Cover image courtesy of Geelong Racing Club
Lady Verity has class like Mum and Dad
The promising and beautifully bred Lady Verity (I Am Invincible) delivered at her third start at Geelong, bolting away to win by two lengths for jockey Jamie Mott and trainer Matt Laurie.
She gave no one a chance, with Mott dictating terms and riding her like the best horse in the race, winning with ease. Chasing her home was the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Cuisine (Braven Beau), who ran on strongly outside, and Diherri (Royal Meeting {Ire}), solid in third just behind the runner-up.
A daughter of champion sire I Am Invincible and Group 1-winning mare Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge), Lady Verity had earned a maiden win after a promising debut second on the Ballarat synthetic in late July, when she was a touch unlucky, and another solid second at Sale three weeks later.
After a short spell, she had won both of her Mornington jump-outs in preparation for this resuming run, setting her up perfectly for a maiden victory for her owners, Sustainable Thoroughbred Breeding.
When asked about the tactics, winning jockey Jamie Mott said:
Jamie Mott | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“The plan was to obviously be forward, I presumed the horse of Godolphin (Cuisine) may lead and we would sit outside it. When it wasn’t there, I decided to just take it up and take any bad luck out of the equation. She travelled pretty good, still a bit new in front, she probably would have been better off following, but she was too good for these today.
“I believe she will go through the grades. I liked her last time in; she had a nice preparation without winning. She has no doubt come back better, a bit bigger and definitely stronger. She is a very professional filly, they have done a wonderful job with her so far and I’m sure they will place her well.”
“She (Lady Verity) is a very professional filly, they have done a wonderful job with her so far and I’m sure they will place her well.” - Jamie Mott
Sales info: Lady Verity was purchased for $450,000 by Matt Laurie and P Morgan from the draft of Longwood Thoroughbred Farm at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Pedigree info: Lady Verity, is by I Am Invincible and is the second foal out of the Foxwedge mare Volpe Veloce, who was an outstanding galloper in New Zealand winning twelve times from 1200 metres to 1600 metres. Her best wins were in the G1 Railway Handicap, G2 Eight Carat Classic, G2 Westbury Classic, G2 Japan-NZ International Trophy, G3 Eulogy Stakes, R. Listed Karaka 3YO Mile and the Listed Castletown Stakes.
Lady Verity as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Volpe Veloce is also well-related being a full sister to Raposa Rapida (Foxwedge) who was an eight-time winner including at Listed level and Volpe Veloce's grandam Bardego (Barathea {Ire}) was a very talented juvenile winning at Group 3 level and Listed level.
Volpe Veloce has had I Am Invincible as a constant companion, since leaving Lady Verity, she has produced a yearling filly by I Am Invincible, and foaled a ‘Vinnie’ filly in October.
The well-bred and well-named I Am Carrot, a maiden no longer
The beautifully bred I Am Carrot (Castelvecchio) finally got the winning turn he deserved, claiming race 4 at Wyong with authority as he cruised home by two lengths for jockey Reece Jones and trainer Nacim Dilmi.
Coming off a strong second at Gosford on November 11 behind the promising Jarrito (I Am Invincible), the son of Castelvecchio settled on the pace and turned the race into a procession. He took over before the home bend and powered away, with Rustemo (Russian Revolution) running his usual honest race for second, and Exceeding Limits (Exceedance) finding the line well to grab third, albeit beaten just under five lengths.
Dilmi was delighted with the performance, saying:
“It was a good win today, it was good to get the maiden win out of the way, he was dominant in a race that suited him, he had the right barrier and everything went right for him.”
“It was a good win today, it was good to get the maiden win out of the way, he was dominant in a race that suited him, he had the right barrier and everything went right for him.” - Nacim Dilmi
“He is a horse that has showed ability in the past, he went to Queensland and competed at stakes level.
“He is now gelded, from feedback he wasn’t putting in 100% last preparation.
“The win was quite dominant. I couldn’t be happier with getting him to win a race, as there are a few good races for him now. He got beaten by a good horse of Bjorn Baker’s at Gosford (Jarrito) last time.
“We will probably find a 1400 metres in a couple weeks, he was still very green when hitting the front, but we will find a nice race for him.
Nacim Dilmi | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“He is slowly repaying his way, and hopefully there will be a few more better races for him coming up, he is a promising horse.”
Sales information: I Am Carrot was purchased for $90,000 by Domeland from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2024 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Pedigree information: I Am Carrot is by Castelvecchio and out of Ten Carat Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who is a sister to Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), a Group 3 and Listed winner. She is also a three-quarter sister to the legendary Redoute’s Choice and Platinum Scissors, and a half-sister to Manhattan Rain.
I Am Carrot as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Ten Carat Rock has produced five winners, including the talented gelding Rustic Steel (Deep Field), a 10-time winner who has claimed the G3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap, the Listed Hawkesbury Ladies Day Cup and the Listed Scone Cup.
Other classy performers in the extended family include the Group 1 winner Schwarz (Zoustar), and the Group winners Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt) and Summer Monsoon (Stratum).
Harry steals victory late on debut
It was an exciting debut win from the Mitchell Beer and George Carpenter-trained Harry The Thief (Harry Angel {Ire}), who produced a scintillating late charge to claim the 1000-metre contest at Wyong on debut under Grant Buckley.
Buckley was forced to bide his time early after drifting to the rear, but the gelding unleashed a powerful finish to collar Extreme Courage (Extreme Choice), who also closed off strongly to be beaten just 0.22 lengths. Tigletta (Capitalist) stuck on well after sitting on the speed to finish a close-up third.
His turn of foot impressed co-trainer Mitch Beer.
“It was really good, he was really sharp late and it was a really nice win.”
When asked about the background to buying the now gelding, Beer said it was a good story.
“It was really good, he (Harry The Thief) was really sharp late and it was a really nice win.” - Mitchell Beer
“Fernrigg actually purchased him as a weanling for their staff and did him up for the May Sale. Padraig Kelly actually asked me if I would be interested in buying a Harry Angel colt, and I said well that is a rhetorical question.
“We ended up buying him, and Patriot came in for half. We really liked him. He was just raw, immature and a bit of a baby. He was also out of an Encosta De Lago mare. He just needed a bit of time and we’ve been patient.”
Mitchell Beer | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“He was really good structurally, he just needed time.”
Beer admitted the early race shape wasn’t ideal.
“In his jump-outs he has led and won, so when he was back last I wasn’t that comfortable. I told the boys before the race he has done everything right - very little, but done it right - so he was impressive.”
As for short-term plans, Beer said the patient approach would continue.
“He will have a month off and come back for the autumn. Hopefully he can progress through the grades and become a nice 3-year-old in the autumn.”
Harry The Thief as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Sales info: Harry The Thief was most recently purchased by Mitch Beer Racing, Heywood Bloodstock and Patriot Bloodstock for $18,000 from the Fernrigg Farm draft at the 2024 Inglis May Yearling Sale. He was originally purchased by Beartix Bloodstock for $4500 from the 2023 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.
Pedigree info: Harry The Thief is the fourth winner for Classical Lass, an unraced daughter of Encosta De Lago. His grandam is Classy Dane (Danewin) who was a four-time winner, including three times as a 2-year-old. Her biggest win was in the G3 Research Stakes, while she also placed in the G2 Stan Fox Stakes and the G1 Flight Stakes. She is a full sister to the 10-time winner Zester (Danewin), who was successful at Listed level in Western Australia.
Venetian Choice provides a double for Castelvecchio across Australia
The Greg Eurell-trained Venetian Choice (Castelvecchio) had been edging closer to a breakthrough win, having placed in all three of her starts at Pakenham, Ballarat and Geelong.
Today at Geelong, she put it all together in style, breaking her maiden by two lengths over the Yulong-owned Silent Answer (Written Tycoon), with Emanating (Capitalist) solid in third.
Earlier in the day, I Am Carrot (Castelvecchio) scored a smart victory at Wyong by a similar margin for trainer Nacim Dilmi, delivering a Wednesday double for the exciting Arrowfield Stud stallion Castelvecchio.
When asked about the run - particularly given many expected the filly wouldn’t be leading - stable representative Lachlan Currie said:
“Beau took it into his own hands there, when there was a lot of pace in the race, went to the front, rated her very well in the lead and kicked home nicely.
“Beau took it into his own hands there, when there was a lot of pace in the race, went to the front, rated her very well in the lead and kicked home nicely.” - Lachlan Currie
“We have always had a good opinion of her, before she even got to the races we sort of liked what she was doing at home, hopefully now she has knocked the maiden on the head she can get things rolling a bit.”
Winning jockey Beau Mertens added:
“She was showing a lot of energy mid-race and I had a lot of horse underneath me and when I gave her a squirt she picked up pretty nice, and the way she sprinted she was going to be hard to run down.
“She is still sort of figuring everything out, I gave her a slap on the shoulder and once she balanced in the straight she extended further.”
“She (Venetian Choice) is still sort of figuring everything out, I gave her a slap on the shoulder and once she balanced in the straight she extended further.” - Beau Mertens
Sales information: Venetian Choice was purchased for $35,000 by Greg Eurell from the Yabby Dam Farms draft at the 2024 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Pedigree information: Venetian Choice is the first foal out of Choisir Lane (Choisir), a winner over 1400 metres. She is a half-sister to the two-time winner and Listed Canberra Guineas placegetter Major Wager (Exceed And Excel).
Venetian Choice as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She descends from a strong New Zealand family that includes G1 Victoria Derby winner and sire Amalfi (NZ), as well as Group winners Master Of Arts (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and Antonio Lombardo (NZ) (Pins).
Choisir Lane has since produced a 2-year-old colt by Xtravagant (NZ) and foaled a Dundeel (NZ) filly in August this year.
