2YO & 3YO summary: Soldi stars as Hayes boys land an interstate 2-year-old stakes double

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Soldi makes it two from two in style

The classy Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Soldi (Tassort) made quite an impact on debut when winning the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield last month, and she added to her tally with a dominant victory in the $400,000 R. Listed Inglis Banner, in the hands of Blake Shinn, down the straight on Saturday.

Soldi showed an abundance of speed to take up the running down the straight, while the well-backed Frankel (GB) filly Goddess Kay settled handy enough.

There was little change throughout the running, with Soldi simply not looking like losing. She eventually cruised to victory by three lengths from Goddess Kay, who battled on well, while She’s Supreme (Exceedance) ran on nicely for third, a long neck behind the runner-up. The eye-catching run came from fourth-placed Miss Ruthless (Russian Revolution), who made great ground late after being last at the 400-metre mark.

Now a dual stakes-winning 2-year-old, connections have their sights set on bigger and better targets.

“We’ll plot a path towards the Blue Diamond. All roads lead there,” co-trainer JD Hayes said.

Soldi was one of only two runners in the field with race experience, and Hayes was quick to highlight how important that had been for his professional filly.

“A huge amount. She’s just the ultimate professional. She’s been that the whole way through, and she broke the machines well, dictated, dominated, and kicked away accordingly. So, it was a very good win,” he said.

“She really improved for that effort (at Caulfield), and she went back to our farm, had a couple days in the water walker in the day paddock. Was bucking her brands off and gave us every indication that she’s ready to go to the races again, which is a good effort pre-Christmas.”

Winning jockey Blake Shinn was very impressed with the filly’s natural talent and professionalism, suggesting a Group 1 target was well within her capabilities.

“She is one of the most naturally professional 2-year-olds I’ve ever ridden. From the moment I sat on her at the jump-outs, just point and shoot with her. Her whole attitude, she stands in the barriers like a 5-year-old mare and as soon as they open, she’s all business,” said Shinn.

“She’s got the makings of a horse that potentially could get to a Blue Diamond.

“You just hope that she can keep developing. She’s ahead of the pack at this early stage but obviously others can catch up in the Autumn. But if she can take natural steps forward, well, why can’t she be a Blue Diamond contender?”

Sales: Segenhoe Stud took Soldi to the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale where Lindsay Park and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock paid $310,000 for her.

Pedigree: She is one of five stakes winners for Tassort, whose G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Manaal was a winner on debut in the G3 Gimcrack Stakes as a 2-year-old.

Soldi is a half-sister to the Listed Village Stakes winner Boston Rocks (Hellbent), whose seven wins have netted connections over $620,000, Spurs And Sashes (Flying Spur) has produced six winners, which includes two stakes winners and she has a 3-year-old filly Pure Design (Pierro) and a filly foal by Brutal (NZ) as her only unraced progeny.

Spurs And Sashes is a half-sister to G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes winner and G1 Thousand Guineas-placed Sabatini (Street Cry ), G3 National Stakes winner Vivi Veloce (More Than Ready {USA}) and stakes-placed Just Been Lucky (Encosta De Lago). The trio of stakes horses were produced by G3 Mannerism Stakes winner Royal Sash (Royal Academy).

Act Up completes interstate stakes double for Lindsay Park

It was an interstate 2-year-old stakes double for the Ben, Will and JD Hayes training combination on Saturday, as the Castelvecchio colt Act Up claimed the Listed Golden Gift at Rosehill after Soldi (Tassort) had won the R. Listed Inglis Banner earlier in the afternoon at Flemington.

Act Up had in fact already crossed paths with Soldi, having run fourth behind the speedy filly on debut in the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield in the middle of last month. He showed he had improved on that effort with a strong victory in the hands of Nash Rawiller.

There was good tempo early, as expected with the big, even field of 2-year-olds, with Regan Bayliss aboard the smart trial winner Witkowin (Too Darn Hot ) taking up the running. Royal Accord (Home Affairs) settled handy, with Proverb (Written Tycoon) also positioned close to the speed.

Just after straightening, Witkowin kicked hard, but very quickly there was plenty of action developing out wide. First it was the Victorian Silent Intent (Hellbent) who charged, before Act Up came off his back and proved too strong, winning by half a length. Torshavn (Maurice ) also finished well in third, but was a fair distance of four lengths behind the runner-up.

Co-trainer Will Hayes was quick to give credit to the form lines behind his stablemate.

"To frank the form line was always good. She was too fast for them down there, and it certainly gave us a bit of confidence saddling up today," Will Hayes said.

"We were really keen to see him over 1100 metres, and we needed every meterage today."

When asked about potential plans, Hayes was non-committal.

"We'll see how he pulls up. There are lots of options, but he's got $1 million in the bank now, so the autumn will certainly have a few big races on the agenda," he said.

"It was a terrific ride by Nash to go back and through. We were beaten for early speed, we were just hoping for an over-correction, which is what we got.

"Full credit to the horse, he handled the occasion. And full credit to the team, our 2-year-olds are on fire."

Winning jockey Nash Rawiller was confident during the running and believes the colt has a bright future.

"I knew I was going to be hard to beat at the 350-metre mark," Rawiller said.

"He quickened well and came up behind them. Timmy's (jockey Tim Clark's) horse showed a fair bit of fight. I thought we had to dig pretty deep over the last 100 metres to go win the race.

"I think they are two nice horses going forward.”

Sales: Lindsay Park Racing and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock purchased Act Up for $240,000 from the Glenbeigh Farm draft at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Act Up is one of four winners out of the four-time winning sprinting mare Sista Act (Falvelon), who is a full sister to the 2-year-old winner and G1 JJ Atkins Plate-placed Heart Skipt A Beat.

The South Australian Listed winner Back On Target (Barely A Moment) is also a member of the extended family.

Since producing Act Up, Sista Act has left a yearling colt by King’s Legacy and foaled a full sister to Act Up in late September.

Angel’s Halo claims Group 1 glory at Riccarton

It was the Hollie Elliot-trained Angels Halo (Proisir) who claimed Group 1 honours in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas at Riccarton on Saturday, delivering the first Group 1 win for jockey Masa Hashizumi and the first under Elliot’s sole name after she had previously trained two Group 1 winners in partnership with Johno Benner.

It was a brilliant, rail-hugging ride by Hashizume, who made full use of his handy draw and initially settled about three back on the inside.

There was plenty of tempo early, with roughie On Piste (NZ) (Ace High) eventually taking up the lead after So Fear (NZ) (Ardrossan) and Sweetest Thing (NZ) (Hello Youmzain) both settled on pace and forced the issue early.

Meanwhile, the well-backed favourite Astoria (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) was settled about midfield by Michael McNab. After straightening, Joe Doyle was making quick ground out wide aboard Dashing Dixie (NZ) (Alabama Express), who was finishing better than Asturia, while she was also working home well.

However, it was Hashizume who burst through the runners near the rail and finished strongest to score by just over half a length from the game Dashing Dixie. Astiuria finished another margin of just less than two lengths behind the runner-up in third, but picked up a valuable Group 1 placing for connections.

Jockey Hashizume was beaming following the win and said the race had not been all plain sailing.

“She missed the jump with the first time with blinkers, but luckily I was barrier two, so I could recover very quickly,” he said. “It was a bit messy who was going to lead, but she settled in behind them nicely with the blinkers.

“She shied at the big screen, and I thought it was over and she had stopped running, so I was like ‘don’t stop, don’t stop’, and she was just tough.”

Elliot admitted to being nervous leading into the race, but after tinkering with the gear, she was confident in the changes and having Masa on board.

“I was actually really nervous today and I don’t get nervous very often,” she said. “There has just been little things (this preparation), and that always happens when you go into big races, you are always going to have niggly little things.

“We put the tongue tie on her, and she didn’t really like it, so we thought we would take that off and put the blinkers on. She is a pretty laidback sort of filly and it has worked the oracle.

“Masa just gets on so well with my horses, he always rides them well and we seem to be building a really good partnership.

“I said to him just to ignore her last run and just stick with her and we will fix it.”

Sales: Angel’s Halo was bred by Hospitality Rentals Ltd and is raced by the Hardy, the Collings and the Tangye families.

Pedigree: Angel’s Halo become the seventh Group 1 winner for her Rich Hill Stud based sire Proisir, and she is out of the placed I Am Invincible mare Mongolian Angel, who herself is out of the five-time winner and multiple Listed-placed Pipette (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

This is the extended family of the Group 1 winner and sire Thirty Six Red (USA) and the G1 July Cup winner and stallion Starman (GB).

Mongolian Angel in recent times has produced a yearling filly by Sweynesse and wasn’t served last spring.

Helena Bel too classy on debut at Te Rapa

It was a small but select field for the 2-year-old event at Te Rapa on Saturday, and it was the sole filly, Helena Bel (Hellbent), who proved too classy and tough in the hands of Corentin Berge in testing conditions following heavy overnight rain.

The Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained filly took the trail as Damhot (NZ) (Too Darn Hot) took the lead comfortably with apprentice Hyeontaek Oh aboard, while Pick Up Artist (Trapeze Artist) settled outside the leader and Mighty Sovereign (So You Think {NZ}) was a couple of lengths detached at the back of the field.

Damhot kicked hard at the top of the straight and it did not take long for Pick Up Artist to loom into contention. However, out a little wider, Helena Bel was going through her gears nicely and powered away to win by a widening margin of just over two and a half lengths. Pick Up Artist just claimed second from the game Damhot in third.

The promising filly is Karaka Millions-nominated, so the prize money will be valuable as connections potentially craft a path towards that lucrative race in late January.

Sales: Helena Bel was originally purchased by Devcich Bloodstock Ltd for $70,000 from the Davali Thoroughbreds draft at the 2025 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale. Henley Park then re-offered Helena Bel at the 2026 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale where Wexford Stables purchased her for NZ$100,000.

Pedigree: Helena Bel is the first foal out of the Oaks Stud bred Darci Brahma (NZ) mare Polina (NZ) who was a winner over 1600 metres. She is well-related being a half-sister to the dual Group 2 and Listed winner Platinum Princess (NZ) (Keeper), who has left three winners including the Group 2-placed winner Final Purchase (NZ) (Savabeel).

In recent times Polina has left a yearling colt by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) and missed to Starlust (GB) last spring.