Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud
Consulate secures maiden victory at Kensington
The progeny of Home Affairs have been flying this season as the Coolmore Stud stallion is set to claim first-season sire honours and is also pushing the late Snitzel hard in the 2-year-old sire premiership.
He added another new individual winner on Wednesday at Kensington as the Chris Waller-trained Consulate backed up her encouraging second to Demerzel (Ole Kirk) at Canterbury with a narrow but impressive victory over 1250 metres in the hands of Chad Schofield.
Video: Watch race replay of Consulate, video courtesy of Racing NSW
Schofield executed the race perfectly, slotting the favourite into the one-one position from the tricky outside draw. Hellflight (Hellbent) set a genuine tempo from Castelbella (Castelvecchio), while the well-bred Adeleke (Fastnet Rock) enjoyed the run of the race in behind.
Upon straightening, Alysha Collett sent Castelbella to the lead, but Consulate quickly loomed alongside before taking over. Castelbella fought gamely to go down by just a neck, although Consulate always appeared to have matters under control. Snitzel's Girl (Snitzel) finished well for third, another half-length away, and looks one to follow over further as a 3-year-old next season.
Charlie Duckworth | Image courtesy of Chris Waller Racing
“She had to dig deep and did a good job, but it’s a bit of a relief for the guys and girls who are involved in her as we had the half-brother called Battuta who showed a lot of early promise and then didn’t quite work out,” said stable representative Charlie Duckworth.
"She (Consulate) had to dig deep and did a good job." - Charlie Duckworth
“He was part of the reason we ended up purchasing her, but she looks like she can go on with the task and obviously over further she's going to be better suited, so she has a bright future.”
Schofield was equally impressed with the filly.
“She had the writing on the wall to come here and be hard to beat today,” he said. “The draw was tricky, but I'm glad we ended up in the spot we were in. Just the way the race was running and turned out, it might have been hard to come back.
"She (Consulate) had the writing on the wall to come here and be hard to beat today." - Chad Schofield
“She had a good run, travelled well and I think she's a filly that will would be even better over further. She just kept unwinding really nicely and did her best work on the line and through the line.”
Sales: Consulate was purchased for $300,000 by Chris Waller Racing, Mulcaster Bloodstock and ARJB Racing from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Consulate as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree: Consulate is out of the winning Medaglia D’Oro (USA) mare Tangier, who is beautifully bred, being a full-sister to the G1 Golden Rose winner and stallion Astern. She is also a three-quarter-sister to the Group 3 winner Mamounia (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), and a half-sister to the Champion 3YO Filly and three-time Group 1 winner Alizee (Sepoy) and Group 1-producing sire Tassort.
This is also the family of the stakes winners Alizes (NZ) (Rory’s Jester), Willinga Beast (Snitzel), and Zulfiqar (Exceed And Excel).
Tangier, in recent times, has produced a weanling filly by Justify (USA) and was served by Switzerland last September.
Ready Forcocktails lives up to her pedigree
The beautifully bred Ready Forcocktails (Snitzel) became another winner for her illustrious family as the 3-year-old Snitzel filly, whose grandam is champion Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), produced a dominant victory over 1150 metres at Kensington for Team Hawkes and Tyler Schiller.
Pharland (Doubtland) led at a genuine tempo from Sorentina (Exceedance), while Claudel (So You Think {NZ}) worked hard outside the leader. Schiller had Ready Forcocktails travelling sweetly just behind the speed, although she raced a touch keenly.
Claudel took over on straightening under Chad Schofield, but Schiller quickly had Ready Forcocktails into the clear. She surged through her gears before storming clear to score by just under three lengths. Claudel battled on well for second and looks close to breaking through, while Sorentina stuck to her task well in third, another length away.
“She has always shown so much at home," Schiller said. “We sort of expected a bit more before this run, but she obviously ran into a nice enough 2-year-old last start, and last prep she probably didn't have a couple of things go her way.
"Today she (Ready Forcocktails) found the right race to get a bit of confidence under her belt." - Tyler Schiller
“Today she found the right race to get a bit of confidence under her belt. She hasn't got a long sprint so you can't really expose her at the top of the straight but I was surprised how strong she ran through the line considering she usually sprints for about 200 metres.”
Sales: Ready Forcocktails was bred and is raced by Mr NJR Werrett, Mrs P Hawkes, C & J Madden. Neil Werrett races the filly under his Werrett Bloodstock banner, while the Maddens race her under the Madden Bloodstock banner.
Pedigree: Ready Forcocktails is the first foal out of the juvenile placegetter Ready For Caviar (More Than Ready {USA}), who is a daughter of Black Caviar.
As well as having the champion mare as her second dam, other illustrious members of Ready Forcocktail's family include the Group 1 winners All Too Hard, Nepotism (Brutal {NZ}), Magnus, and Ole Kirk, along with Group 3 winner Gimmie Par (Not A Single Doubt).
In recent years, Ready For Caviar has produced a 2-year-old filly by Snitzel named Ready For Sure, a weanling colt by Snitzel, and unfortunately slipped to Farnan from her last mating.
Burning Heartz gets the bob on debut
Small fields often produce exciting finishes and that proved the case at Sandown's juvenile event as the Gavin Bedggood-trained debutant Burning Heartz (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) got the decisive bob in a thrilling four-way finish to score in the hands of Joe Bowditch.
Billy Egan sent favourite Signed By A Kiss (Yes Yes Yes) to the lead and dictated a moderate tempo, while Craig Newitt had Tagabella (Tagaloa) parked to the outside, applying pressure throughout. Burning Heartz and Delahra (Doubtland) both enjoyed economical runs just off the speed.
Signed By A Kiss kicked strongly on straightening, but the effort was short-lived as Burning Heartz loomed to challenge. Late runners descended from all directions, but Burning Heartz got her nose down where it mattered most.
Delahra was a nose away in second, Tagabella held third, while Anglais (Zousain) flashed home for a close fourth and probably wins in another stride or two.
Burning Heartz winning at Sandown | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“It was good to see her get the bob,” trainer Gavin Bedggood said. “After doing the form and watching the horses that she has trialled up against over the last week, I come here quietly confident. Joe has done a lot of work on her at home and trialled her up, so it was great to put Joe on board and came here today and get a win.”
"After doing the form and watching the horses that she (Burning Heartz) has trialled up against over the last week, I came here quietly confident." - Gavin Bedggood
“I bought her in Adelaide last year for $26,000, I probably still owned half of her up until about a fortnight ago, I have sold the rest of her over the last couple of weeks since she has trialled up and gave a few people a ring and told them she went alright, so it is good to be vindicated today.
“We have been a stable that has been marked as a tried horse trainer, but we had a 2-year-old run second on Saturday at Caulfield and it was good to get a 2-year-old winner here today.
"She (Burning Heartz) has a great constitution, she never leaves a feed, she wants to work with you... the world is her oyster." - Gavin Bedggood
“She has a great constitution, she never leaves a feed, she wants to work with you, she dropped her head nicely there and the world is her oyster.”
Sales: Burning Heartz was purchased for $26,000 by Gavin Bedggood Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Riverina Downs draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.
Gavin Bedggood | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Pedigree: Burning Heartz is the last foal out of the five-time winning Dane Shadow mare Heartz Ablaze, who is from the family of the dual Listed winner Underestimation (Al Samer), the Listed-winning gelding Hadaaf (Danewin) and the G2 WH Stocks winner Oasis Bloom (Al Maher).
Censori bolts in at Sandown
Censori (Russian Camelot {Ire}) has developed a liking for the Sandown Lakeside circuit, having won on debut there nearly 12 months ago, and she made it two wins from as many starts at the venue with a dominant victory in the BM64 for 3-year-old fillies over a mile.
Prepared by Danny O'Brien, who also trained her dual Group 1-winning sire, the promising staying filly turned the tables on hot favourite Off Their Perch (Shamus Award), who had defeated her at Sale at her previous start.
There was genuine speed throughout as Off Their Perch and Beautifully (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) raced prominently. In the testing conditions, the race became a war of attrition. Beautifully kicked strongly under Ruan Houston, but Lachlan Neindorf was travelling comfortably aboard Censori before she bounded to the lead and powered clear to score by just over three lengths, bringing up Neindorf's 100th Victorian winner and 101st winner nationwide.
“It’s pretty special, it was only a matter of a couple weeks ago that I was able to do it Australia wide, it's always been a target for myself, my manager and the team around me to get to 100 just in Victoria alone, that 99 has been dawning me for a while as it does with a lot of sports, but it is very fulfilling to get that out of the way today,” Lachlan Neindorf said.
"It is very fulfilling to get that (100th Victorian winner) out of the way today." - Lachlan Neindorf
“It’s great to get another winner for Russian Camelot, I think she might have been one of his first metropolitan winners when she won here as a 2-year-old and to come back to a very rich VOBIS race, I think it is about $65,000 worth in bonuses, it is something we had circled in the calendar a few weeks ago and had planned to get her here, and for the plan to pay off it is great,” Danny O'Brien's racing manager Jack Howard commented.
"(This race) is something we had circled in the calendar a few weeks ago and had planned to get her (Censori) here, and for the plan to pay off it is great." - Jack Howard
Sales: Lenny Cole purchased Censori from her owners as a yearling for $3500 in an Inglis Digital online auction in March 2024.
Censori as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree: From the first crop of dual Group 1 winner Russian Camelot (Ire), Censori is the third foal from Listed Tasmanian Oaks runner-up Berkshire Lady (Star Witness), who is related to Group 1 winners I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel), Savy Yong Blonk (NZ) (Savabeel), Diademe (NZ) (Pins), and Embellish (NZ).
Since producing Censori, Berkshire Lady has produced a 2-year-old filly by Russian Camelot, a weanling colt by the same sire, and was served again by him last November.
