Juvenile summary: Warwoven and Knightsbridge book Magic Millions tickets

Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography

Talented Warwoven remains unbeaten with wide Eagle Farm victory

There had been murmurings that Warwoven (Sword Of State) would be difficult to beat if he could reproduce his debut Randwick form when heading to Eagle Farm for the $105,000 QTIS 2YO Handicap on Saturday, and the colt proved that getting past him would be impossible yet again with a striking victory by three lengths and a third.

Given a cushy run on the rails behind Bollente Bella (Too Darn Hot {GB}), the son of Cambridge Stud’s first season sire Sword Of State only needed a gap to emerge - and emerge it did as the pack fanned out over the home straight.

Rachel King only needed to rev the engine a little bit for the colt to break through, with the margin ever widening behind him back to Lumbini (Russian Revolution) in second, with G3 BJ McLachlan third Leaves Of Lorien (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) hot on her heels to fill out the placings.

Trained by Bjorn Baker, the colt - whose ownership includes Ridgmont and breeder Kia Ora Stud - has well and truly booked his ticket to the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in two weeks time.

"It's always great to win and it's not so much about today, it's more about having a good hit-out for two weeks in terms of getting to the Magic Millions," Baker said after the race. "One thing he did do well today, which I was very happy with, he paraded beautifully and he was lovely and relaxed.

"I think the one thing when I've been lucky enough to win the Magic Millions twice before is that the horses have had great attitudes and he's definitely got that.”

Baker took out the 2025 edition of the race with O’ Ole (Ole Kirk), and sent Unencumbered out to victory in 2014.

"It just carries you so far, particularly in a high-pressure race and a high-pressure time of the year,” Baker said. "It's pretty special. We'd love to get there and try and hold him together for another two weeks. It would've been amazing if he and Paradoxium could've been there together but we've got Masvingo in the race as well so it's exciting."

Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) will miss the event due to travel sickness, but stablemate Masvingo (Zoustar), who also races in the Ridgmont colours, is 12th in the ballot order for the Restricted Listed race as of December 30.

Sales: Ridgmont, Bjorn Baker Racing, S & J Gosling, and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) teamed up to purchase the colt for $380,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he was offered by breeder Kia Ora Stud.

Pedigree: Warwoven is the first foal out of G2 Royal Stakes winner Needle And Thread (Makfi {GB}), a full sister to Listed Newmarket Handicap winner Savile Row, who was three times second at Group 1 level before retiring to stud. Needle And Thread descends from European blue hen Brooklyn's Dance (Fr) (Shirley Heights {GB}), whose other descendants include G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victress Solemia (Ire) (Poliglote {GB}) and dual Group 1-winning sire The Gurkha (Ire).

Blue Gum Farm will offer Needle And Thread’s Farnan colt at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling sale next year, while the mare delivered a filly by Farnan this spring and returned to the second season sire in November.

Knightsbridge turns his attention to Magics after Randwick victory

Thyme To Go (I Am Invincible) had gotten the better of Knightsbridge (Farnan) when they clashed in a recent trial, but it was the colt carrying James Harron’s green and gold silks that emerged victorious when they met again in the $160,000 juvenile opener at Randwick on Saturday.

Standing head and shoulders above the other juveniles, Thyme To Go rounded the home turn looking like a sure thing in the lead, but Adam Hyeronimus was winding the Tulloch Lodge-trained Knightsbridge up right behind her. He had to push hard to get past the towering filly, but in the end, the colt surged to the lead to secure victory by just shy of a length. Profitabelle (Profiteer) flew home for third another half-length further back.

Attention now turns to the Gold Coast, and the $82,500 first prize at Randwick should be enough to thrust the colt into contention for the 2YO Classic.

"He is a horse that has always put his hand up and showed good natural ability for us," co-trainer Adrian Bott said post-race. "I think he had a few excuses there first-up last preparation and he's come back really well.”

The colt has only been seen on raceday once before when fifth in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial early in the spring.

"It's a bit of a tight run to the Magic Millions for him, so there was a bit of pressure on today's run, but I feel he responded well in a field that looked to have a bit of depth to it,” Bott said. "He got to both of his trials quite quickly this preparation, so he has some good improvement to his fitness (to come) on the back of today and he will need that stepping up to a high pressure Magic Millions.

"I think, looking forward to a race like the Magics, a high pressure 1200 metres, you have to be a bit versatile there. We had the time to adapt those tactics for him. He left himself a bit vulnerable up the Flemington straight there (in the Trial).

"He has a good acceleration, a good turn of foot so we just wanted to preserve that as much as we could."

Sales: Knightsbridge was purchased for $750,000 by James Harron Bloodstock and Tony Fung Colts from the Lime Country draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: The son of Kia Ora Stud resident Farnan is the fifth foal of Festivity (Nicconi), a three-time metropolitan winner on the track and now a successful broodmare. She has now produced four winners, including Semana (Winning Rupert) - a multiple Group 3 and R. Listed winner who placed at Group 1 level three times - and Gala Queen (Deep Field), a Listed winner in South Australia amongst her four wins.

Festivity’s Farnan yearling colt is yet to appear in a sales catalogue, and she produced another colt by I Am Invincible this past October.

Moana Spirit stays unbeaten to secure Geelong Diamond

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Moana Spirit (Tagaloa) kept her unbeaten record intact at her second start in the $150,000 Geelong Diamond on Saturday when roaring from near last to win the 1100-metre sprint.

The green and white silks of Yulong were sixth in a field of eight with less than 400 metres left to travel, but Luke Currie knew what he had beneath him and launched the filly into the final furlong.

Once she passed the majority of the field, Moana Spirit needed no further telling to blitz home to a clear two length victory over Ghana’s Akan (Street Boss {USA}), with a further length back to Fine Sierra (Pinatubo {Ire}) in third.

"She's a beautiful, laid-back filly and very unassuming," Calvin McEvoy said post-race. "She was quite raw in her work going towards (her debut in) Adelaide and we weren't expecting a huge amount. She went over there and she won, but since she returned to Flemington, she's been really switched on."

The victory has the McEvoys dreaming of a path to the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, a race won by the filly’s sire Tagaloa in 2020 - particularly as the Geelong Diamond carries a ballot exempt place in the grand final for the winner.

"Everything about her tells us she's going to be better at three, but she's two from two," McEvoy said. "We might keep her fresh, head to a Preview maybe, and hopefully she's fresh for the Blue Diamond."

Sales: Moana Spirit was bred and retained to race by Yulong Investments.

Pedigree: Moana Spirit is the third winner from three to race out of Chaminade (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), a winning granddaughter of G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Pipalong (Ire) (Pips Bride {GB}).

An Alabama Express-sired half-sister to Moana Spirit will be offered by Yulong at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale this year as Lot 550, and she has yet to go in foal since.

Stay Inside filly strikes at stakes level at Trentham

Newgate Farm’s Stay Inside now has a stakes winner on both sides of the Tasman courtesy of speedy filly Lassified, who improved off of her fourth in the G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes to clinch the Listed Wellesley Stakes at Trentham on Saturday.

A debut winner for Andrew Forsman before her spring into stakes company, the filly had the services of Bruno Queiroz on her third outing and she dutifully pinged out of the gates into the pacemaking position. Given the green light with 300 metres left to travel, Lassified skipped away to a half-length victory over debutant Sweetest Thing (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}).

“She is so professional, tough, and has a great attitude,” said stable representative Joe Walker. “It’s a massive thrill for everyone involved, including OTI (Management) and our ladies syndicate, and with a couple of owners on-course today it is very special.

“She has had a couple of big trips to Tauherenikau and twice here. We thought she was very game last time where it didn’t work out for her, but she was as tough as. The key was getting her down to the fence today and leading, where she was always going to take some catching.”

As she was bred in Australia, the filly is not eligible to progress to the Karaka Millions, so instead would be set for Group racing in the late summer into the autumn.

“There is a question as to where we go next, but she is so professional and that will put her in good stead as we look towards some of those bigger races,” Walker said. “It was a case of getting her here in one piece and getting the result, which now opens up a lot of options for her.”

Sales: Lassified was a $110,000 purchase for her trainer and Andrew Williams Bloodstock at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Lassified is the fourth winner out of Listed Rosemont Stud Stakes victress Exclusive Lass (Nicconi), who has also produced G2 Todman Stakes runner-up Boyfriend (Snitzel). Exclusive Lass is out of a daughter of multiple Group winner Arletty (NZ) (Centaine), who is also a half-sister to the dams of multiple Group 1-winning sire Xtravagant (NZ) and Santa Anita Group 3 winner Uncorked (Pierro).

Sledmere Stud will offer Exclusive Lass’s Russian Revolution yearling colt as Lot 795 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale next month, and she delivered a Royal Meeting (Ire) colt in the spring before visiting Move To Strike.