Saturday summary: Ninja slashes path to Gold Coast via Vo Rogue victory

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

Ninja decimates rivals in Vo Rogue scorcher

When he emerged at the cusp of the changing racing season, Michael Freedman’s Ninja (Farnan) made sure to turn a few heads when going down by a length and a half to subsequent Group 3 winner Grand Prairie (Written Tycoon), then stringing together back to back wins in August as a fresh 3-year-old. Put away for the spring, he made sure to turn heads again when taking on the G3 Vo Rogue Plate at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Sent out the favourite after a last start third to Grafterburners (Graff) in the $160,000 Pierata Plate, it was almost all over immediately as the 3-year-old gelded son of Farnan missed the kick, half leaping out of the gates. But Tommy Berry gathered him up and put him back together around the home turn, guiding him out wide to slice around the side of the pack.

And it worked, largely in part to the gelding’s turn of foot that saw him scorch home to post a four and three-quarter-length margin over Smexy (Pierata), with another three quarters of a length back to Adorable Thought (So You Think {NZ}) in third.

"You always have to have Plan B, but that wasn't even a Plan B for me," Berry said. "He was so well behaved today and he stood in the gates beautifully and quiet, but when the starter called 'all clear', usually the gates open not long after. I gave him a bit of a squeeze to jump, but there was a hold-up so he hit the front of the gates.

"He took a step back and lunged out. We were hoping for an easy run today with two weeks' time in mind and he really only sprinted 500 metres (in the end)."

The Group 3 victory - which hands Farnan a fourth individual Group winner - propels Ninja into favouritism for the R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas in two weeks’ time.

“He’s quite quirky, he's got a real character about him, but he's definitely become a favorite real quick,” shared a representative from Freedman’s Gold Coast stable. “He came out of his last run super, we galloped him on Tuesday and he worked enormous so we were pretty confident leading into this. We took him to the beach yesterday and he loved it, he’s enjoying the Gold Coast life.”

Sales: Myracehorse, Michael Freedman Racing, Gandharvi, and Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) secured Ninja for $380,000 out of Segenhoe Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft - giving Segenhoe Stud a graduate stakes double for the day.

Pedigree: Ninja’s dam Impulsive (So You Think {NZ}) was a city winner herself and has produced three winners to date. She is a daughter of Group 3 winner Procrastinate (Jade Hunter {USA}), making her a half-sister to five-time South African Group 1 winner Laisserfaire (Danehill {USA}) and the stakes winners Time Thief, Foreplay, A Time For Julia (Redoute’s Choice), and Personify (Galileo {GB}), dam of G1 VRC Oaks winner Personal (Fastnet Rock).

Ninja’s Siyouni (Fr) yearling half-brother has yet to appear in a sales catalogue, and his dam produced a filly by Anamoe in the spring before visiting Harry Angel {Ire}.

Jenni The Fox lands first black-type win for Yeomans in Black Pearl

When going out on her own as a trainer, it meant the world to Lucy Yeomans to have the support of owner Tony Ottobre behind her, and she repaid some of that faith on Saturday courtesy of a standout performance from Jenni The Fox (Too Darn Hot {GB}) to win the Listed Black Pearl Stakes at Geelong.

The 4-year-old had to slice through the pack upon straightening to have a chance at winning, but once Thomas Stockdale put his foot on the accelerator, the mare lunged forward into the clear and kept coming. Her eventual marginal over runner-up Hearcomesthestar (Zoustar) settled at one and three quarter lengths, with another head back to Naifah (I Am Invincible) in third.

"I can't believe it, there's too many people to thank,” Yeomans said after the run. "It's actually been a blessing. I've been riding all my own track work, and I've been absolutely cooking myself overthinking everything, but I galloped this horse on Tuesday and she absolutely flew. I actually had my partner Blake (Shinn) there clocking me and the tracker just said her recovery was better than ever.

"It's just all fallen into place today. She finally drew a gate, but big thanks to Tony, big thanks to Elise, my right hand girl. My vet Chas, my farriers, John and James, and most of all, thanks to Fox and my partner Blake as well who's done a lot of work on this horse.

"Also, I must mention Declan Bates. He's really helped make this horse what she is as well.”

It was a first stakes winner for Yeomans since becoming a trainer in her own right.

"Just to get a stakes winner, I think it's my 17th runner, I've had four winners, they've all been for Tony Ottobre and his team, so I'm just incredibly grateful and I just think four or 5-year-old me would be really proud," she said.

There are whispers of a trip north to the Magic Millions raceday now that the mare has a stakes race under her belt, but Yeomans said she would “let the dust settle” before making a decision on where the mare would go next.

Sales: Tony Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud purchased Jenni The Fox for $380,000 out of Segenhoe Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

Pedigree: Jenni The Fox is a first stakes winner out of Group-placed Miss Foxwood (Fastnet Rock), a daughter of dual Group 1 victress Foxwood (NZ) (Centaine). Foxwood also produced Group 3-winning, Group 1-performed Rockwood (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), and Miss Foxwood has six winners to date, including dual Listed-placed Rubicon Crossing (Rubick).

A full sister to Jenni The Fox will again be offered at the Gold Coast by Segenhoe Stud this month, as Lot 553. After missing the following season, Miss Foxwood visited St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) in the spring.

Lonhro's Queen ticks black-type box in Nudgee

A change of scenery from the Hunter Valley to Eagle Farm has reinvigorated 5-year-old Lonhro’s Queen (Lonhro), and the mare swiftly added a second Sunshine State victory to her record on Saturday when taking out the Listed Nudgee Stakes at her home track. She downed the favourite Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi), who was forced to travel wide for most of the trip, by four fifths of a length.

A winner at her first start for new trainers Chris and Corey Munce in November, the mare hasn’t finished further back than fourth in three starts since, and a chance encounter with Rachel King - who got the call up when her booked jockey Martin Harley was stood down from riding duties due to illness - resulted in a first black-type victory.

The race offered a golden ticket into the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies And Mares - and the opportunity to extend Lonhro’s Queen’s record to nine - but co-trainer Chris Munce shared that the mare would be sent to the paddock instead.

"It's all been about bringing this mare up to stakes grade," he said. "So it's job done and she'll have a rest now, and we'll see where we go after that in the winter.

“She really is a lovely mare to do anything with. She's a pleasure to have around and she's thriving."

The 1200 metres was right in the mare’s sweet spot, Munce added, but her last start fourth in the Listed Just Now in December had come with a losing margin of less than two and a half lengths.

"She just did everything right and the Munce team told me she was pretty straightforward," said King. "She jumped okay, but when we went to cut across the back of them and sneak a few lengths up the fence, I was happy to do that."

Sales: Lonhro’s Queen was retained to race by breeder Gooree Park Stud.

Pedigree: She is the first stakes winner out of dual Group 3 winner Queen Of The Hill (Danehill {USA}), a half-sister to Northern Meteor and Comical Smile (USA) (Comic Strip {USA}), dam of Smart Missile. This is also the close family of red-hot juvenile Tornado Valley (Too Darn Hot {GB}).

Lonhro’s Queen was Queen Of The Hill’s last foal, but she also produced Macau stakes performer Sunshine Stormy (More Than Ready {USA}) amongst five winners.

Greene's faith repaid as First Five delivers maiden Group 1 win

After victory last month in the G3 J Swap Sprint, some might have thought trainer David Greene too bold in declaring that the next target for First Five (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) would be the G1 TAB Telegraph - but Greene knew his horse well, and was in time rewarded for his faith with Saturday’s victory.

Wiremu Pinn was on board, and he took advantage of a good draw to settle on the speed with the 5-year-old gelding, who boasted six wins in 18 starts going into Saturday’s headline event. Navigator (NZ) (El Roca) and Grail Seeker (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) emerged in the home straight to challenge First Five, but the gelding dug deeper, powering home to hand Greene his first Group 1 win by a length.

“This is unbelievable really, and thanks be to God as we have been waiting for a while (to win a Group 1),” Greene said. “It’s pretty special and just great to do it with this group of owners.”

First Five’s small ownership group is headed by his breeder Gerald Shand, whose colours he wears, along with Jenna McLeod and Jackie and Philip Rogers.

“When he (First Five) was sitting outside the leader, I was just thinking he looked to be travelling comfortably, but I wasn’t sure if that was good or not,” Greene said. “Wiremu knew what he had underneath him and he was strong all the way through the line. To win a Group 1, weight-for-age race at Trentham, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Pinn had missed the Group 3 ride due to a suspension, so was delighted to be back on board the gelding to deliver such a wonderful win for the team.

“He is a big, beautiful and strong horse,” he said. “I’m very thankful to David and the owners who have been very loyal to me since the day I started.

“I had my own plans and didn’t quite listen to David’s instructions, as you have to take the bull by the horns in these Group 1 races and there didn’t look to be any speed on paper. I was a little worried up the straight as I saw Navigator go and I didn’t think I was going to be able to pick him up, but once I let his head go, he just flew.

“He was a bit of a sitting duck as he had a good look at the winning post, but he is a really exciting horse.”

Sales: First Five was retained to race by his breeder Gerald Shand.

Pedigree: First Five is the best performed of three offspring out of Payette (Volksraad {GB}) to hit the track, the other winner being his 4-year-old full brother Rambling On (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) who won earlier this season. Payette is out of a half-sister to multiple Group performer Pretty Vegas (NZ) (Viking Ruler).