Cover image courtesy of Australia Turf Club
By Choice audacious on debut
Written By filly By Choice hit the line well at her career first trial on Tuesday morning at Canterbury. The Tulloch Lodge-trained juvenile was given the box seat by Rachel King and allowed to follow the early leader Fiaba (I Am Invincible) - a half-sister to Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt) into the home straight. King sent the filly home strongly to Fiaba’s outside to win by a short neck, with Godolphin-owned Hardanger (Pinatubo {Ire}) in third.
Video: Watch By Choice at Canterbury trials, video courtesy of racing NSW
Nominated for both the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes and the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, By Choice has been by far the most expensive yearling out of her dam Audacious Choice (Redoute’s Choice) to date, with her trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds paying $220,000 to take her home from Lustre Lodge’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft this year.
A winning half-sister to R. Listed Inglis 2YO Millennium winner Prime Star (Starspangledbanner), Audacious Choice is out of G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes winner Barinka (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}). Attunga Stud will offer By Choice’s So You Think (NZ) half-sister at the Gold Coast in January as Lot 72, and Audacious Choice delivered a colt by Starspangledbanner this spring.
By Choice as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Born To Fly lives up to name
The big-striding Born To Fly (I Am Invincible) proved she was aptly named when debuting at Canterbury’s Tuesday trial morning. Trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, she was given a patient ride by Zac Lloyd until the pack fanned out in the home straight, prevailing in a blanket finish over Behindcloseddoors (Home Affairs) by a short neck. G3 Gimcrack Stakes-placed Masvingo (Zoustar) finished third.
Video: Watch Born To Fly at Canterbury Trials, video courtesy of Racing NSW
James Bester signed the docket alongside O’Shea and Charlton for the Golden Slipper-nominated Born To Fly at the Gold Coast this January, paying $750,000 for the Segenhoe Stud graduate, with Finemore Thoroughbreds and Fairway Thoroughbreds sharing in her ownership. She is a half-sister to the Group 3 winners Kalashnikov (Capitalist) and Eagle Nest (Shalaa {Ire}).
Dam Rough Ride (Flying Spur) is a winning half-sister to four stakes winners including G1 Queensland Derby winner Eagle Way (More Than Ready {USA}), and Listed winners Assertive Eagle (Danewin) and Impressive Eagle (Rubiton). Her Listed-winning half-sister Soaressa (Twining {USA}) has produced two stakes winners herself. After missing last year, Rough Ride produced a colt by Proisir this spring.
Born To Fly as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Smart Lumbini dashes away
After running second at her first trial behind Gimcrack winner Shiki (Too Darn Hot {GB}), well-related Lumbini (Russian Revolution) went one better on Tuesday at Canterbury. The Tulloch Lodge trainee was sent forward out of the gates by Tim Clark and gave no quarter to her four rivals, widening the gap over the final furlong to post a length and a third victory over Billecart Blue (Blue Point {Ire}).
Video: Watch Lumbini at Canterbury Trials, video courtesy of Racing NSW
Glentree Thoroughbreds and Badgers Bloodstock acquired Lumbini for $450,000 at the Gold Coast this year from Newgate Farm, who also prepared and sold her full sister, the multiple stakes performer Russian Conquest, both as a yearling and again as a broodmare in 2024 for $580,000 to the bid of Lime Country Thoroughbreds.
Russian Conquest is one of three stakes performers out of G1 Alcibiades Stakes victress My Conquestadory (USA) (Artie Schiller {USA}), whose first foal Bourbon War (USA) (Tapit {USA}) placed up to Grade II level. Her 2024 Snitzel filly is yet to appear in a sales catalogue, and she produced a filly by I Am Invincible this year. Lumbini holds nominations for both juvenile majors.
Lumbini as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Paradoxium confident in trial return
G3 Breeders’ Plate fourth Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) made it back-to-back trial wins on Tuesday morning at Canterbury, taking out the 12th heat of the morning by one and three quarter lengths. The Bjorn Baker-trained colt led the way shoulder to shoulder with Steel Will (I Am Invincible) before pulling away in the home straight for a comfortable victory. He is nominated for both the Slipper and the Blue Diamond.
Video: Watch Paradoxium at Canterbury Trials, video courtesy of Racing NSW
A $400,000 purchase for Bjorn Baker Racing, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), and Ridgmont from Silverdale Farm’s Magic Millions draft in January, Paradoxium is the first foal from Listed-placed city winner Paredo (More Than Ready {USA}), a half-sister to stakes-performed Snipzu (Snippetson), the dam of Eureka Stud stallion Don Corleone. Another half-sister is Happy Pilgrim (Congrats), the dam of G1 Galaxy Handicap winner Private Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}).
Through Paradoxium’s third dam Briscay (Marscay), he is related to the weekend’s Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic Hot And High (Too Darn Hot {GB}). Paredo has a Zoustar filly to sell this coming yearling sale season, and delivered an I Am Invincible filly this spring.
Paradoxium as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Waller’s Blue Diamond hopes hot up with Campione D’Italia
Chris Waller has yet to have a Blue Diamond runner, but 11 of his juveniles entered in Canterbury’s Tuesday trials hold nominations for the feature, with Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) being the first to come home a winner. With Tommy Berry aboard, the colt had to do all of the work out wide to go around $1.2 million Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale graduate Vatican (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Yulong-owned Ancient Greece (Written Tycoon) to fly home for a half-length win.
Video: Watch Campione D’Italia at Canterbury Trials, video courtesy of Racing NSW
Baramul Stud presented Campione D’Italia at the Gold Coast this year, where he was a $500,000 purchase for China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock, and partners. He is a full brother to Snitzel Miss, who was twice placed as a juvenile last season, and a three-quarter-brother to juvenile Group-performed Flashing Steel (Not A Single Doubt), who was a $1 million yearling purchase himself.
Dam Medaglia Valore (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) is a winning daughter of Military Rose (General Nediym), making her a half-sister to the dam of dual Group 3-winning Espionage (Zoustar). Her Zoustar colt is Lot 528 in Baramul Stud’s Magic Millions draft next year, and she unfortunately missed this season to the late Wootton Bassett (GB).
Campione D’Italia as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Elio takes charge
Fourth on debut in the $150,000 Max Lees Classic, Ole Kirk colt Elio put on a strong performance in his Canterbury heat on Tuesday. The Tulloch Lodge trainee led from the jump under Adam Hyeronimus and inched the gap wider over the home straight to post victory by a length and a fifth over Gridlock (Home Affairs), with Lorax (Zoustar) in third.
Video: Watch Elio at Canterbury Trials, video courtesy of Racing NSW
A $250,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase for his trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds, Elio is the second foal from metropolitan winner Iconista (Denman), a half-sister to the dam of Listed Amanda Elliott Handicap winner Burma Star (Exceed And Excel), from the wider family of the late Levendi. Iconista has a Hanseatic yearling colt to follow, and visited Proisir this year. Elio is nominated for both juvenile majors at this stage.
Hanseatic colt lives up to name
Up at the Aquis Gold Coast Park track, Adam Campton-trained Dashing Sprint (Hanseatic) proved to be well-named at his debut trial. The colt travelled with the pack until straightening, then unleashed a strong turn of foot to beat home Face The Wild (Wild Ruler) by a head, with an impressive gap back to the rest of the field.
Video: Watch Dashing Sprint at Aquis GoldCoast Park Trials, video courtesy of Racing QLD
A $90,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale purchase from Rosemont Stud for Strike Thoroughbreds, Dashing Sprint is the second foal from metropolitan winner Zoujea (Zoustar), whose dam is a half-sister to 10-time winner Carocapo (Husson {Arg}), from the close family of Vanbrugh. Zoujea has a full sister to Dashing Sprint set for next year’s sales and delivered a colt by Doull this year, before visiting Rosemont’s new shuttle sire Henry Longfellow (Ire).
Profiteer pinhook stretches legs at Gold Coast
First season sire Profiteer notched up an impressive trial winner at the Gold Coast on Tuesday with Star Of Jamaica. The Chris and Corey Munce-trained colt was a comfortable leader in his heat and widened the gap approaching the line to win by a length and a half.
Video: Watch Star Of Jamaica at Aquis GoldCoast Park Trials, video courtesy of Racing QLD
Initially a $12,000 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale purchase for Spectrum Sales Australia from Alma Vale Thoroughbreds, he was sold to his trainers at Inglis Classic for $85,000. He is the second and foal from winning Per Incanto (USA) mare Raziel (NZ), from the close family of Listed-winning Champagne Needed (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}).
Astern filly lifts at trial debut
Allan Chau unleashed a speedy daughter of Astern at the Gold Coast on Tuesday, where Fearless Win was a winner by a neck. The filly dashed home to overcome the Chris and Corey Munce-trained Saxon Spirit (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) at her first public outing.
Video: Watch Fearless Win at Aquis GoldCoast Park Trials, video courtesy of Racing QLD
Chau paid just $10,000 for Fearless Win at the Gold Coast in January, where she was offered by Clarke & Croft Bloodstock. She is the fourth foal from Red Tsarina (NZ) (Makfi {GB}), a half-sister to Group-winning juvenile Luke’s Luck (Show A Heart). Red Tsarina delivered a Pride Of Dubai colt this spring.
Talented Boom filly puts best foot forward
Dolly Boom (Spirit Of Boom) closed off the Gold Coast juvenile heats with snatching a victory away from Olivoni (Zoustar) on Tuesday morning. The Tony Gollan-trained filly overcame her rival by a neck to take home the win on her trial debut.
Video: Watch Dolly Boom at Aquis GoldCoast Park Trials, video courtesy of Racing QLD
A Magic Millions March Yearling Sale purchase for $140,000 by Gollan Racing and John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) from the draft of Daandine Stud, Dolly Boom is the first foal of Listed Calaway Gal Stakes winner Sweet Dolly (Real Saga), a four-time winner as a juvenile. Her dam is a half-sister to Beatniks (Haradasun), dam of last season’s Listed Bendigo Guineas winner Wonder Boy (Cosmic Force).
Sweet Dolly had a colt by Toronado (Ire) this spring, before visiting Hellbent in September.
