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Big Sky soars to Blue Diamond favouritism after Chairman’s Stakes win
Daniel Harrold
ANZ News
Mick Price looks to have a big chance of landing a third career Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) after Big Sky (Bivouac) created another hugely favourable impression when easily taking out Saturday’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Caulfield.
The colt was lining up for just his second start after having bolted up by 2.8 lengths on debut in a 1000-metre maiden at Flemington earlier in the month, and was even more impressive this time round, scoring by three lengths under an almost motionless Ben Melham.
Taking on six rivals in Saturday’s Group 3, that was also over 1000 metres, Big Sky was sent off the strong $1.60 favourite to double his winning tally and the pre-race confidence from punters would prove well placed.
Jumping well from barrier two, the son of Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) showed plenty of early speed to gain the lead under Melham and was allowed to roll on throughout the contest.
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Rounding the home bend with plenty of his rivals at work, Big Sky came down the home straight with ease and was barely extended at the finish to defeat debut Magic Millions VIC 2YO Classic (1100m) placegetter Invincible Son (Farnan).
There was a further half-length back to La Gitana (Home Affairs) in third place, with Melham left impressed by the winning effort of his mount.
“He’s always shown really good ability, he just does things on feel a little bit,” the winning rider said.
“He’ll sort of spook at something and get running, but he certainly looks more awkward than he feels out there. He couldn’t have been any more impressive today. I didn’t really get too stuck into him and he won with a bit in hand.”
Price, who co-trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, has won the Blue Diamond on two occasions with Samaready (More Than Ready) (2012) and Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) (2016), while Roedean (Flying Spur) (2003) was disqualified after returning a positive swab, felt his colt improved for the benefit of his debut.
"I think he lost a bit of nervousness [from Flemington]," Price said. "He was a bit unsure of himself [that day], but today he was a bit cooler.
“He couldn’t have been any more impressive today. I didn’t really get too stuck into him and he won with a bit in hand
"He's a colt that is learning. He's not an alpha colt, he's a quiet colt and if he has a good three weeks, he should turn up [in the Blue Diamond].
"I wanted to run him in this because I thought the three weeks would be good for him.
"A two-year-old, having his first prep, you can't get too many runs out of them but hopefully he can get to the Blue Diamond and then maybe Sydney."
The burning question for Big Sky now will surely be the extra 200-metre distance of the Blue Diamond on February 21, a race for which he is now the $5 co-favourite for alongside his debut-winning Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) stablemate Guest House, but Price is confident that the higher tempo in that feature race would be a huge positive for his colt.
"I think a furlong out he was clocking off and that’s probably a good sign, so the extra pressure of a Blue Diamond won't do him any harm," Price said.
"He doesn't have to lead all the time, but it's just the way the two races have worked out.
"I won't go putting any gear on him. I don't like messing around too much with them.
"I just think we will let it unfold naturally. He's got a good rider on every morning, so we'll train him and let it unfold."
Purchased from the draft of Eureka Stud at last year’s Magic Millions yearling sale for $140,000 by Mick Price Racing & Breeding, Big Sky, who became the fourth individual stakes winner for Bivouac courtesy of Saturday’s success, is the third winner from as many to race out of the Red Dazzler (Red Ransom) mare Zoom By.
Zoom By foaled a colt by Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) in October and has since been covered by Anamoe (Street Boss). She has a foal filly by Spirit Of Boom that will be sold at the upcoming Inglis Classic Yearling Sale as Lot 607 as part of Eureka Stud’s 12-strong draft.
Bivouac, who currently sits third in the second-season sires standings, stood the 2025 breeding season at Darley’s Kelvinside for an unchanged fee of $55,000 (inc GST).
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Hidrix downs well-touted rivals in Canonbury to top Golden Slipper market
Another high-profile juvenile race market to get a shake-up on Saturday was the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) after the Chris Waller-trained Hidrix (Extreme Choice) made a stylish winning debut in the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill.
A trio of trials prior to his competitive debut had thrown up mixed results, with well-beaten fourth and sevenths at Rosehill and Warwick Farm followed up by a much better effort when a close third over 799 metres back at Warwick Farm on January 22.
Sent off a $13 chance in Saturday’s six-runner contest under Zac Lloyd, the son of Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) was tapped for a little toe at entering the final 400 metres but, after finding top stride, came home very strongly inside the last 200 metres to run out a comfortable 1.7 lengths scorer over his stablemate Confederation (Wootton Bassett).
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Eviction Notice (Stay Inside) finished a further 0.2 lengths back in third, while odds-on favourite Incognito (Stay Inside) could only manage fifth.
“They've both got bright futures,” Waller, who has a share in the ownership of both the first and second, said. “I said, 'ride them to finish off' and that's how they were ridden and they finished off very well.
“Hidrix is a lovely horse. Ricky Surace [B2B Thoroughbreds] and his son, they're smart and astute judges of horses and they liked him and we liked him.
“We joined up and got some good people into the ownership. We're going to have some fun.
"We have given him two educational trials. We haven't asked him to do anything. What you saw today is more than what I've seen."
Lloyd, who was having his first ride aboard Hidrix, was also impressed by the winner.
"He's a lovely colt. He's just bombproof, he does everything right,” the winning rider said.
"In his trials, it has looked like he has improved with each trial. The last one he had a good hitout which mentally did him the world of good.
“He travelled really well today, he was extremely push-button. It's good to repay the owners of this expensive colt with a nice win first-time out.''
Speaking of expense, Chris Waller Racing, Mulcaster Bloodstock, and Ricky Surace’s B2B Thoroughbreds went to a hefty $1.7 million to purchase Hidrix at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
“We knew he went pretty good but it was about giving him a run today and see how he ran home,’’ Surace said.
“Chris [Waller] was confident he’d run well and then progress to his next race but he was pretty impressive there, especially at the end, he was eased down that last 50 or 75 metres and the jockey said post-race that he had plenty left.
“He was a nice colt at the sale, there was obviously plenty on him for us to have to go to $1.7 million to get him but he wasn’t always going to be a Slipper type.
“He didn’t look like an early two-year-old and it wasn’t until James [McDonald] worked him the other morning and said he was really happy with him and really surprised by how well he felt, that we started to get thinking we might have a Slipper horse.’’
Hidrix was bred by Kate Nivison of Etak Thoroughbreds and she also retains an interest in his ownership, as does Newgate Farm, who stand the colt’s sire Extreme Choice.
“I’m a bit in shock, I’m speechless which is unusual for me,’’ Nivison said.
“But you know what? It’s everything I want. I want to breed proper racehorses and be known for breeding proper racehorses.
“I don’t give a sh*t about sale ring prices, my job as a breeder is to produce horses that win, that’s all I want to see, so it’s really satisfying to see a colt like this do what he just did on debut in a key two-year-old race.’’
A brother to Group 1 winner Apocalyptic, Hidrix, who became the 18th individual stakes winner for his sire, is the third winner from as many foals to race out of the unraced Medaglia D’Oro (El Prado) mare Shadow, herself a granddaughter of dual Group 1 scorer Virage De Fortune (Anabaa) and from the family of champion Emancipation (Bletchingly).
Shadow produced a filly by Pierro (Lonhro) last year and was then covered by Extreme Choice, who stood the 2025 breeding season at a record fee of $330,000 (inc GST).
Chilly Girl too hot for her Widden Stakes rivals
A ‘quality filly’ is the way co-trainer Sterling Alexiou described Chilly Girl (Trapeze Artist) after she made a successful debut in landing Saturday’s Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill.
A daughter of Widden Stud’s Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), the filly had made promising strides in two 900-metre Rosehill trials ahead of her competitive debut, winning one and running second in the other.
Ridden by Tim Clark, the filly moved her way up to an $11 third-elect for March’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) with an all-the-way victory from barrier two.
Sent forward by her rider, Chilly Girl grabbed the fence from her inside draw and, having looked slightly vulnerable approaching the final 400 metres, found plenty under pressure to turn away the late challenge of Miss Chanel (Tagaloa) by 0.4 lengths. Hardanger (Pinatubo) finished a further 2.3 lengths back in third place.
Interestingly, the fillies ran 1:03.82s, which was narrowly faster than the time of the Canonbury for colts and geldings one race earlier that was run in 1:04.03s.
"I don't think she could have done any more," Alexiou, who trains in partnership with Gerald Ryan, said.
“She was good enough and seasoned enough to kick away and hold a bit of a margin late. I'm really happy to see her do that at her first star
"That was really impressive. I was hoping she'd get it a bit softer than that but 'J Mac' [James McDonald on Miss Scandal] pressed the button on coming out of the gates and applied quite a bit of pressure throughout.
"She was good enough and seasoned enough to kick away and hold a bit of a margin late. I'm really happy to see her do that at her first start.
"She's bombproof. You wouldn't think she is a two-year-old filly having her first start at her home track. She is a little gem.”
Alexiou confirmed Chilly Girl would be aimed towards the Golden Slipper, via the fillies' races, provided she continues her upward curve.
"As long as she keeps going the right way," he said. "How far she goes, I'm not sure, but we will give her every chance.
"We haven't got a lot of autumn two-year-olds. A lot of ours are going to be end of the autumn into the winter. She would be top of the tree at the minute, more so because of her professionalism."
Clark, who had rode Chilly Girl for her trial win on January 13, was pleased to keep the partnership.
"She trialled up well, I was really impressed with the feel she gave me. Today she was just really relaxed before the start and I had to 'stoke' her up early to hold my position,” he said.
"She's a really sweet filly to ride, she has a great mindset and that will take her a long way.''
Chilly Girl is the tenth winner and first stakes winner from ten foals to race out of the stakes-winning General Nediym (Nediym) mare I Got Chills, who was retired from stud duties after Chilly Girl was born.
Trapeze Artist, who was siring his tenth individual stakes winner courtesy of Chilly Girl’s success, stood the 2025 breeding season at a fee of $33,000 (inc GST).
