Tulloch Lodge dominate juvenile trials as first-season sires take centre stage

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable and Coolmore’s young sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) were the stars of the show as the season’s juveniles stepped out at Sydney’s first official two-year-old trials on Monday.
You can’t really get more “early running” than winning the first two heats at the Kensington trials but that’s what Home Affairs achieved on Monday through his only two offspring at the event – colt I’m Ya Huckleberry and filly Home Invasion.
For that matter, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were also the winning trainers for those two heats, and the third, but they were a long way from finished.
The Tulloch Lodge juvenile powerhouse won no fewer than six of the nine trials, hinting their latest draft of young horses could be out to match the stable’s phenomenal two-year-old deeds of two years ago.
Another notable success was the young Hawkesbury stable of Mitchell and Desiree Kearney, who reaped instant dividends from their sudden and major splash at Inglis Classic, winning with filly Oh Yes She Did (Yes Yes Yes) and colt Iambubb (I Am Invincible).
And syndicator Darby Racing had two Waterhouse-Bott winners in colts Home Invasion and colt Revengeance (Hellbent) – the day’s cheapest victor at $100,000.
While the trials were held in glorious sunshine, they showcased a relatively low number of horses – a reminder of the changing face of two-year-old racing in NSW, and perhaps of the nation’s diminishing foal crop. Whereas bygone years had featured up to 20 heats, on Monday 58 juveniles competed in nine, at 6.4 entrants per race.
In any event, Waterhouse and Bott were ebullient over what the day portended for their new season, in which they’ll try to match their 2023-24 haul of 35 two-year-old wins, 11 at stakes level. Those included the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) with Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) with Storm Boy (Justify), and the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) with Fully Lit (Hellbent).
Tulloch Lodge boasted the fastest heat winner in $420,000 filly Shiki (Too Darn Hot). The Kurrinda Bloodstock runner sizzled home by 0.59 lengths in 49.46 seconds, admittedly on a drying good 4 in the second-last heat of the day.
And Waterhouse-Bott had the most impressive winner to the eye as $375,000 colt Eviction Notice (Stay Inside) romped home in heat three by 7.82 lengths in 49.53 – the day’s second-fastest time and with its second-best last 600m of 33.19.
“The early signs are encouraging,” Bott told ANZ News of the stable’s newest inductees.
“They’ve been consistent across the morning and there’s a bit of depth there as well. It’s what we’re going to need across the season, but I think we’ve got a couple of really nice types who are putting their hands up.”
Waterhouse was her usual confident self when asked if she felt the stable’s babies could match the class of 2023-24.
“Yes I do,” she told ANZ. “They’re top class two-year-olds. They’re exactly what I look for – they’re tough, not only physically but mentally, which is very important with two-year-olds.”
With Saturday week’s Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) and Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) the targets for Monday’s most successful fillies and males respectively, the day began as a heralding call for Home Affairs.
Coolmore’s $82,500 (inc GST) sire made a stunning debut at the yearling sales this year with the top lots at Magic Millions Gold Coast and Inglis Easter, a $3.2 million filly and a $3m colt.
And he carried on that impressive “first-up” form when I’m Ya Huckleberry strode to an impressive 2.39 length win in heat one, and Home Invasion scored by 1.92 lengths 15 minutes later.
Bought by Waterhouse-Bott and Kestrel Bloodstock from Kia Ora Stud’s draft at the Gold Coast for $400,000, I’m Ya Huckleberry hails from the last crop of John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud. Kia Ora purchased his dam – the New Zealand Group 3-placed Key (Exceed And Excel) – from the Strawberry Hill dispersal the day before she bore this, her second foal.
Third dam is the outstanding Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago), the triple Group 1 winner and mother of stakes victors Argentia (Frankel) and Thewizardofoz (Redoute’s Choice).
“He looked very professional,” Bott said of I’m Ya Huckleberry, who set the third-fastest of the three sub-50 second times, at 49.54.
“He showed good gatespeed and sustained speed throughout. There was a bit of pressure throughout, he absorbed that really well, and I loved the way he was still able to quicken and lengthen. He’s a physically very strong and robust style of horse, and he handles everything really well.”
Home Invasion, bred by Allam Racing and bought by Darby for $220,000 from Segenhoe Stud’s Gold Coast draft, bounced out of the gates and gave nothing else a chance in a consummate performance.
“She’s a fast filly, with a lot of natural talent,” Bott said of the daughter of Catwalk (Foxwedge), a Sydney city winner out of a half-sister to black-type victors White Moss (Mossman) and White Sage (Reset).
“She did a few things wrong today, which is a bit unlike her. She was having a good look at everything on the inside, so with that she wanted to lay out slightly. But once she balanced up, she lengthened very well and was very good late.
“There’s a lot of natural improvement to come off that trial, so she’ll be able to rectify those faults.”
Waterhouse-Bott have some ten Home Affairs juveniles in their stable.
“The early signs with him are very positive,” Bott said. “He can obviously get colts and fillies, and they’re a bit like he was – professional, with natural speed and strong types.”
Coolmore were delighted with the first reveals of Home Affairs runners.
“You can only be impressed with what we’ve seen today. It’s very encouraging,” said the stud’s nominations and sales manager Colm Santry.
“It’s nice to see them do something at this stage of their career. Usually, good horses come out of these trials, and we couldn’t be more impressed than with that colt and filly today.”
Shiki looked every inch another class runner for Darley’s shuttle sensation Too Darn Hot (Dubawi), camping off the leader’s rump and storming powerfully to the line to give Kurrinda a little consolation for Private Harry’s (Harry Angel) first defeat when fifth at start number six in Saturday’s The Shorts (Gr 2, 1100m).
Bred by South Australia’s Cornerstone Stud, the filly was bought from Riverstone Lodge’s draft by Kurrinda at Magic Millions Gold Coast. She’s the fourth foal of three-time winning sprinter Jest Excel (Exceed And Excel), with fourth dam Elegant Shell (Deep Diver) a four-time stakes victor in Perth.
“Of our fillies, she could be our top seed,” Bott said of Shiki. “She’s naturally a very fast horse and she’s been excellent all the way through. She travelled well, relaxed nicely, and it was good to see her quicken up and sustain that in the manner she did.”
Eviction Notice was four lengths in front on settling, six lengths clear on the turn, and only drew further away to shape as an early star performer from the first crop of Newgate Farm’s Slipper winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice).
Bred by Newgate and affiliates, the colt is the fourth foal of Group 3-placed American mare Euroboss (Street Boss), who’s already thrown a US Listed winner, and was bought for $375,000 by Waterhouse-Bott and Kestrel at the the Gold Coast.
“He’s a very, very natural horse,” Waterhouse said. “He has huge gatespeed, travels very easily, and is a very relaxed individual.”
Tulloch Lodge raised their fourth success in only the fifth heat when the most expensive winner on the day – James Harron and Tony Fung’s $750,000 colt Knightsbridge (Farnan) – scored in a tight battle with Our Emperor (Stay Inside), who gave Waterhouse-Bott the quinella.
Bred by Lime Country Thoroughbreds et al and sold from their draft at the Gold Coast, Knightsbridge is a half-sister out of multiple city winner Festivity (Nicconi) to dual stakes winning mare Semana (Winning Rupert), with fourth dam being outstanding 1970s galloper Scomeld (Scotian).
“He’s a lovely horse,” Harron said of Knightsbridge, who owned the day’s fastest last 600 metres at 33.15.
“He did really well from the sale onwards, kept going forward physically and developed very well. He’s very buoyant and has a very good attitude,” Harron said of the son of Kia Ora’s Farnan, who finished third among first season sires last term and currently heads the second season table.
Waterhouse-Bott completed their six-timer when Revengeance fought back powerfully on the fence after being headed by two rivals inside the last 200 metres. The colt scored by 0.28 lengths from Artaneous (Trapeze Artist), who gave Darby the quinella.
Bred by Davali Thoroughbreds and sold by them to the canny-shopping Darby for just on six figures at Inglis Classic, Revengeance is the first foal of an unraced half-sister to triple New Zealand stakes winner Miss Federer (Swiss Ace).
“He showed he was a real racehorse,” Waterhouse said. “He rolled up his sleeves and said, ‘I’m not going to be left in the wake’ and just won the trial. He was very impressive.”
The Kearneys came out of the shadows at Inglis Classic, buying 11 lots with the backing of old friend and building industry executive Daniel Springfield, with the trio ending up as the sale’s second-top buyers. The spree almost doubled the size of the Kearney stable.
On Monday, they saw stunning results when Oh Yes She Did won her heat by 1.69 lengths and Iambubb took his by 0.49 lengths – the pair running 50.58 and 50.57 respectively.
Bought from Tyreel Stud’s draft for $240,000, Oh Yes She Did is the fifth foal of multiple city winner Lanikai (I Am Invincible), dam of Melbourne Listed victor Kalino (Pierro).
“I had her bought before we even went to Classic,” Desiree Kearney told ANZ. “We went through her breeding and photos and she stood out. We viewed her about five times, and at the end of the first viewing day I said, ‘We’re not going home without this one, there’s something about her’.
“She’s built for the future, not just for now, and that’s what we went to the sales for. We weren’t just buying two-year-olds; we wanted horses we could have a future with as well. She ticked all the boxes.
“She’ll get to the Gimcrack but I think later on – the Champagne stakes over the 1600 metres. She should get over a trip.”
After the daughter of moved-on ex-Coolmore sire Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) scored, Kearney said she had a potentially better prospect coming up coming up in Iambubb.
That colt didn’t disappoint, surging home along the rails to take heat seven.
Bred by Gall Bloodstock and bought from Yarraman Park’s Classic draft for $270,000, Iambubb looks poised to outshine a pedigree best boasting Listed placegetters as second and third dams.
“He’s the one who’s probably shown the most to us in the stable,” Kearney said.
“The two we wanted to qualify [for the Gimcrack and Breeders’ Plate] did qualify, so we’re very happy.
“Both of these horses came to us in very good order. They were easy to educate, broke in easily, and it made it a breeze for us to get them ready for these trials. Kudos to the breeders for that.”
The day’s other winner was its second most expensive yearling – the Bjorn Baker-trained filly Masvingo (Zoustar) – who sat off the leader and came away to score in imposing fashion, by 1.38 lengths.
Bred and offered by Silverdale Farm at the Gold Coast, Masvingo was bought for $580,000 by the Ridgmont Fillies Partnership and Jim Clarke Bloodstock. She’s out of the Group 3-placed Rotator (Not A Single Doubt), a half-sister to Positive Peace (Stratum), a mare Baker trained to win two Group races.
“We put together a fillies’ partnership to try to buy well-bred fillies at the sales this year,” Clarke said. “She was one of the first we bought, and she shows good early promise.
“We bought six in total. The broodmare market has been very hard and very competitive the last few years. We looked at it as an opportunity to try to acquire what we think will be future broodmares at yearling sales and hopefully enjoy the fun of racing along the way.”