Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud
McEvoy makes history in Grafton Cup
Jockey Kerrin McEvoy won the South Grafton Cup earlier in the week on Mr Chaplin (GB) (Without Parole {GB}) for trainer Tom Charlton, and was bidding to become the seventh jockey in history to win the double with the Listed Grafton Cup on Thursday.
Given the ride on Mr Chaplin’s stablemate, and $2.30 favourite, King Pedro (NZ) (Eminent {Ire}), McEvoy settled the 4-year-old gelding near the rear of the field for the 2350-metre trip. He slowly made ground until he was mid-field by the middle of the straight, and when asked for an effort, King Pedro lifted and flew home.
It was tight in the finish with King Pedro victorious by 0.12 lengths over Chris Waller-trained Etna Rosso (Ire) (Decorated Knight {GB}) with a similar margin to Chris and Corey Munce-trained Kaluakoi (Zoustar) in third.
McEvoy’s double was the first time it had been achieved in 29 years.
“When I got him into the clear he had a lot of ground to the horse but full credit to the horse because he really powered home,” McEvoy said.
“When I got him (King Pedro) into the clear he had a lot of ground to the horse but full credit to the horse because he really powered home.” - Kerrin McEvoy
“I wanted to find the fence but Ben Looker pushed me out a bit on So You Are so I had to go to Plan B and follow that horse. But he's got an electric turn of foot my horse and he showed his class there. We're spoiled with talented stayers currently and he'll no doubt go on to bigger races but it's nice to get the Cup with him.”
Coming off a last start win in the Stayers Cup at Rosehill, King Pedro took his record to four wins from 16 starts with earnings over $360,000. He becomes the first stakes winner for Eminent (Ire), a son of Frankel (GB), who stands in New Zealand.
Sales: Bred by R I Johnson, he was sold privately to OTI Management.
Pedigree: The only runner for unraced Jiving (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), King Pedro becomes stakes winner 159 for O’Reilly (NZ) as a damsire. Jiving has an unraced 3-year-old filly by Sweynesse, and unraced 2-year-old filly by Staphanos (Jpn), and a weanling filly by King Of Comedy (Ire). She is back in foal to King Of Comedy.
This is the family of G1 Coolmore Classic winner Peeping (Redoute’s Choice) and G2 Stan Fox Stakes winner and Group 1-placed sire Eurozone.
Hearts Affair improves sharply from her debut
Eighth on debut back in February, punters were forgiving of that debut effort for 2-year-old filly Hearts Affair (Home Affairs) sending her out as $3.60 second favourite at Kembla Grange on Thursday. She loomed up for jockey Regan Bayliss to overcome the front runners and bolt clear to win by 2.3 lengths. The favourite Robert and Luke Price-trained Andarna (Farnan) also flew home late but couldn’t catch Hearts Affair, while Peter Snowden-trained Union (Snitzel) was dogged in sticking on for third.
Trained by renowned juvenile trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Hearts Affair wasn’t sighted until January where she ran a couple of placings at the trials followed by her dismal debut.
Given a bit of time to grow, she returned to win a trial in June and has shed her maiden tag in style here on a surface upgraded to a Good 4.
“She won really nicely. Gai and Adrian trained her dam who was a good stakes class mare, so you’d expect this filly to carry today’s speed over a bit further which is exciting,” Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade told TTR.
"She (Hearts Affair) won really nicely. Gai and Adrian trained her dam who was a good stakes class mare, so you’d expect this filly to carry today’s speed over a bit further which is exciting." - Bruce Slade
“(Part-owner) Rob McClure has had a lot of success with the stable, with Storm Boy etc. The stable has been blooding a lot of nice 2-year-olds lately, to give them a debut and work through the grades. There’s a plethora of stakes races for the early 3-year-olds for horses like her.”
Bruce Slade | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
She became the 18th individual winner for first season sire Home Affairs whose G1 Golden Slipper winning son Guest House has pushed him close to winning the Champion 2YO Sire title, to go with his Champion First Season Sire title.
Sales: Hearts Affair was sold by Morning Rise Stud at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $160,000 to Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott, and Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
Hearts Affair as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree: The third live foal and second winner for G2 Matriarch Stakes winner Savapinski (NZ) (Savabeel), Hearts Affair is a full sister to a yearling filly and her dam was covered by Home Affairs again in 2025.
Savapinski’s unraced half-sister Glistening (NZ) is the dam of stakes placed Scintillante (NZ) (Savabeel). Glistening is a full sister to G2 Tulloch Stakes-placed Multifacets (NZ). This is also the family of Listed winners Glitzy (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and Family Ties (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}).
Covert Action makes it a pair
An hour and a half after Hearts Affair saluted the judge, 2-year-old colt Covert Action made it two for Home Affairs and 19 winners for his record. Covert Action's victory came at Cranbourne for trainers Shane Nichols and Hayden Black. On a Heavy 9 surface, jockey Zac Spain took Covert Action to the lead and he stuck on strongly to win by 1.25 lengths.
Chasing hard in second was Mark Walker-trained 3-year-old filly Koko (Written Tycoon) with Clayton Douglas-trained favourite Majestic Son (Snitzel) in third only 1.75 lengths off the winner. Both the 2-year-old colts were on debut, split by the much more experienced Koko.
Zac Spain aboard Covert Action | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“I think he's Saturday grade for sure,” said Spain.
“And hopefully he can go to a Saturday race and just keep on improving because I like him. I've always liked him and always had a lot of time for him. So, it's very rewarding for not just myself, but for the team.”
The wins by Hearts Affair and Covert Action takes Home Affairs to around $5000 behind Snitzel on the Champion 2YO Sire table for 2025/26 with 15 days remaining in the season.
Sales: Covert Action was purchased by Shane Nichols Racing for $150,000 from Cressfield’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft.
Pedigree: He is the fifth foal, and fourth winner for G1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Secret Agenda (Not A Single Doubt), whose best foal to date is this season’s 3-year-old colt Hidden Motive (Capitalist) who won the G2 Roman Consul Stakes in the spring.
Covert Action as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Secret Agenda died in 2024 after foaling a filly by Zoustar who was bought by Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $400,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Secret Agenda is a full sister to G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes-placed Stellar Pauline and a half-sister to three stakes placed winners, led by three-time Group 1-placed Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun). Donandkim (Smart Missile) placed in the G3 Newcastle Spring Stakes, while Sweetener (Snitzel) placed in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (f) and is the dam of G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes winner Jasmin Rouge (Dundeel {NZ}). Dual Group 3 winning juvenile Enthaar (Written Tycoon) is out Secret Agenda’s juvenile winning full sister Final Agreement.
