Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Race-day recap:
Campione D'Italia (Snitzel) repeats his roaring finish from the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes to capture the G1 Sires' Produce Stakes at Randwick.
Blue Door adds another stakes winner to first season sire Stay Inside's record with an explosive debut in the G2 Kindergarten Stakes.
Exciting juvenile filly Aurum Belle (Snitzel) stayed unbeaten in a front-running victory in the G3 WA Gimcrack Stakes for trainer Neville Parnham. The win gave Snitzel an interstate juvenile stakes double for the day.
Trainers Sean and Jake Casey celebrated the quinella in the Listed Perth Stakes won by 2-year-old colt Beatty (Gingerbread Man).
Silken Salute (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) arrives in time at his Eagle Farm debut to post a new winner for his second season sire.
Campione D’Italia all class in Sires’ Produce victory
Chris Waller’s Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) put the writing on the wall two weeks ago in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes, roaring from the rear of the field to finish fourth by just two lengths, and he delivered on the promise to improve in the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Shuffled back despite jumping well, the colt made his move in the home straight when Rachini (Zoustar) took a clear lead on the pack. Hurtling past the filly under James McDonald, Campione D’Italia seized the lead and held onto it tight to defy a late charge by Miss Chanel (Tagaloa) to win by three quarters of a length, with Fireball (Snitzel) in hot pursuit to finish third.
“He’s a young horse,” said Waller. “Today was his fourth career star and each run has got a little bit better, a little bit better. His run in the Golden Slipper was amazing. He just got too far back. It was no-one’s fault, and the horse is just learning all the time.
Campione D'Italia winning the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He got a lovely draw today, and that was the difference between having him in the firing line or going back like he was last start. It was good to see him knuckle down and get the job done.”
"It was good to see him (Campione D’Italia) knuckle down and get the job done." - Chris Waller
The colt carried the same China Horse Club colours to victory in the race that Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) did in 2023, as did Invader in 2017. The victory makes him the ninth Group 1-winning juvenile for his late sire Snitzel, who has three Slipper winners to his credit to date.
“He’s got raw talent," Waller said. "His first start he did everything wrong, just because he thought, right let’s get the race over and done with. We had to harness that a little bit and bring him back. He’s a lovely colt.”
"He’s (Campione D’Italia) got raw talent." - Chris Waller
Breeder Gerry Harvey was pleased to have kept a share in the colt.
“He got passed in at the sales and I told Henry Field I want $600,000," Harvey said. "And he said, 'I’ll give you $500,000', and I said, 'get lost'. In the end I took it and luckily I kept 20% for myself."
Connections of Campione D'Italia after winning the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales: China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock, and partners purchased Campione D’Italia for $500,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Baramul Stud. His Zoustar half-brother made $750,000 to the bid of Mick Price Racing & Breeding at the same venue this year.
Pedigree: Campione D’Italia is the first stakes winner for Medaglia Valore (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), who has produced two Group performers already in Flashing Steel (Not A Single Doubt) and Snitzel Miss (Snitzel). She is a daughter of Military Rose (General Nediym) and a half-sister to the dam of Lovatsville’s new stallion Espionage. This family traces back to the great producer Summoned (Crowned Prince {USA}).
Medaglia Valore visited Zoustar again in 2025.
Kindergarten victory comes knocking for Blue Door
Once the field fanned out, Blue Door pulled away to take them home and win by a neck over the fast finisher The Next Episode (Snitzel), who missed the kick, with Under Focus (Too Darn Hot {GB}) a length further back in third.
Stay Inside added another stakes winner to his first crop of 2-year-olds on Saturday in the first race at Randwick, when debutant Blue Door delivered on the promise of her electric trial to win the G3 Kindergarten Stakes. The filly’s Bjorn Baker-trained stablemate Artaneous (Trapeze Artist) took up the lead position, with the filly slotting in behind him and getting the perfect trail into the home straight.
Owner John Singleton had a bit of a story to the name, telling racingandsports.com, “my daughter Jess was living at Notting Hill in London and I went to visit her last year. I noticed all the doors in her street were painted blue and when Jess went out, I thought why not paint her door red.
"But when Jess came home, she wasn't happy and suspected it was me. So, I had to have the door painted blue again.''
It’s a blue name now showing in black type, thanks to her victory, although Baker shared that the decision to send her to the Kindergarten wasn’t a usual one for him.
Blue Door winning the G3 Kindergarten Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We don't often ask a 2-year-old to go straight into a stakes race on debut, but she's very good,'' he said. The filly had just the one trial before debut, where she was completely uncatchable.
"They don't often trial like that (winning by seven and a half lengths), as the punters will know, and I like them to be there and have a raceday test, we make no secret of that, but the way she did it and the time she ran, she looked to have plenty left.
"She's (Blue Door) shown exceptional ability since we've had her." - Bjorn Baker
"She's shown exceptional ability since we've had her. She was a great trial winner and great to win for Singo and the team.”
Sales: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with Kestrel Thoroughbreds originally signed the sales docket for Blue Door at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, for $400,000 from Yarraman Park Stud. She is raced by John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud.
Pedigree: Blue Door is out of Notting Hill (Pierro), a winning daughter of boom producer Monsoon Wedding (Danehill {USA}), who is also a full sister to Redoute’s Choice. Notting Hill had a colt by I Am Invincible in 2025, and subsequently visited Too Darn Hot (GB).
Connections of Blue Door after winning the G3 Kindergarten Stakes | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Three from three for Aurum Belle in Gimcrack
Hot favourite Aurum Belle (Snitzel) flew out of the gates in the G3 WA Gimcrack Stakes and led the whole way for jockey Brad Parnham to win by half a length from Maria Lucia (Rommel), ridden by Chris Parnham. The rest of the field were four lengths further back.
Winner of the Listed Supremacy Stakes last start, Aurum Belle is unbeaten in three starts. She has earnings over $220,000 and heads to the G2 Karrakatta Plate as the likely favourite.
“I’ve just noticed they’ve over a second faster than the boys. She’s got speed and she can maintain it, and she kicks off the corner. To be honest, I reckon she clocks off a bit and hopefully she’ll get more experience and gets better,” said Neville Parnham.
Aurum Belle covered the 1100 metres in 1.04.24, while the colts in the Listed Perth Stakes covered the same distance in 1:05.32.
“I don’t think she’s screwed right down yet. She’ll come on naturally and she’ll be right in it in a couple of week’s time. She’s like a firecracker ready to be lit up. We are happy with her win and it justifies the owners putting their money up and purchasing a nice filly. She’s a two-time stakes winner now.
Aurum Belle winning the G3 WA Gimcrack Stakes | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
“I also want to thank the staff for putting up with her. She’s not easy but they’ve done a great job behind the scenes.”
The win gave Snitzel an interstate juvenile stakes double for the day. He also sired a double at Ascot with Avoidance winning earlier on the card to make it 11 career victories for the Steve Wolfe trained 7-year-old gelding.
Sales: Aurum Belle was purchased for $725,000 by Parnham Racing and Ridgeport from The Chase draft at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Pedigree: Aurum Belle is the second foal out of the classy Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible) who was a five-time winner and was successful in the G2 Reisling Stakes, G2 Silver Shadow Stakes, G2 Furious Stakes, and the G2 Tea Rose Stakes, as well as placing in the G1 Coolmore Classic.
Connections of Aurum Belle after winning the G3 WA Gimcrack Stakes | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Dame Giselle is very well-related being a three-quarter-sister to the Listed winner Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible), and a half-sister to The Fairy’s Kiss (Eluusive Quality {USA}) who was Group-placed on the track, and then left the Group 1 winning 2-year-old Ulanova (NZ) (Santos) as a broodmare.
Dame Giselle, in recent times, has left an Extreme Choice yearling colt, a Snitzel filly foal, and was served by Zoustar last spring.
Unbeaten Beatty stays that way in Listed Perth Stakes
The Sean and Jake Casey stable quinellaed the Listed Perth Stakes for juvenile colts and geldings at Ascot on Saturday with unbeaten colt Beatty (Gingerbread Man) winning by 0.2 lengths from colt He’s A Machino (Maschino). Dan Morton-trained colt Afireofgidgeecoals (Too Darn Hot {GB}) was third.
“He’s really muscled up and matured a lot (since the spring),” said Jake Casey.
“He’s a very nice horse. This bloke really had to knuckle down to the task and was too good for them today.”
“He’s (Beatty) a very nice horse. This bloke really had to knuckle down to the task and was too good for them today.” - Jake Casey
Beatty won both his starts in November before a short spell and headed into the Listed Perth Stakes fresh to make it three from three. He has earnings over $280,000.
Sales: A homebred for HW Daly.
Pedigree: He becomes the ninth stakes winner for Gingerbread Man. Beatty is one of four winners for Femmette (Murtajill) who foaled a full brother to Beatty this spring. She is in foal to Rommel.
Beatty winning the Listed Perth Stakes | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
A winner at two, Femmette is a daughter of Listed WA Gimcrack Stakes victrix Refemme (Surtee) who has produced three stakes placed winners among her nine winners. This is the family of dual Listed winner Achernar Star (Gingerbread Man).
Silken Salute debuts a winner at Eagle Farm
Paul Shailer-trained Silken Salute (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) comfortably accounted for his rivals in the opener on the Eagle Farm card on Saturday. The gelded juvenile wrested victory from Spirit Of Torque (Farnan) at the line to win by a head, with a length gap back to Murkado (Toronado {Ire}) in third.
Video: Watch race replay of Silken Salute winning at Eagle Farm, video courtesy of Racing QLD
He is the first juvenile winner this season for Hello Youmzain (Fr), whose second crop of New Zealand-born foals have also produced Sweetest Thing (NZ), who ran second in the G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes last week, and Persian Wonder (NZ), second in the G3 TL Baillieu Handicap on the same day after a fourth placing in the G3 Pago Pago Stakes.
Sales: Shailer Racing and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $60,000 for Silken Salute at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Cambridge Stud.
Silken Salute (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree: Cambridge Stud also sold Silken Salute’s dam Savasilk (NZ) (Savabeel) as a yearling, and she won two races for Te Akau Racing before retiring to stud. She is out of Group 1-performed Silk Pins (NZ) (Pins), a half-sister to the dams of Group winners Miraval Rose (Grunt {NZ}), Gypsy Diamond (Not A Single Doubt), and Finance Tycoon.
Savasilk delivered an Almanzor (Fr) filly in 2025 before being served by Hello Youmzain again.
