Gandharvi gunning for Pierro Plate
I Am Invincible colt Enriched out to topple the big guns when he makes his debut at Randwick
Burgeoning ownership group Gandharvi and trainer Michael Freedman will hope debutant Enriched (I Am Invincible) can not only topple a couple of two-year-old empires but signal the end of a poor run for her well credentialed dam – Winx’s (Street Cry) half-sister – in today’s Pierro Plate (1100m) at Randwick.
Bearing the new navy and white hoops of the recently revamped Gandharvi, and coming off two Sydney barrier trials, Enriched last night held third spot in the betting as he seeks to upset two potential stars duelling for favouritism.
The rampant Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable will saddle Shangri La Express (Alabama Express) – one of their 11 two-year-old winners so far this season – as the Yulong-owned colt seeks three wins from as many starts on resumption after taking November’s $1m Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill.
Despite his and his stable’s form, Shangri La Express appears set to start second-elect behind $1.5 million colt and last month’s debut winner Switzerland (Snitzel), the Chris Waller-trained runner striving to emulate the campaign – in the same Coolmore navy blue – of Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Shinzo (Snitzel) a year ago.
If there is to be an upset to what the market believes is a match-race, it could come from Enriched, from the smaller but no less formidable stable of master juvenile conditioner Freedman.
A beautifully proportioned and coloured bay-brown colt, Enriched stepped out with a fifth of seven for Mark Zahra in a Randwick barrier trial on January 22, before sharpening up with a neck second to Shangri La Express under today’s rider Tommy Berry in a 900-metre Rosehill trial on February 5.
Having raced on the rump of the Waterhouse-Bott colt, Enriched came under a ride into the straight and needed a slap with the whip to set after him. Once he did, however, he was travelling best of the pair at the line, cruising under a hold to come close to the ridden-out Shangri La Express in the last 100 metres.
If he can succeed, either today or later, Enriched would bring a much-needed correction to the history of his unraced dam.
He’s the fifth named foal of Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta De Lago), a mare bred by the same man – John Camilleri – who bought her dam Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar) and created Miss Atom Bomb and her phenomenal year-younger half-sister Winx.
But while Miss Atom Bomb has been a keenly sought commodity in the breeding world, her history is one of woe.
She was bought by trainer Tim Martin at the Karaka Yearling Sale of 2012 for $150,000 – five years after the dual Listed-winning Vegas Showgirl’s last of seven victories, at the place where her most famous offspring’s 33-win streak would later begin, the Sunshine Coast.
Later acquired for breeding by South Australia’s Terry Board, Miss Atom Bomb bore a filly first foal by Sepoy (Elusive Quality) bought by Dermot Farrington at the Gold Coast for $300,000 – relatively cheap considering this was at almost the height Winx mania, in January, 2017.
Named Nuclear Blitz, she debuted with a promising fourth in Flemington’s Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m), then failed in the Reisling Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) before winning her third start, on the Pakenham synthetic. However, after just two more unplaced runs and a transfer from Team Hawkes to Tony Gollan, she met an enforced retirement.
Bought as a broodmare by James Harron for a more fitting $600,000 in 2019, Nuclear Blitz had an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt but died in 2022 before she could bear another. Ciaron Maher bought the colt at the Gold Coast last year for $400,000.
Miss Atom Bomb’s second foal was Trinity One (Medaglia D’Oro), a filly bought at the Inglis Easter sale in 2019 by Godolphin for $750,000, but who died just three months later.
In 2020, the mare’s third foal, by I Am Invincible, failed to meet a $1 million reserve at the first Easter sale of that Covid-marred year. At the second, he fell to Gerald Ryan and David Raphael for $700,000. Named Bionic, a Hawkesbury maiden win was his only finish better than seventh from his first six starts, and after fetching $5,500 on Inglis Online 13 months ago, he was most recently seen running sixth of eight on the red dirt of Mitchell, Queensland, last October.
Miss Atom Bomb’s foals began to sell slightly cheaper.
Team Snowden bought a brother to Bionic for $600,000 at Easter, 2021. Named Acquaro, he’s had a history of breaking down, including after his debut eighth in a Gosford maiden in March 2022. Peter Snowden yesterday said the heavily built four-year-old, now a gelding, was again back in work.
After this $2.35 million trail of Winx’s unfulfilled nieces and nephews comes the third brother, Enriched. Last Easter, he failed to meet his $500,000 reserve, but then continued his dam’s sale price progression when bought backstage by Freedman and Gandharvi for $450,000.
Miss Atom Bomb now has a So You Think (High Chaparral) colt entered for next month’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, listed as Lot 387, and after missing on an attempt to emulate the Winx cross in a visit to Street Boss (Street Cry) in 2022, she was covered by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) last December.
Gandharvi CEO Mick Wallace said hopes are high that Enriched can finally serve justice to his female family, although expectations are measured in today’s Pierro Plate considering the greater experience of Shangri La Express and Switzerland.
“You had to be happy with his last trial. Trials and racedays are of course very different, but there’s obviously some level of talent there,” Wallace told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“But he has been very much tipped in the deep end late in the piece, but at this time of year there’s nowhere else to go.
“Everything he’s done has come pretty easily to him. He’s very laid back, bordering on lazy, which is great for a two-year-old colt. In that last trial, he did need to be reminded what he was there for.
“It’s a great disposition to have, rather than the rip-and-tear screaming colt who’s ultimately going to become a gelding, but for his first run, with his level of inexperience up against the likes of Shangri La Express and Switzerland, he might be up against it a bit.
“He has a bit of size and scope about him. What he’s doing now would only indicate, as the breed indicates too, that whatever he does now he should be much better when he turns three.”
Wallace and Freedman were of course cognisant of Miss Atom Bomb’s other progeny when they bought Enriched.
“She’s got a bit of a chequered history for sure, and we ummed and ahhed over that when we bought him,” Wallace said.
“But ultimately there’s very strong blood there. He is closely related to Winx. He looks the part, he’s a beautiful animal, he’s got the genetic profile to be a nice horse, and if he is such there should be very wide appeal for him.”
Expectations for Switzerland are strong after his powerful two and three-quarter length victory on debut in a Randwick 2YO handicap (1000m) over Castanya (Capitalist), the subsequent impressive winner of last Saturday’s Lonhro Plate (Listed, 1000m).
The Arrowfield-bred first foal of Canadian dual stakes-winner Ms Bad Behavior (Blame), Switzerland was last night quoted at around the $1.75 mark, to Shangri La Express’s $2.40, with Enriched at $10.
“Switzerland has stepped up in his work since his debut, he’s in very good order, and is an exciting horse,” said Coolmore racing manager John Kennedy.
“We want to see him step up again tomorrow. He’s going to have to do it the hard way – a Slipper campaign in one prep, just like Shinzo – but if he’s as good as Shinzo he’ll be very exciting.
“He’s a very sensible horse, he loves his work, and everyone who rides him gives very positive reviews. You have to respect Shangri La Express, like all the Waterhouse-Bott two-year-olds, but for us that just makes it a more exciting race.”
Waterhouse-Bott have dominated the two-year-old headlines this term, taking the two most momentous such races so far with ruling Slipper favourite Storm Boy (Justify) in the Magic Millions Classic (RL, 1200m) and last Saturday’s Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) with Fully Lit (Hellbent).
But in today’s edition of the Talindert, Team Snowden will be out land a counterpunch with their seventh two-year-old winner of the season when the aptly-named Counteroffensive (Deep Field) runs second-up after two third placings, the latest in Caulfield’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) earlier this month behind Coleman (Pierata).
“He’s a lovely type and he came through that run in good order,” Peter Snowden said of Counteroffensive, a $425,000 for Newgate/China Horse Club/Go/Trilogy at the Gold Coast.
“He did get very keen halfway through last start. We put the blinkers on him for that run, but that might have stirred him up a bit, so we’ve taken them off again.
“Hopefully he relaxes better and gives himself a chance. He looks a really nice horse, he’s put on weight, he’s strong, his muscle tone is very good, but he’s always been a little bit nervous. It’s taking him a long time to work it out. He’s still green but he’s got potential.
“Going up the Flemington straight for the first time is a big question. You don’t know until you try. I’ve had lazy horses jump out and lead there, I’ve had horses that normally go forward go to the back and relax perfectly. It’s just something you don’t know until you get there.
“I’m hoping he’ll relax. If he does that he’ll win, but he’s just got to learn to switch off a bit more.”
Waterhouse-Bott last night had the Talindert favourite – for the same ownership group as Counteroffensive – in Pro Forma (Capitalist), who became one of their 11 winning juveniles this season in taking a 1000-metre Canberra 2YO handicap on January 27.
In an open affair, bookmakers last night had Pro Forma at $5, just ahead of Counteroffensive and the debuting Godolphin colt Eject (Street Boss) at $5.50, along with James Harron’s second starter Aardvark (Capitalist). Dual city winner Wolfgang (Exceed And Excel) was rated a $6.50 chance.
Quizzed on his stable’s best juvenile, Snowden bracketed a quinella of Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) and High Octane (Deep Field).
The Harron-owned Bodyguard (I Am Invincible) is the current $5 co-favourite for next Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) with Coleman. The Newgate/CHC colt High Octane (Deep Field) won the Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) (Listed, 1000m) but then “didn’t get out of second gear”, Snowden said, when blocked and fifth in Bodyguard’s Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m) last Saturday.
“It’s between Bodyguard and High Octane at this stage. Bodyguard is very good. High Octane really only had a barrier trial in the Prelude. We’ll find out more in the Blue Diamond,” said Snowden, happy enough to let Tulloch Lodge dominate the two-year-old headlines.
“We’ve been flying under the radar. All the focus has been on them [Waterhouse and Bott], and that keeps it off us. That’s the way I like it.
“We’ve got some nice horses going forward, they’re racing very well, so I’m quietly confident we can kick a goal somewhere along the line.”