Ninja strikes Guineas blow with Vo Rogue rout
Ninja spearheaded a standout afternoon for second-season sire Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) with a devastating performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday, making sure the stallion’s influence was felt on both sides of the border.
The Michael Freedman-trained Ninja delivered one of the most commanding performances of the Queensland summer when charging home to claim the Vo Rogue Plate (Gr 3, 1300m), cementing his status as the clear favourite for the $3 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 17.
The three-year-old was the second winner on the afternoon for Kia Ora’s upwardly mobile Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan with another of the stallion’s sons, exciting juvenile Knightsbridge, having emerged as a genuine contender for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) after getting off the mark at Randwick.
In a race that unfolded far from script, the Ninja overcame a slow start and a position well off the speed to overwhelm his rivals with a sustained burst that turned the contest into a procession. Swinging wide around the field approaching the home turn, the gelding circled them and powered through the middle of the straight to score by 4.8 lengths under Tommy Berry – a margin that barely captured the authority of the performance.
Pierata (Pierro) filly Smexy came home in second, with So You Think (High Chaparral) filly Adorable Thought another 0.6 lengths back in third.
Saturday was Ninja’s third win from five starts following a close third behind Grafterburners (Graff) in the Pierata Plate (1200m) at Doomben on December 6. That run came after a spring spell, with the gelding having previously shown promise through the winter, placing on debut before winning twice in his first three starts. His earnings now exceed $325,000.
Despite jumping awkwardly and losing ground at the start, Berry never panicked, allowing Ninja time to find his rhythm as a solid tempo unfolded in front.
“You always have to have Plan B but that wasn’t even a Plan B for me,” Berry said.
“He was so well behaved today and he stood in the gates beautifully quiet but when the starter called ‘all clear’, usually the gates open not long after.
“I gave him a bit of a squeeze to jump but there was a hold-up so he hit the front of the gates.
“He took a step back and lunged out. We were hoping for an easy run today with two weeks’ time in mind and he really only sprinted 500 metres.”
Berry was able to ease the gelding down late, an ominous sign given the step up to 1400 metres now awaits at the Gold Coast. The winning rider was quick to acknowledge the groundwork laid by Ninja’s regular rider Andrew Adkins, who partnered him in all of his previous starts.
“Andrew Adkins deserves all the credit, today is the first time I’ve ridden the horse, he’s done all the work and I’m lucky to reap the reward,” he said.
The market reacted swiftly, with bookmakers slashing Ninja’s Magic Millions Guineas quote from $4 into $2 within minutes.
A $380,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase from Segenhoe Stud, Ninja was bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and is raced by a broad ownership group which includes MyRacehorse, his trainer and Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency.
He is the best of three winners from four foals to race out of Impulsive (So You Think), a metro-winning half-sister to South African Grade 1 winner Laisserfaire (Danehill) as well as four other stakes winners, including the Group 1-placed pair Foreplay (Danehill) and Time Thief (Redoute’s Choice).
Ninja became the fourth stakes winner from Farnan’s first crop, joining stakes-winning juveniles King Of Pop, North England and Recuperato.