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33 for All Too Hard
Music Time (2 g ex Miss Eisenstadt by Manhattan Rain) became the 33rd individual stakes winner for Vinery Stud stallion All Too Hard (Casino Prince) when taking out Sunday’s Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Canberra. Ridden by Pierre Boudvillain for trainer Gratz Vella, the juvenile gelding scored by 1.7 lengths over Pearl Of Dubai (Wootton Bassett), supplementing his win in the Black Opal Preview (1000m) last month. There was a further 0.8 lengths back to Threads (Snitzel) in third place. “From day one, Music Time showed me he would be competitive in the Black Opal,” said Vella. “Have a look at what he did today, he did it hard taking on the other of the local horses [Bar Jester, fourth] for the lead but the way he finished off was unreal. I’m going to be fair to him, he will go out for a spell and hopefully when he comes back we can look at bigger things.” Bred by Greg Perry, Music Time was a $45,000 purchase for Vella Lodge from the Vinery Stud draft at the 2025 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and is the fourth winner from as many to race out of the Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago) mare Miss Eisenstadt, making him a half-brother to Manihi Classic (Listed, 1100m) winner Little Miss Kubi (Headwater). All Too Hard stood the 2025 breeding season for a fee of $27,500 (inc GST) and covered a book of 154 mares.
Six for Ole Kirk
In what proved a good day for Vinery Stud stallions, Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) sired his sixth individual stakes winner when Aerodrome (3 g ex She Shao Fly by Epaulette) landed Sunday’s Canberra Guineas (Listed, 1400m) at Canberra. Ridden by Regan Bayliss for trainer Michael Freedman, last year’s J.J. Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m) fifth proved 0.8 lengths too strong for Cando Attitude (D’Argento) with a further 0.2 lengths back to the third-placed Azarax (Hello Youmzain). Bred by Gilgai Farm, Aerodrome was a $190,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Gilgai for Nine9park and is the first foal out of the Group 3-winning Epaulette (Military Plume) mare She Shao Fly. Gilgai also sold the third foal from She Shao Fly, a full sister to Aerodrome, to Bennett Racing for $430,000 at Inglis Premier last week. Ole Kirk covered 161 mares in the spring standing at a fee of $99,000 (inc GST).
173 for Frankel
Green Fly (7 g ex Via Pisa by Pivotal) became the 173rd individual stakes winner for Juddmonte’s breed-shaping stallion Frankel (Galileo) when taking out Sunday’s National Sprint (Listed, 1400m) at Canberra. Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, the seven-year-old gelding came from last rounding the home bend to produce a withering late run under Tim Clark and deny Ducasse (Trapeze Artist) by 0.3 lengths at the line. There was a further 1.2 lengths back to Magnatear (Written Tycoon) in third place. Racing in the colours of OTI Racing, the French import is the second foal out of the Listed-winning Pivotal (Polar Falcon) mare Via Pisa, herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner and former Arrowfield shuttler Admire Mars (Daiwa Major) and Listed winner Via Firenze (Dansili). Frankel is standing the 2026 northern hemisphere breeding season at Banstead Manor Stud for a fee of £350,000 (approx. AU$666,900).
Touristic lands Canberra Cup for Snowden
It was a stakes double for Frankel at Canberra as the Peter Snowden-trained Touristic (7 g Frankel – Heuristique by Shamardal) landed his second black type success when toughing it out in Sunday’s Canberra Cup (Listed, 2000m). Ridden by Andrew Adkins, the seven-year-old gelding denied Geemes (Grunt) by 0.3 lengths with a further 1.2 lengths back to Travolta (Lope De Vega) in third place. Sunday’s win added to Touristic’s victory in last May’s Lord Mayors Cup (Listed, 2000m).
Berkeley Square bidding to make history in Adelaide Cup
Berkeley Square (Territories) will need to set a weight carrying record since the introduction of metrics to win Monday’s Adelaide Cup (Gr 2, 3200m). The Dan O’Sullivan-trained gelding has been allotted 59.5 kilograms, which is 1.5 kilograms more than Hyperno (Rangong) (1978) and Gallic (Zabeel) (2007) carried in their respective victories since the introduction of metrics in 1973. A Group 2 scorer and a dual winner of the Ballarat Cup (Listed, 2000m), Berkeley Square will have in-form jockey Luke Nolen aboard and was handed his hefty impost following a win over 2500 metres at Flemington under Nolen on February 14. “It would be good to go back and do it again, especially for his owners who are Adelaide based,” O’Sullivan said. “Some haven’t seen him race for a little while. It was a good ride [last time out]. He looked after the horse and made sure he ran the trip out with the view of going up to two miles. I’ve got no problems with the trip. I think he can do whatever we want him to do. He’s never done that and you want to see it, but it won’t be easy with the weight, but he is a big bugger, and he has the form on the board. He is a Group 2 winner and has done a lot more than some of the others in the race.”
Newfoundland bidding to go one better in Adelaide
Having finished runner-up in the Adelaide Cup last year, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Newfoundland (Deep Impact) will bid to go one better on Monday when he returns to the 3200-metre Group 2. The gelding is set to be ridden by Tim Clark, who was aboard for the seven-year-old’s Australia Day Cup (Listed, 2400m) win in January and has also won two other Benchmark races on the son of Deep Impact (Sunday Silence). “He seems to get on well with him,” Bott told Racing.com. “He’s got a good record on him; he knows him well so I’m sure he’ll be keen to get down there. He ran a good honest race [last year] and we tried to find a similar sort of build-up for him. His run two starts ago [in the Australia Day Cup] was very good. He probably wasn’t necessarily suited by the sit-and-sprint style of race there at Flemington last start, but I thought he stuck on nicely. This has always been the aim for him, so I think it sets up well. He’s proven at the trip; he runs it out well and blinkers go back on now at this point of the preparation for him.”
Moloney ‘hopeful’ with Dictionary in cup
Cranbourne-based trainer John Moloney is hoping for a big effort from Dictionary (All Too Hard) in Monday’s Adelaide Cup. The six-year-old gelding is out of the unraced Desert King (Danehill) mare Collins, who is a sister to the late great Makybe Diva, and, despite having yet to run a trip further than 2600 metres, Moloney is hopeful that his runner can stay the 3200-metre distance. “He’s a slow horse, but he stays,” Moloney told Racing.com. “You’ve got to believe he can get into the finish. We’ve drawn a good gate [six] and we are pretty hopeful. He’s at an age where I thought we’d take a chance. He ran well here [Flemington] the other day, only beaten a length and a half without luck and Berkeley [Square] is going over and we were a length or so off him he’s got 59.5 [kilograms] over 3200 metres, so if he’s the one to beat, why can’t we be close?”
Stokes taking confidence into Golden Slipper
Phillip Stokes feels that a ‘high-pressure’ Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) would be ideal for Stretan Ruler following on from the Wild Ruler (Snitzel) colt’s second placing in Saturday’s Todman Stakes behind current Slipper favourite Paradoxium (Extreme Choice). Stokes feels last weekend’s Group 2 was not run to suit his juvenile, and that a harder pace in the Slipper would be the golden ticket. “It wasn’t run to suit, slow tempo, I thought he was good late,” Stokes told Racing.com. “He just got tugging a little bit when they backed the tempo off, but this will bring him on for two weeks’ time. I’m really happy with him, a high-pressure Slipper will suit. He said he wouldn’t be swapping him for anything. He feels a high-pressure race will suit him, and I thought he acquitted himself well. I think he’s on track.”
Arapaho to have light autumn campaign
Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Arapaho (Lope De Vega) is set to have a light autumn after suffering an early setback. The Bjorn Baker-trained nine-year-old had a foot abscess that delayed his reappearance, but stepped out for his first barrier trial at Randwick on Thursday. “He looks as fresh and well as ever,” the gelding’s regular rider Rachel King said. “He’s pulling his way around like a two-year-old every day. He’s like Peter Pan, he doesn’t get older.” Arapaho was last seen running midfield in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) in November and King is hoping the gelding can make his mark during the Queensland Winter Carnival. “He might miss some of these main races at carnival time, but we’ve got Brisbane as well. There is no rush,” she said. “He might end up being more at the back end of the carnival here, and then Brisbane.”