Cover image courtesy of Racing Queensland
Race-day recap
Shuttle stallion Pinatubo (Ire) posted his first Southern Hemisphere stakes winner at Eagle Farm, where Voynichese struck in the Listed Show A Heart.
Why So Hard added a seventh juvenile winner to All Too Hard's record this season with a powerful victory at Randwick.
Danny O'Brien may have bred Aethera (Shamus Award) to be an Oaks filly, but the juvenile had other ideas, winning a 1100-metre race at Flemington on debut with more in the tank.
The Barber (Barbaric) proved too strong for his rivals in the $100,000 QTIS 2YO Classic at Townsville.
Fresh off a hot third at Warwick Farm, Exit Clause (Zousain) came home strongly to win at Newcastle for Jason Coyle.
Pinatubo posts first Aussie stakes winner in Show A Heart
Nick Olive’s Voynichese broke the stakes seal for her Darley-based sire Pinatubo (Ire) at Eagle Farm on Saturday where she dashed home to win the Listed Show A Heart. The filly handled the step up in class with aplomb and dominated proceedings from the 300-metre mark, powering home to post victory by a length and a quarter over antepost favourite Glenorchy (Cosmic Force).
Second on debut at Bathurst, Voynichese knocked off her maiden at Albury for her Canberra-based trainer before heading north to add some black-type to her page.
“We've had a big opinion of this filly for a while now,” said Olive. “She's only small but she's very progressive. Credit to her owners, they told me to bring her up here and it's worked out well.
“She got a beautiful run and a great ride today, which she hasn't had in her previous two starts. I'm really looking forward to getting her over further, because she finished off really well.”
"I'm really looking forward to getting her (Voynichese) over further, because she finished off really well." - Nick Olive
Olive indicated that the seven-day backup into next weekend’s G1 JJ Atkins Plate could be on the cards, pending how the filly pulls up from the run.
Voynichese winning the Listed Show A Heart | Image courtesy of Racing Queensland
"If she pulls up well, we'll definitely think about backing her up in the JJ,” he said. “She's paid up so we'll probably give her a crack at it."
In three starts, Voynichese has amassed over $117,000 in prize money, and is the first Southern Hemisphere-bred stakes winner for her sire, who returns to Kelvinside this spring at a fee of $27,500 (inc GST).
Sales: Olive paid $30,000 for Voynichese at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where she was offered by breeder Canning Downs Stud.
Voynichese as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Pedigree: Voynichese is the first foal from G3 South Australia Fillies Classic placegetter Great Mystery (Redoute’s Choice), a daughter of G3 Ethereal Stakes winner Dawnie Perfect (Big Brown {USA}). Dawnie Perfect is a daughter of G1 Queensland Oaks victress Zagalia (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), from the family of G1 Diamond Stakes winner and New Zealand Champion 2YO Sword Of Osman (NZ) (Savabeel).
Te Akau Racing and Fortuna Racing bought Voynichese’s Capitalist half-sister for $36,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale from Silverdale Farm, who purchased the filly for a modest $5000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale. Great Mystery foaled a Pierata filly in 2025 before visiting Tagaloa.
Another All Too Hard strikes at Randwick
All Too Hard added another juvenile winner to his record on Saturday when Why So Hard struck in the opener at Randwick, equalling the totals achieved to date by Snitzel and Too Darn Hot (GB), both with far more runners. Trained by the Hawkes Racing team, the gelding debuted as equal favourite after two sharp trial wins and lived up to his hype when rocketing home in the final furlong to beat Seductra (Tassort) by a neck.
The pedigree was full of personal appeal to the Hawkes team, given John Hawkes trained both All Too Hard and the gelding’s damsire Lonhro, making him a particularly easy purchase for $140,000.
“We've just got some really good people and clients in the horse,” said Michael Hawkes. “He's been a work in progress. His trials have been fantastic, but the barrier was a little bit of a concern. I thought if he drew 1-5, he'd genuinely just win, but drawing a bit awkward, we were going to have to be a little bit conservative.
Despite the wide draw, the gelding’s turn of foot proved too strong for his opposition.
“There was a bit of speed in the race,” Hawkes said. “Tyler (Schiller) just gave him a gun ride. The best part is the horse has got so much ability, (and) as far as learning, he doesn't really know what he's doing yet - and the last 50 metres was probably the best.
"The best part is the horse (Why So Hard) has got so much ability, (and) as far as learning, he doesn't really know what he's doing yet." - Michael Hawkes
“These owners are going to be in for a nice ride for the future.”
He is the seventh individual juvenile winner this season from just 15 to the track.
Why So Hard winning at Randwick | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Sales: Hawkes Racing paid $140,000 to take home Why So Hard from Vinery Stud’s Inglis Classic draft last year.
Pedigree: Why So Hard’s dam Lonyx (Lonhro) is a winning half-sister to the stakes winners Sexy Eyes (Written Tycoon) and Tina Melina (Jet Spur), and is also a full sister to Innishbeg, dam of G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Aspect (Pluck) and dual Listed winner Brown Ben (Big Brown {USA}).
Roll The Dice Racing, Rogers Bloodstock, and Mick Price paid $260,000 for an Ole Kirk half-brother to Why So Hard at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Lonyx had another Ole Kirk colt in the spring and visited the sire again in December.
O’Brien’s homebred impresses at Flemington
Another smart filly emerged from the family of Savaglee (NZ) and Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel) on Saturday when Danny O’Brien unveiled his homebred Shamus Award filly Aethera at Flemington.
Despite being caught behind the scrum as the field round the home turn, the debutant found clear air within the final furlong and bolted past Profumo (Home Affairs) to win by two clean lengths, with the favourite Vega Vixen (Lucky Vega {Ire}) another half head away in third.
“She's a lovely filly,” said O’Brien. “She's obviously by Shamus Award and we've bred quite a few over the years by him including El Patroness who won at AJC Oaks. That was the theory with this filly. We went and bought another O'Reilly mare and that was the same cross that produced El Patroness.
“She's since had a lot of upgrades to her pedigree, including Orchestral and a couple of other very nice horses on the page, so this filly is bred to be pretty good.
"Damien Thornton's been really positive on her (Aethera's) jump outs and said there's a really big motor here, she just doesn't know how to do it yet." - Danny O'Brien
“(Winning jockey) Damien Thornton's been really positive on her jump outs and said there's a really big motor here, she just doesn't know how to do it yet. We just saw a little bit of that late when she got out today and she put that race to bed very quickly.”
O’Brien said that the filly would go for a break now with lofty spring goals in mind.
Danny O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“She was potentially going to go to the trials at Caulfield Heath next Thursday, but we thought, ‘we may as well just bring her across the road to finish off her prep and see if she's up to a spring campaign’,” he said. “From what we saw then, she certainly looks like she will be.
“I don't think she'll be quite as stout as El Patroness though, she's been a bit brilliant there, winning at the 1100 (metres), so I suspect she's probably topping out of the mile, but there's plenty of other good stakes races besides the Oaks.”
"She's been a bit brilliant there, winning at the 1100 (metres), so I suspect she's probably topping out of the mile." - Danny O'Brien
Sales: Aethera is a homebred for O’Brien.
Pedigree: Aethera is the second winner for her dam, Listed Tasmanian Oaks placegetter Tralee Chorus (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who is a full sister to the dams of the aforementioned pair of champions. This is also the family of Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel), Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}), and G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner Sepals (Calyx {GB}).
Tralee Chorus has a full sister to Aethera and a weanling filly by Savabeel to follow, and visited Super Seth in his final year in New Zealand.
No close shave for The Barber at Townsville
The Barber (Barbaric) arrived at Townsville’s flagship juvenile race on Saturday already a winner, but he had plenty of stiff competition for victory, most pressing of which came from Better Blitzem (Better Than Ready), already a four-time winner.
Nevertheless, Alisha Taylor’s gelding defied the short-priced favourite to deliver victory in the $100,000 QTIS 2YO Classic by a solid length and a third, with another three lengths back to Stylish Diamond (Aclaim {Ire}) in third.
Video: Watch race replay of The Barber, video courtesy of Racing Queensland
The Barber is one of four winners from seven to the track from the first crop of Lyndhurst Stud Farm-based Barbaric.
Sales: One Syndications, Walsh Racing, and Salvador Bloodstock paid $90,000 for The Barber when he was offered by Eureka Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale.
Pedigree: The Barber is the eighth winner from eight to race out of Plumage (Red Dazzler), herself a five-time metropolitan winner. Plumage is a full sister to HK$7.3 million (AU$1.32 million) earner Ping Hai Bravo. She delivered a colt by Don Corleone in 2025 before returning to Barbaric.
The Barber as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Improving Exit Clause defies top weight to score
Despite carrying the top weight in the juvenile field at Newcastle, the gelded Exit Clause (Zousain) made it look easy once in the clear in the fourth race on the card. The Jason Coyle trainee had to wait patiently for a spot to open up on the rail in the home straight, before opening up his stride and strolling home to win by over a length in front of Dashing Triple (Toronado {Ire}), with a further two lengths back to Don’t Doubt Frank (Capitalist) in third.
Video: Watch race replay of Exit Clause, video courtesy of Racing NSW
The gelding had run third on debut at Warwick Farm behind the smart Our Emperor (Stay Inside), who has already been set for Group goals in the spring.
Sales: Exit Clause is a homebred for Coyle, who also trained his dam.
Pedigree: Exit Clause is the only runner from the now retired Rockaway Princess (All American), a daughter of metropolitan winner Lou’s Princess (Commands). The wider family includes G1 Blue Diamond Stakes victress Catchy (Fastnet Rock) and her G2 Dane Ripper Stakes-winning daughter Floozie (Zoustar), who visited I Am Invincible in the spring at her maiden season at stud.
