Saturday summary: Manaal seals special day for Emirates with Golden Pendant win

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

Manaal secures Emirates double with Golden Pendant victory

Finally, it’s former elite juvenile Manaal’s (Tassort) time to shine again, and the 4-year-old mare went back-to-back at Group 2 level on Saturday, capturing the G2 Golden Pendant at Rosehill Gardens. Manaal was dominant in the G2 Sheraco Stakes last start, and added a further feather to her cap with the Golden Pendant.

Ante-post favourite Gerringong (Blue Point {Ire}) made the mare work for it, particularly as she was sent wide through the home turn, but Manaal inched away from her rival as they headed for home to win by almost a length.

It was a race-to-race double for trainer Michael Freedman and owner-breeders Emirates Park, after G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Marhoona (Snitzel) captured the Listed Heritage Stakes.

“I'm really thrilled to have this mare back going as well as she is because she has been going since she was a 2-year-old in the spring,” Freedman said post-race. “She was in the wilderness a little bit for eight or nine months and has come back from a disappointing run at Caulfield, and then to win the Sheraco and back it up here today, it's a big thrill.

“I probably sound like a broken record, but she has been going so well at home for quite a long time. It has been really frustrating going to the races previously where we've been hampered with bad barriers.

“But I've always felt if she got the right run in a race, she has still got plenty to give. And you're never really sure with these mares as they start to get a little bit older. She started racing in the spring of her 2-year-old year winning the Gimcrack.”

Freedman was pleased to secure another victory for Emirates, who he has forged a strong relationship with.

“It's a big thrill,” he said. “They're great supporters of mine, Emirates. They've got two good fillies, hopefully future broodmares. They've given me some very nice fillies this year so I'm looking forward to the autumn.”

Big purses will guide the rest of Manaal’s spring, with Freedman saying, “there'd be one option to keep her fresh for the Silver Eagle, which is only coming back to the 1300 metres, or otherwise wait the extra week and go to The Invitation. They're the two most logical options at the moment.”

Sales: Manaal was retained to race by breeders Emirates Park.

Pedigree: Chalking up her sixth Group victory to date, Manaal is the best performed offspring of Listed-winning Red Lodge (USA) (Midshipman {USA}), from the close family of American dual Group 1 winner Winter Memories (USA) (El Prado USA}). Red Lodge has a yearling colt by Justify (USA) to follow, and missed to Tassort this season.

Colins Stephen win beckons Piggyback to Metropolitan

The tough 5-year-old Piggyback (Trapeze Artist) pulled off a sixth career victory on Saturday in the G3 Colin Stephen Quality at Rosehill, and it has given Ciaron Maher cause to think bigger in future with the emerging mare.

Edging out stablemate Juja Kibo (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) to win by half a length, the mare was recording back-to-back wins, having been victorious at Doomben at her last start. And now, she has a ballot exempt place in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap next Saturday, where she will only carry 50kg.

“It is pretty tempting with that weight,” Maher said of the potential backup. “We will see how she is, but she has had the preparation to back up. She has had a really good grounding and a gap between runs, so if we did want to back up, it would work, I would think.

“The other bloke, the plan was to hopefully win and back up with him. We will have to wait and see now but we might run them both next week.”

The Colin Stephen win for the stable seemed inevitable, it just remained to be seen who crossed the line first.

“It was going to be one of them,” Maher said. “I thought ‘Juja' had a pretty good run but ‘Piggy' just out-toughed him. Before the race, I thought it was the best she had presented ever, really. The times from her last run were very quick so she's a horse on the up.”

Gallery: Images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Sales: Louis Bloodstock paid $32,000 for Piggyback when offered by Widden Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale, and in February, five shares were sold in an Inglis Digital Online Auction for a cumulative price of $25,500 to five individual buyers.

Pedigree: Piggyback becomes the sixth stakes winner for her sire Trapeze Artist, and is the first black-type performer out of G3 South Australia Fillies Classic winner Wowee (Choisir), whose family features the sire Olympic Glory (GB). Wowee delivered a colt by Ghaiyyath (Ire) this spring.

Evaporate swoops in to score at Sandown

Lindsay Park’s talented 4-year-old Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) took his record to new heights, exceeding $1.5 million in prizemoney on Saturday when securing the G3 Sandown Stakes. The gelding surged mid-race to take the lead and held on to emerge victorious over Transatlantic (Snitzel) by a nose.

“I'm glad he won, otherwise he (Blake Shinn) might have been in a bit of trouble,” Ben Hayes said.

“He made the move, the horse won and full credit to Blake. He's a very exciting horse, like we have always thought, and I think he's put his hand up to run in the Toorak Handicap in which he can be competitive.

“He got a little virus, had a long time between runs, and had a very good horse to his inside which was rock hard fit. I'm very proud of the horse.”

It was Evaporate’s sixth win and a third at stakes level, having broken through to black-type almost exactly one year ago in the G2 Stutt Stakes at Friday’s night meeting at Moonee Valley.

Sales: Lindsay Park purchased Evaporate for $330,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from Sledmere Stud.

Pedigree: He is out of an unraced half-sister to G2 Wenona Girl Handicap winner Belluci Babe (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), the former of which is due to foal a full sibling to Evaporate this spring.

Waterford rises up in Shannon Stakes

Talented import Waterford (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) proved he was still capable of producing the goods in the G2 Shannon Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, speeding away with the 1500-metre contest to win by two and a quarter lengths. The 7-year-old, who won the $500,000 The Lakes in January, sealed a Group double for Chris Waller, who also prepared Beiwacht (Bivouac) to win the G1 Golden Rose Stakes earlier in the card.

“There are some pretty influential owners in the horse who like to have their say and I respect their say," Waller said. "They know what they're talking about. So we will see what they've got to say, otherwise it's back here for the Alan Brown in a couple of weeks, which is a good prizemoney race too.”

Waller was sure that another win of the same calibre was on the horizon, as the gelding has been putting in consistent performances to date. Waterford was second in last year's Listed Scone Cup and third in the $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes.

“He has been beaten small margins in some good races like the Alan Brown and Theo Marks when he hasn't had things go his way,” Waller said.

Gallery: Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Sales: Waterford was a private purchase for connections after being withdrawn from sale as a yearling.

Pedigree: Waterford becomes the second stakes winner for Wake Up (Ger) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}), who is also the dam of Listed Wagga Wagga Cup winner Wicklow (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}). This is the direct family of Germany’s Champion 2YO Filly and stakes producer Wild Romance (Ger) (Alkalde {Ger}) and last year’s Champion 3YO in Germany Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}).

Waitak smashes million dollar ceiling in New Zealand Mile

The versatile Waitak (NZ) (Proisir) has run 12 times at Group 1 level, kicking off with a third in the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes as a juvenile, and he scored his second victory at the top of the sport on Saturday in the G1 New Zealand Mile at Te Rapa. The 6-year-old previously won the G1 Sistema Railways Stakes last year.

Trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, he downed a field that included five individual Group 1 winners to win by half a length, with La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) in second spot.

“This is amazing,” said Scott. “It’s great for the horse and great for Team Devine. The team has been so confident with this horse all week. He galloped the house down on Wednesday morning and he’s just kept improving.

“It’s all about getting him to relax and settle in his races. When he does that, he’s got such a wicked turn of foot. He’s been very lightly raced and has just turned six. We said at the start of the season that this will be his best year. Not a lot has really gone his way in the last couple of years. Hopefully he can get the momentum going now.”

The gelding has had 33 life-time starts for 7 wins and nine placings, with his prizemoney now sitting north of the $1.2 million mark. Scott confirmed that the G1 Livamol Classic on October 18 was the horse’s next goal.

“These were the races we set him for when we brought him up for the spring,” he said. “Hopefully, with a bit more improvement from his second-up run today, he’ll be competitive again in the next one. But for now we’ll just celebrate this win. It’s an amazing result.

“He’s just such a wonderful racehorse. To win two Group 1 weight-for-age races is amazing. He’s a marvel for our stable and a pleasure to train. He’s just a star.”

Sales: Waitak is owned by Jill Devine, whose late husband Colin bred the gelding.

Pedigree: Waitak is out of winning Shocking mare Repo Bay (NZ), a descendant of Champion 2YO Desirable (Without Fear {Fr}). Repo Bay produced a filly by Staphanos (Jpn) last spring, before being covered by King Of Comedy (Ire).