Quartet of wins at Newcastle for Wootton Bassett
The late-Wootton Bassett (GB) sired four winners on the Newcastle card on Saturday. Chris Waller-trained colt Letters Patent won his second start for Godolphin, while stablemate 2-year-old filly Elstead won on debut for Ingham Racing.
Ciaron Maher-trained 3-year-old filly Misty Veil won her maiden, while the quartet was completed when Kim Waugh-trained Free And Fast made it three wins in succession. The 3-year-old gelding was purchased by Waugh for $80,000 from Inglis Digital in February this year just after he won his maiden. He is unbeaten in two starts for Waugh.
Winner 17 for Home Affairs
Nathan Doyle-trained 2-year-old filly Sprightly Affair (Home Affairs) became the 17th winner for first season sire Home Affairs when victorious in the first at Newcastle on Saturday. She won by two lengths having run third on the same track on debut back in February. Doyle Racing and Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) purchased her for $300,000 from Newgate Farm’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
She is the third winner from three to race for Sprightly Lass (Snitzel) who is a Group 3 winning full-sister to Listed winner Le Cordon Bleu and stakes placed pair Stratosphere and Imperial Force.
Tough Dawn Dancer wins again
Ryan Hill backed up 2-year-old gelding Dawn Dancer (Headwater) at Belmont on Saturday only a few days after he won his maiden at Northam on Thursday. He duly saluted again, hugging the rail and leading for jockey Tash Faithfull, to win by two lengths.
“He’s a beautiful looking horse and he eats well, so I thought if he does well (may as well run). The tracks finally have a bit of cushion in them. I wanted to give him one more run before we tipped him out and this qualifies him for the better races at three,” Hill said.
“These Headwaters are so tough. I’ve had one before and he used to race every ten days.”
Hill purchased him at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for $25,000 from Evergreen Stud Farm’s draft. Dawn Dancer is the first foal of eight-race winning mare Sunrise Dancer (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who is from the family of G3 Kindergarten Stakes winner North England (Farnan).
Treble for Grima who leaps into premiership lead
Apprentice jockeys Siena Grima and Braith Nock went into Saturday with 30 metro wins each in Sydney, and it was Grima who ended the day with a treble. She won on John Sargent-trained Perfect Justice (Justify {USA}), Ciaron Maher-trained Benevac (Bivouac), and Chris Waller-trained Tazima (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}).
“It's good to be in front in the premiership but there's still a lot of work to do,'' Grima said. “Tazima was my first winner for Chris and my first ride and that's four wins together now.”
Pollard celebrates first Sydney win
Trainer Todd Pollard only gained his licence in February and trains in Queensland. He celebrated his first Sydney winner on Saturday with All Kinds Of Folk (D’Argento). “I don’t think we will keep that strike-rate going but I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my career,” Pollard said.
“And to get a winner here at Randwick with my first runner is a very special moment for me.”
Gollan makes it 200 for the season
For the first time in his career, trainer Tony Gollan has achieved 200 winners in a season. He hit 199 with Chillaxing (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and made the milestone with Zoubaby (Zoustar), who both won at Doomben. “I don't normally put number tallies on what we want to do for the season but I just felt that 200 was very achievable for us with the amount of horses we have in work now and the horses behind us,” Gollan said.
“I would've been disappointed if we didn't get it this year to be honest. It's been a magical barrier of mine that I've wanted to get for some time.”
Zoustar added to Zoubaby’s victory to celebrate a double on the card when Kipling’s Journey was victorious. I Am Invincible sired a double at Doomben with Let’sfacethemusic who took his record to four wins, and 3-year-old gelding Navy Pilot who also now has four career victories.
Johnstone hits the magic ton
Apprentice jockey Jabez Johnstone chalked up career victory 100 at Caulfield on Signature Scent (Written Tycoon). “It’s a massive thrill. Obviously, it’s been a sensational journey to be over here and getting really good support from Ciaron (Maher), and to show him I can do it, yeah, it’s outstanding,” Johnstone said.
“I needed 80 wins to move over here (from Tasmania), so once I ticked that box, it was a short-term goal to get to 100. To have reached it so soon is amazing.” He achieved win 99 on Angels Fury (Harry Angel {Ire}) earlier on the card.
Cruiserweight compared to Mr Brightside
It’s a big claim, but the Hayes brothers have compared their Caulfield winner Cruiserweight (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) to stable star Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars). “They did say that he may be the new Mr Brightside and the way that he went he has scope for distance,” jockey Craig Williams said.
“He’s such a big, raw horse, and he’s got really good ability. They (the Hayes brothers) will get the best out of him and it will be exciting to see the path they take with him.”
Cold Brew crew will enjoy celebrations
Richard and Will Freedman-trained Cold Brew (Pierro) took his record to five wins from his last six starts with victory at Randwick on Saturday. “This is what racing is all about,” Will Freedman said.
“They have all got a small slice of Cold Brew and now he has won two in a row for them. To the horse’s credit, he keeps getting better and better, he just wins. He has won five of his last six starts, not many horses can do that, so it is exciting for everyone involved.”
Ryan’s Rubare looks exciting
Nick Ryan-trained 2-year-old filly Rubare (Rubick) added to her earlier Caulfield victory with a win at Morphettville on Saturday. The two wins took her prizemoney over $82,000. She was purchased by Ryan for $35,000 from Twin Hills Stud’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft.
She is the third foal and second winner for Miss Belisa (Lope De Vega {Ire}) who won four times, including her maiden at this track as an early 3-year-old.
Barbados sired a double at Morphettville with Jandami, who now has three wins from his last four starts, and Silver Chaos, who took her record to four wins.
Joint Horse Of The Year winners in Hong Kong
Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) and Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) were crowned Hong Kong joint Horse of the Year at a ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday evening. This is the second such title for each horse and the first time in Hong Kong history the award has gone to two horses in the same year.
Horse of the Year in the 2024/2025 season, Ka Ying Rising is sitting on a 20-race winning streak. The Ka Ying Syndicate runner is trained by David Hayes and retained his Hong Kong Champion Sprinter title. A winner of Australia's G1 The Everest, he added another five Group 1 wins to his resume this season and went eight-for-eight. He is also the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings joint-highest rated horse alongside Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder). The gelding also earned his second edition of the Hong Kong Speed Series for the second year in a row with wins in the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup, G2 The Sprint Cup and in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, running 1:07.10 for the latter.
Horse of the Year in 2023/2024, Romantic Warrior won both the G1 Hong Kong Cup and QEII Cup for an unprecedented fourth time. A regular on the middle-distance scene, he recovered from fetlock surgery earlier this term and became the third Hong Kong Triple Crown victor after taking the G1 Stewards' Cup, G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup and G1 Champions & Chater Cup. A colour bearer for Peter Lau Pak Fai, he currently leads the world with career record prizemoney of HK$288,745,697 (AU$45.1 million). Besides his Horse of the Year crown, he was named Champion Middle Distance Horse five years in a row, and also Champion Stayer. In addition, he was crowned this year's Champion Miler based on his brilliant winning performance in the 1600 metre Stewards' Cup.
Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) won Champion 4-Year-Old and Most Improved, while Hot Delight (Too Darn Hot) won Champion Griffin.
Zamindar dies aged 32
Zamindar, the sire of the undefeated Arc heroine Zarkava, has died, Juddmonte announced on Friday. The pensioned son of Gone West was 32.
Bred in Kentucky, the homebred won his first two starts including the G3 Prix de Cabourg, before running second by a neck in the G1 Prix Morny in 1996. He rounded out his juvenile year with a third in the G1 Prix de la Salamandre that September for Andre Fabre. Kept in training at three, from three starts his best performance was a second in the Prix de Ris-Orangis.
Starting out at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in 1998, he stood his whole career there, barring two seasons at Marablue Farm in Florida (2001/2002). The bay was pensioned after the 2013 breeding season.
Besides the unbeaten Zarkava, Zamindar is credited with 34 other stakes winners anchored by fellow Group 1 winners Darjina (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches), Timepiece (Falmouth Stakes), Zenda (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches) and Coquerelle (Prix Saint-Alary). His 34 stakes winners as a broodmare sire include Kingman (out of Zenda), New Bay (out of Listed winner Cinnamon Bay) and Zarak (out of Zarkava).
Simon Mockridge, general manager of Juddmonte UK said, “It was with great sadness after 28 years at Banstead Manor Stud that we said farewell to Zamindar. We remember him for his power and size but above all else it was his amazing character that meant so much to those that worked closely with him. He will be greatly missed by all at Juddmonte.”
Derby runners go head to head in sales ring
The 2023 Triple Crown series will have a retaliation of sorts when the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearlings Sale kicks off the yearling sales season on Tuesday in Lexington. GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) and GI Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo (Arrogate)–as well as Two Phil's (Hard Spun) and Forte (Violence), runners-up, respectively, in both Classic races will be represented by their first yearlings through the ring at the one-session auction which begins at 10 a.m.
“I think people will like the Triple Crown horses because they possess speed at a Classic distance and maturity mentally,” Sarah Estrada said of the appeal of progeny of Triple Crown veterans. “They are just overall well-rounded horses and hopefully they throw themselves.”
Third graded winner for Yaupon
The aptly named Sippin Pretty (Yaupon) was overlooked on the tote at 26-1, but those that did make a wager on the 3-year-old were rewarded handsomely as she flew home a winner in the GIII Victory Ride Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Friday afternoon.
“We are pretty stoked and pretty excited,” said co-owner Randy Bloch. “I was just screaming, saying 'let's go!' She did fire today and we're really excited. Ian [Wilkes] picked her out at the sale. Ian is family and we've been training with him for almost 25 years.”
On a potential next start in the $500,000 GI Test Stakes Aug. 8, Bloch said, “We hope so. Assuming she comes out of this in good shape, absolutely.”
