Famous names share the spoils in Talindert Stakes
A dramatic renewal of the Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Flemington saw the spoils shared between juvenile colts Tentyris (Street Boss) and Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom), whose connections lodged an ultimately unsuccessful protest alleging interference in the last 50 metres.
There has been many a racetrack battle down the years between the Hayes and Freedman families, and after a lengthy wait – which was further extended in the stewards’ room – it was a case of honours even as both camps pondered whether to prepare their charges for a rematch in next week’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
The joint winners pulled three lengths clear of the Danny O’Brien-trained colt Brave Design (Brave Smash) in third place, with equal favourites Sword Of Legacy (Too Darn Hot) and Blethyn (Farnan) failing to land a blow in fourth and ninth place respectively.
The dead-heat saw Lindsay Park’s Shining Smile extend the stellar start to his racing career with a third successive victory, having backed up his maiden win at Caulfield in November with a professional performance when he returned from a spell in last month’s Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) (Listed, 1000m).
In contrast Tentyris, who was scratched from the Preview and saved for the following week’s Chairman Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m), a race in which he finished fifth of eight, showed sharp improvement at career start number two to outrun his starting price of $26 and enhance Godolphin’s impressive recent record in the Talindert Stakes.
Darley stallion Microphone (Exceed And Excel) scored his first stakes success when he dominated his rivals in 2019 before Ingratiating (Frosted), who now stands at stud at Oaklands Park in Western Australia, added his name to the honour roll two years later.
Ingratiating backed up one week later in the Blue Diamond, running second behind Team Freedman’s Artorius (Flying Artie); and while Tentyris’s co-trainer Sam Freedman expressed a degree of reservation about following the same path, he didn’t entirely rule out a similar seven-day turnaround for the son of Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Deity.
“I’ll have a chat with Andy [Makiv] and Jase [Walsh] and all the team at Godolphin, but first we’ll let the dust settle and see how he pulls up,” said Freedman jnr, who knows what it takes to train a Blue Diamond winner having overseen back-to-back victories for Artorius and Twin Hills Stud stallion Daumier (Epaulette).
“It’s a very different dynamic here down the straight where they tend to amble up, to go to a high-pressure 1200 metres of a Blue Diamond would be a challenge but we’ll have a chat to the team and work it out.”
Regardless of whether or not he chases the lion’s share of the $2 million prize fund at Caulfield next Saturday, Tentyris would certainly appear to have a bright future after showing great tenacity under Mark Zahra.
Following a somewhat wayward debut in the Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown, where he was beaten 3.2 lengths, the Freedmans took an unconventional approach in a bid to improve Tentyris’s raceday focus.
“To the horse’s credit, he’s really turned it around from his first start,” said Freedman jnr.
“He’d been trialling really well leading into his debut, but he just got it wrong. Colts can sometimes do that on debut, but he’s made really good steps forward since then.
“We tried a few different things with him, he went over the hurdles a couple of times this week to try to keep his mind on the job here at the races. He’s still learning, and it’s just a case of changing their routine up.
“He responded really well, he was excellent today so he’s come a long way. The stallion [Street Boss] can get a good two-year-old, so it’s nice to see this one stand up.”
Tentyris (2 c Street Boss – Deity by Exceed And Excel), who became the 78th individual stakes winner for Darley’s Northwood Park-based sire Street Boss (Street Cry), is a homebred for Godolphin, being the second foal and second winner out of Deity, who is herself a half-sister to Listed scorer Maternal (Street Cry) and the Group 3-placed La Pieta (Redoute’s Choice).
Like Tentyris, Shining Smile also holds a nomination for the Blue Diamond but the Hayes brothers – who were celebrating again when Rise At Dawn (Almanzor) claimed a golden ticket into All-Star Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) with victory in the Elms Handicap (Listed, 1400m) later on the Flemington card – learned from the family patriarch never to confirm any future plans on raceday.
With the field for the Blue Diamond not finalised until Tuesday morning, they have the best part of 72 hours to consider their options but having taken his prize-money earnings to the brink of $300,000, Shining Smile would be guaranteed a start should they choose to accept.
“I thought it was a terrific ride by Daniel [Stackhouse], he rated him perfectly,” said co-trainer Will Hayes, whose father David won the Talindert Strakes three years running from 2006.
“It was two good horses going at it, which was great to see. I believe that if ‘Stacky’ was able to use the whip we do probably get the bob of the head in, but at the end of the day both horses have run great races and they’re probably in the same boat as we are right now as to what they do next week.”
Shining Smile’s half-brother by Zousain (Zoustar) was sold for $80,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale – precisely half the fee it took to secure Shining Smile.
He is raced by Hong Kong-based businessman Lit Lung Lee, who employed the services of Boomer Bloodstock’s Craig Rounsefell to source the colt at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale.