guy. We have the sister, Head Capitalist, as well, who unfortunately just hasn’t drawn a barrier yet. We will see the best of her next preparation. Spanner Head is a nice mare and she’s starting to get results, her son So Magnificent is going to the Kosciusko. I think the Dundeel colt will take her to the next level.”
Dundeel (NZ) x Spanner Head colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Unnamed 2-year-old colt (Wild Ruler x Gwendoline Rose (NZ) {O’Reilly {NZ}})
Purchased by Hayfields Racing and Intel Bloodstock (FBAA) for $120,000 from North Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“We've got another horse by Wild Ruler, he's a really nice sprinting type very much in the mold of his grandfather Snitzel. He's quite forward and quite well-developed. Out of those three (colts mentioned above), I would imagine one of them, if not all, going early.”
Wild Ruler x Gwendoline Rose (NZ) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Nyad, 2-year-old filly (Deep Field x Laughen Hard {All Too Hard})
Purchased by STBT and P Morgan for $350,000 from Alma Vale Thoroughbreds at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
“We have a beautiful Deep Field filly who has already been named Nyad. She was an expensive purchase for a very good owner at Inglis Premier - she was $350,000, but she is such a beautiful filly. I mean, if you said in Chat GPT, define the ultimate sprinter racehorse, she would come up. She is just the perfect specimen.
“She's got a beautiful structure to her body, well conformed, beautiful nature, enough bitch to make her good enough hopefully. Just a really lovely filly.”
Nyad as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Unnamed 2-year-old filly (Toronado (Ire) Asscher (NZ) {Stravinsky {USA}})
Purchased by Resolute Racing for $240,000 from Sledmere Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“We’ve got another filly for John Stewart’s Resolute Racing, she’s by Toronado. She’s coming down from Coolmore, she's been in pre-training, so we'll see her in the next couple of days. She was a filly that I loved at Magic Millions and when he purchased her, I asked if I could train her. And lucky me, I was able to get her in our stables. So she’s really exciting as well.”
Toronado (Ire) x Asscher (NZ) filly | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Unnamed 2-year-old filly (Proisir x The Lustre (NZ) {Darci Brahma {NZ}})
Purchased by Go Racing and Blandford Bloodstock for NZ$140,000 from Phoenix Park at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.
“We have a nice Proisir filly over in New Zealand at the moment with Go Racing, who will come over to us.”
Proisir x The Lustre (NZ) filly | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Unnamed 2-year-old filly (Ole Kirk x Honey Valley {All Too Hard})
Purchased by Hayfields Racing and Lee Ann Imboden for $140,000 from North Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“We’ve got an Ole Kirk filly, she’s beautiful as well. She’s going to be a time job, but she’s lovely.”
Ole Kirk x Honey Valley filly | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Unnamed 2-year-old colt (St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) x Casuarina Forest {Fastnet Rock})
Purchased by Hayfields Racing and Intel Bloodstock (FBAA) for $170,000 from Coolmore Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“We have a St Mark’s Basilica colt and I absolutely love him as well, I think he’s more of a Derby horse. He’s a later Derby type so we haven’t pushed him at all yet, but he’s an absolute beauty.
"I loved all of the St Mark’s Basilica yearlings that I saw at the sales, there wasn’t one that I wouldn’t have put my hand up to train. I think he's going to really make it as a stallion based on what I saw at the sales. He’s throwing good types consistently, so he's definitely one that's impressed me.”
St Mark's Basilica (FR) x Casuarina Forest (AUS) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
