Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Race-day Recap
The G3 Breeders Plate went to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable for the tenth time when Flying Houdini (Trapeze Artist) won for jockey Regan Bayliss.
The G3 Gimcrack Stakes was won by Michael Freedman-trained filly Shraddha (Ole Kirk).
Kia Ora Stud-owned Snitzel filly Musandam won the Listed Maribyrnong Plate for trainer John McArdle and jockey Jamie Mott. She will be spelled and likely return for the G1 Blue Diamond.
Flying Houdini flies home in Breeders Plate
Gai Waterhouse now has ten G3 Breeders’ Plate trophies on the mantlepiece after a strong front running ride from Regan Bayliss gave 2-year-old colt Flying Houdini (Trapeze Artist) the honours at Randwick.
The colt led the field around the bend and skipped clear into the straight, creating a gap with Michael Freedman-trained Capitano (Bivouac) chasing hard from wide and back for jockey Zac Lloyd but Flying Houdini kept up the pressure to win by 1.2 lengths. Bjorn Baker’s colt Nonu (NZ) (Anamoe) ran third when given every chance with a nice rails ride by Jason Collett.
“He is a nice value purchase by RedFox. Full credit to them, they continue to buy these nice horses that perform on the big stage,” said Adrian Bott.
“Of all our 2-year-olds coming here today, he has been the most natural all the way through. He has been thriving every single day of his preparation and we didn’t have an excuse not to bring him here today.”
“He (Flying Houdini) has been thriving every single day of his preparation and we didn’t have an excuse not to bring him here today.” - Adrian Bott
He will be aimed at the G1 Blue Diamond in the autumn.
“You saw his attitude, he’s very determined, his ears went back and he was in for the fight. He has done it all very easily through the campaign and you saw today when he was challenged he found another length.
“The path has always been for our 2-year-olds to get here today, that is a big job in itself, and he will go for a spell now. He’s a horse we can bring back early in the New Year, resume here in Sydney, then we can possibly go to the Blue Diamond and then target the Golden Slipper.”
Flying Houdini winning the G3 Breeders’ Plate | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Eight G3 Breeders Plate winners have gone on to win the G1 Golden Slipper including the Waterhouse-trained colts Vancouver (2015), Pierro (2012) and Sebring (2008).
Sales: Widden Stud sold him to RedFox Racing for $60,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Pedigree: Flying Houdini becomes the 13th stakes winner for Trapeze Artist.
He is a full brother to last season’s R.Listed Inglis Nursery Stakes winner Where’s The Circus. Their dam, Misplaced (Fastnet Rock), has also produced seven winners including R.Listed Inglis 2YO Classic-placed Can’t Find Snippy (Snippetson), who is the dam of Listed Phelan Ready Stakes-placed Elusive Capital (Capitalist).
Misplaced is out of Star’s Delight, a Zeditave half-sister to Group 3 winner and G1 South Australian Derby-placed Red Colossus (Testa Rossa) and G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (f) winner Nediym’s Glow (General Nediym) who is the granddam of G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) winner and sire General Beau.
Shraddha shreds them in Gimcrack Stakes
Ole Kirk has a new stakes winner as Michael Freedman-trained 2-year-old filly Shraddha bolted clear of traffic to dominate the G3 Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick. She has drawn a comparison to stablemate Manaal (Tassort) who won this race three years ago before winning the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes in the autumn.
Marc and Mitchell Conners-trained She’s Supreme (Exceedance) led into the turn with four horses spread wide and Tommy Berry parked in behind that group with Shraddha. As the field stretched out wider, a gap opened up and Shraddha bolted through the clearing to stretch away from the rest to win by 2.6 lengths with She’s Supreme clinging on for third from the fast finishing Shaun Harvey-trained I’m Admired (Admire Mars {Jpn}) who collected second place.
“I love working with them (2-year-olds). I don't know that there is any secret sauce,” Freedman said.
“You just work with them and the ones that look like they'll go early will tell you, and the ones that don't will tell you the same way. Funnily enough, I said to my foreman this morning, she reminds me a lot of Manaal. She has a really good turn of foot, which Manaal did too, and I think she has a bright future.”
Shraddha winning the G3 Gimcrack Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales: Michael Freedman and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $250,000 for Shraddha from Vinery Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Pedigree: Shraddha becomes the eighth stakes winner for Ole Kirk who was crowned Champion First Season Sire in 2024/25.
She is a full sister to winning 3-year-old filly Flying Fury and the pair are the first two foals from winning mare Spicy (Fastnet Rock) who has a yearling filly by Hawaii Five Oh and is due to foal to him again this spring.
Spicy is a half-sister to R.Listed Inglis Nursery-placed Canadian Spice (Vancouver) and both are out of dual Listed winner Paprika (General Nediym) who won four races at two and six in total.
Group 1 target for Musandam after stakes win on debut
The first juvenile race of the season went to John McArdle-trained 2-year-old filly Musandam (Snitzel) who is raced by Kia Ora Stud. Given a perfect rails ride on a sodden Flemington by Jamie Mott, the filly was challenged at the furlong pole by nicely bred Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained filly Maalefushi (Pierata) but rallied to surge ahead again and win by 1.75 lengths. Maalefushi held on for second with stablemate colt Silent Intent (Hellbent) closing nicely.
Ankaa (Anamoe) had been travelling in third but faded slightly on the line to just miss the placings from Silent Intent with the other two runners several lengths away.
“This filly was bought by Luke Wilkinson and Shane Wright from Kia Ora. Thankfully they entrusted me with her and she's just been an absolute natural,” McArdle said.
“Have a look at her physically, she's well bred and she looks like a colt which does help. She's just been flawless through Kia Ora's breaking and education process. She came down to me, had a prep and had a little freshen up. She just hasn't put a step wrong while still doing things that are a little bit wrong at the moment. It was her first start but she was strong in the finish.”
“She (Musandam) just hasn't put a step wrong while still doing things that are a little bit wrong at the moment. It was her first start but she was strong in the finish.” - John McArdle
She will be spelled and aimed at either the R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic or G1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
“We probably won't see her again this spring. She'll go to the paddock now and I'll sit down with the team and work out a plan whether that is the Magic Millions or Blue Diamond. She's a valuable filly now. She's a half to a Group 1 winner, she's by a champion stallion, she's a good type and she's a stakes winner as a 2-year-old at her first start.”
John McArdle | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales: A $470,000 purchase by Kia Ora Stud from Silverdale Farm’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Pedigree: From the penultimate crop of Champion Sire Snitzel, Musandam becomes his 176th stakes winner. She is the second stakes winner for Zighy Bay (USA) (Tapit {USA}) who placed at three in France. Zighy Bay produced a filly by Switzerland in early September.
Musandam is a half-sister to G1 South Australian Derby Qafila (Not A Single Doubt) who won the Listed Debutant Stakes at two. Zighy Bay has produced five winners from seven to race and is a half-sister to G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Mozu Superflare (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) and G3 Gulfstream Park Old Hat Stakes winner Sacristy (USA) (Pulpit {USA}) who is the dam of two Listed winners in America.
