3YO summary: Warwoven stakes serious Golden Rose claim

Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Warwoven puts rival to the sword in Run To The Rose

After a standout season with his 2-year-olds, Bjorn Baker found himself celebrating an interstate Group double with 3-year-old colts Warwoven (Sword Of State) and Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) on Saturday, with the former putting on an imperious performance to take out the G2 Run To The Rose at Rosehill.

The winner of last season’s G3 Pago Pago Stakes amongst a trio of juvenile victories, Warwoven had resumed with a fighting fifth in the G3 San Domenico Stakes behind Guest House (Home Affairs), before finding the extra 100 metres of the traditional G1 Golden Rose Stakes lead-up much more suitable. The colt was placed in the slipstream of early leader Castillo King (Farnan) by Rachel King to give him a smooth ride into the home straight, where she made her move.

Under the urgings of King, the colt strode forward, but he had to see off a strong late charge from previously unbeaten St Gotthard (Snitzel), who finished a neck back in second. A further length and a quarter away was Under Focus (Too Darn Hot {GB}), who ran home well from near last at the turn.

"He's such a good colt,” said Baker’s assistant trainer Luke Hilton. “He's come back bigger and stronger. He's got better and better this preparation and Bjorn looked after him first-up. He had a tricky gate, and he just let him run on, and that was the key to him today.

“He found a lovely spot, there was good speed in the race and when he landed just outside the lead I thought he was going to be really hard to beat.

"His work at home has been outstanding this week. I'm just rapt for the owners. The Cunninghams (and) Jim Clark have found a beautiful horse again and Bjorn has done an amazing job."

Baker has had a particularly fruitful relationship with the Cunningham family’s Ridgmont operation, having trained their multiple Group 1-winning mare Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) as well as multiple stakes-performed juvenile Masvingo (Zoustar).

The stallion-making Golden Rose looms as the obvious target for the colt, but Hilton indicated that nothing beyond that had been planned out just yet.

"We've always had an opinion he's going to get seven (furlongs)and even get to a mile, but I don't know, he was pretty electric today,” he said. “The team will have a good think about it. The Golden Rose is always the first target and then we'll go from there."

Sales: Warwoven was purchased by Ridgmont, Bjorn Baker Racing, S & J Gosling, and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) for $380,000 from the Kia Ora Stud draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Warwoven is the first foal out of the Group 2-winning mare Needle And Thread (Makfi {GB}). Needle And Thread is also a half-sister to the late Listed winner and multiple Group 1-placed stallion Savile Row (NZ). Another member of this very strong family is the dual Group 1 winner and stallion The Gurkha (Ire), and the Group 1-placed Arrogant (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

Needle And Thread has a 2-year-old and yearling by Farnan to follow, but missed to both him and Ole Kirk in 2025.

Paradoxium makes Coolmore statement in Poseidon

While Warwoven was weaving his magic at Rosehill, a similar group of connections, also featuring the Cunningham family’s Ridgmont, were celebrating down in Flemington where G2 Todman Stakes winner Paradoxium returned in style to win the G3 Poseidon Stakes.

Bearing the bottle green and white silks of part-owners Yulong, the son of Extreme Choice was having his first run down the straight and proved himself too tricky to catch for his rivals. The colt had well and truly taken the lead with 400 metres of the 1100-metre spring left to go and required little revving to maintain a one-length lead over ante-post favourite Mbube (Rubick) at the line, with G3 Chairman’s Stakes winner Big Sky (Bivouac) in third.

Baker - who had travelled down to Melbourne for the run - had hoped the colt would prove himself worthy of a tilt at the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes down the straight next month, a race Baker has previously won with Ozzmosis who now stands at stud at Newgate Farm.

“That's exciting seeing a beautiful colt like that,” Baker said. “He's got a great attitude and a great action. Speaking pre-race, I did everything but declare him.

“Jason (Collett) knows this guy very well. We were able to get a good jump-out into him down the back straight at Warwick Farm and I've had a remarkable run in these straight races at Flemington. I love coming down here and I thought he was a good chance. He was very good and he had to carry a little bit more weight than the others as well.”

There is a lot of water under the bridge between this win and October 31, but Baker believes he has the horse to make it happen.

“Hopefully we can get back here for the Coolmore,” he said. “He reminded me a bit of Ozzmosis half-way through that run. You dream, and you dream big."

It is far from the first time that the Cunninghams have been in the racing ownership of a potential stallion. Coolmore Stud's Storm Boy, who welcomes his first foals this spring, began his racing career in their colours before his future home bought equity back in him.

Sales: Offered by Silverdale Farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Paradoxium was purchased by Bjorn Baker, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), and Ridgmont for $400,000. Yulong purchased shares in the colt in late March.

Pedigree: One of 19 stakes winners for Extreme Choice, Paradoxium is the first foal of Listed-placed Paredo (Better Than Ready), who is a half-sister to stakes-performed Snipzu (Snippetson) as well as to Happy Pilgrim (Congrats {USA}), the dam of G1 Galaxy Handicap victor and Yulong sire Private Harry.

Snipzu is also the dam of two stake-placed winners including G1 Blue Diamond Stakes and G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes placegetter Don Corleone, who is a young son of Extreme Choice standing at Eureka Stud in Queensland.

Yulong bought the Zoustar half-sister to Paradoxium for $1.1 million at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Paredo has a filly by I Am Invincible for the 2027 sales and is due to foal another Zoustar next month.

Hello Youmzain posts first Aussie stakeswinner in Ming Dynasty

Cambridge Stud’s Hello Youmzain (Fr) had a red letter day on Saturday when posting a trans-Tasman stakes double courtesy of Persian Wonder (NZ) at Rosehill and Sweetest Thing (NZ) at Riccarton. The latter carried the Te Akau Racing colours to victory in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes, while Persian Wonder gave his sire his first Australian stakes winner when striking in the G3 Ming Dynasty Quality.

Racing in the latter half of the field for the majority of the 1400-metre run, the David Payne-trained gelding found himself having to weave his way into clear air in the home straight after a run on the rails failed to materialise. Spotting a gap down the centre past a slowing I’m Ya Huckleberry (Home Affairs), Ashley Morgan guided Persian Wonder through runners and sent him chasing hard after Stormy Marco (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

The gelding was able to overwhelm the Chris Waller-trained colt and sweep home to post victory by two thirds of a length, while Tenenbaum (Snitzel) made good headway to finish third.

Payne had been pleased to see the strong tempo set in the race’s early stages, which was to the benefit of his gelding.

“If you look at his form, I don't know why he started 17-1,” he said. “The form people, I don't think they're doing their job properly because his sectionals were very good, and all he needs is a good pace and he's getting stronger."

Payne, meanwhile, has always believed in his horse.

“He's just a big, dumb bugger,” he said. “He's very laidback. Nothing worries him. He's not bred to get a trip, but everybody who rides him says he'll stay so we'll go to the Gloaming now."

With the G3 Gloaming Stakes circled as the gelding’s next assignment, Payne has also tentatively pencilled in the G1 Spring Champion Stakes later in the spring.

Sales: Persian Wonder was purchased for $160,000 by Payne Racing from the Cambridge Stud draft at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Persian Wonder is the fifth winner from five starters for Steer By The Stars (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), a two-time juvenile winner who produced the Listed Carnarvon Stakes winner Never Back Down (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) before her journey south to New Zealand.

A granddaughter of Listed victress and prolific producer Wild Planet (USA) (Nureyev {USA}), Steer By The Stars is a half-sister to the Listed winners Consort (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Her World (Ire) (Caravaggio {USA}), as well as closely related to G1 Spinster Stakes winner Aruna (USA) (Mr Greeley {USA}) and stakes-winning, Group 1-performed stallion Honoured Guest (Ire).

By The Stars left a yearling Farnan filly as her final foal, who was purchased by Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding for NZ$160,000 at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

Satono Glow fires fresh spring shot in Cap d’Antibes

The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained winner of last season’s G3 Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes at Flemington, sharp filly Satono Glow (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}) returned to her favoured track to land another Group 3 event when winning the G3 Cap d’Antibes Stakes on Saturday.

Sent down the straight, the filly tracked ante-post favourite Over Excited (Zoustar) into the running and chased her down once the latter broke for the lead, eventually passing her by half a length to win. The rest of the field had no chance to catch up, with Scintillation (I Am Invincible) emerging the best when finishing third, two and three-quarter-lengths off the lead.

Co-trainer Charlton revealed after the race that the G2 Furious Stakes last weekend had originally been in the filly’s sights, but a minor setback led the team to recalibrate and set her for the straight instead.

“We just had to hold onto her for a bit longer,” he said. “But her work Tuesday was really pleasing and she obviously has a good record down the straight, and when she drew where she did and found the back of the favourite, it gave her a chance.”

The Coolmore looms as a possible option for the filly - whose ownership includes Bangaloe Stud, Segenhoe Thoroughbreds, and Werrett Bloodstock - but Charlton said that the stable had yet to fully commit to that path, but that the filly’s turn of foot when fresh gave them something to think about.

“She’s clearly effective fresh, so these are all things we can think about the next couple of days,” he said. “We definitely didn't give it firm thought pre-race.”

Jockey Jamie Melham, who had been in the saddle for the last Group win, was full of praise for the filly.

“She’s talented, this little filly,” she said. “The first time I sat on her back in March, she gave me a great feel and, obviously, her last start she was very unlucky, so I was very happy to take the reins over again.

“She always had talent, but she was quite fine and immature still. Today she feels like a furnished product.”

Sales: Satono Glow was purchased for NZ$260,000 by O’Shea Charlton Racing and James Bester Bloodstock from the Windsor Park Stud draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Satono Glow is out of Electrode (NZ) (Pins), a winning half-sister to Group winner So Wotif (Iffraaj {GB}) and stakes winner Bonniegirl (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}). She is a half-sister to multiple Group performer Kitty Flash (NZ) (Ace High), and is the third winner from the mare.

Electrode has progeny by Profondo and Ace High to follow, and visited Circus Maximus (Ire) last spring.

Lara Antipova bounces back in Mike Moroney

Last season's unbeaten Champion 2YO in New Zealand, Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) was out for redemption on Saturday after a ninth-placed finish in the G3 Quezette Stakes on her Australian debut. Second up in the Listed Michael Moroney, she put her doubters to bed with a sharp win over the 1400 metres for Mark Walker and the Te Akau Cranbourne team.

Enjoying a cosy spot on the fence, Lara Antipova only began to wind up in the final furlong before pulling away from the pack to secure her win. Even a late surge from Aragog (Dundeel {NZ}) was not enough to catch her, only shortening the margin to three quarters of a length, with Somethings Burnin’ (Too Darn Hot {GB}) following him to finish third.

Walker was pleased with the filly’s improvement and indicated that she just hadn’t been all the way ready for her first up assignment.

"The main thing was, she just wasn't quite there in the coat and she'd come a long way,” he said. "Ben and I took her to Mornington for a track gallop and we just knew when she galloped that day that she was somewhere near back to it.

"It's great today for the New Zealand industry that our form stacks up. She is a Group 1 winner at home and I know this is a Listed race, but it was a quality field today so it's just really good when our form stacks up.

"Hopefully we can go on to a Thousand Guineas from here.”

En route to the G1 One Thousand Guineas would likely be the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes or G2 Bill Stutt Stakes next.

Walker also paid homage to the late Michael Moroney, for whom the race has been named in perpetuity this year.

"I spent many a year with Mike at Matamata in the early days before he came over to Adelaide and then Melbourne, and he was just an absolute gentleman,” he said. "He was always full of good stories, we had a lot of banter at the Matamata track over the years."

Sales: Lara Antipova was sold by Vinery Stud, who also bred her sire, for $100,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Sir David Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) and Fortuna Racing.

Pedigree: The fifth foal, fourth winner, and only stakes winner for Artistic Lass (Myboycharlie {Ire}), Lara Antipova is one of three Group 1 winners for her sire and is the first Group 1 winner for Myboycharlie (Ire) as a damsire.

A five-time winner on the track, Artistic Lass is a half-sister to Group 2 winner and G1 Robert Sangster Stakes-placed Sistine Angel (Testa Rossa), Group 3 winner Sistine Demon (Excites), and stakes-placed pair of Scully (Shooting To Win) and Themoonlitegambler (Good Journey {USA}).

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds purchased Lara Antipova’s half-brother Africa (In The Congo) for $150,000 from Vinery Stud at the recent Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Artistic Lass had a Stay Inside colt last spring and is due to foal to the sire again this year.