Cool Archie delivers Newhaven’s Cool Aza Beel his first Group 1 win
Newhaven Park’s Cool Aza Beel (Savabeel) is a Group 1-winning sire after his son Cool Archie continued on his irrepressible way with a fifth straight success in Eagle Farm’s JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).
One of only two sons of the mighty New Zealand-based stallion Savabeel (Zabeel) standing in Australia – with the other, Mo’unga, standing alongside him at Newhaven – Cool Archie followed his splash to victory in the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) on a heavy 10 by being just as dominant on a good 3 on Saturday.
Ridden superbly by expat Irishman Martin Harley, the Chris and Corey Munce-trained colt bounced away from gate nine of 16 before being restrained to travel sixth, one off the fence.
While Aerodrome (Ole Kirk) appeared well poised after hitting the lead soon after straightening, Cool Archie moved up effortlessly to hit the front at the 300-metre mark, and bounded clear to win by 1.25 lengths.
After surprisingly easing to lose favouritism at $4.80, he proved the punters wrong by beating $4.60 popular elect, the Chris Waller-Yulong colt Hidden Achievement (I Am Invincible) into second. Bevan Laming’s Call Da Vinci (Under The Louvre) took third at $31.
Bought by Mick Malone Bloodstock for $100,000 from breeder Newhaven’s draft at Magic Millions Gold Coast, and now bearing the familiar colours of Max Whitby, Cool Archie provides Cool Aza Beel with a top-tier winner among only his first 18 runners.
With an initial crop of 83 foals, there are plenty more first-crop runners to come for the seven-year-old stallion – the first son of Savabeel to sire a Group 1 winner – who’ll stand his fifth season this spring at an unchanged $16,500 (inc GST).
New Zealand’s Champion 2YO of 2019-20, Cool Aza Beel now sits fourth among Australia’s first-season sires, with Cool Archie his star offspring ahead of a support cast including the stakes-placed colt Cobra Club.
With his top level breakthrough, Cool Archie has now stamped his own stallion credentials, much to Whitby’s delight.
After his first four starts were highlighted by a second in Eagle Farm’s BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) before an eighth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m), Cool Archie has boomed to win his next five. They began with a Doomben maiden in mid-April, before wins at Listed, Group 2 (twice), and now the elite level.
“Unbelievable,” said co-trainer Chris Munce, who won the Atkins as a jockey on Sizzling (Snitzel) in 2012 and Reigning To Win (King Of Kings) in 2006.
“It’s so good for Max [Whitby]. But I also want to give credit to Martin Harley.
“He’s done a wonderful, wonderful job with this colt all the way along. It’s a team effort, and he’s part of the team, and I had so much confidence before I put him on because he just does everything right.
“Who knows? He could be going to Royal Ascot next year.”
Harley – who had one ride all day – did not have much time to celebrate because he was off to Royal Ascot himself, boarding a plane from Brisbane later on Saturday. He’ll be returning to a happy hunting ground, having won the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at the royal meeting in 2015 aboard longshot Goldream (Oasis Dream).
“The horse has done most of the talking,” Harley said of Cool Archie.
“He’s obviously taken a big step forward each run, but to transform from a heavy 10 in the Sires’ to a good 3 today … what a superstar he is.”
While Cool Archie and Harley had come from tenth on the turn to win the Sires’, the experienced jockey took no such chances on Saturday.
“Nothing’s been making up bunches of ground today, so I wanted to stay a pair or two closer,” he said. “We got a lovely spot, and a good rhythm. He’s got a good will to win and he wanted it.
“We got there [to the front] too soon, but he wanted it.”
Corey Munce said he was thrilled to land a Group 1 in his first season in partnership with his father.
“We were never concerned about the barrier and track conditions today,” he said. “We knew the horse we had, and Martin knew the horse he had underneath him.
“To tick off the Group 1 in Dad and I’s first season of training together, you can’t ask for more than that.
“I’m just so proud of all of our staff at home, the ones who don’t get the recognition on these big days.”
Cool Archie is a well-bred sixth foal of three-time winner Aware (Tale Of The Cat), a daughter of Newhaven’s outstanding mare Media (Gilded Time), who won three stakes races and was placed at Group 1 level four times, including when third in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) of 2005.
Aware has since had two full siblings to Cool Archie – a yearling filly named Sentient who’s in training with Jack Bruce at the Sunshine Coast, and a weanling colt. She was covered by Cool Aza Beel again last spring.