El Padrino another juvenile star for Maher, Eustace and stallion
Colt adds to Street Boss’ enviable two-year-old record with Inglis Nursery victory
Darley’s Street Boss (Street Cry) is carving out serious reputation as a producer of top-line juveniles and he once again showed his ability as one of the most exciting stallions standing in Australia when the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained El Padrino (2 c ex Misty Rock by Fastnet Rock) landed yesterday’s Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) at Randwick.
Street Boss’ two-year-old statistics in Australia make for impressive reading; since 2019/2020 season the progeny of the son of Street Cry (Machiavellian) have landed ten stakes races in Australia, the same number as I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), while Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) is sits behind the pair with nine.
In winning yesterday’s 1000-metre contest El Padrino becomes the stallion’s 59th global stakes winner and 14th in Australia, while in terms of two-year-olds the stallion’s worldwide haul by that metric stands at 25, with seven of them having landed stakes races in Australia, headed by last season’s ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Anamoe.
Street Boss made the switch this year to Darley’s Kelvinside Stud in New South Wales, where he is listed at a fee of $55,000 (inc GST), having stood the 2020 season in Victoria at a fee of $27,500 (inc GST).
It was the second consecutive victory in the $400,000 contest for Maher and Eustace, with Acrobat (Fastnet Rock) having been triumphant in the race 12 months ago.
In terms of two-year-old winners, Maher and Eustace’s numbers are almost as impressive as those of Street Boss, with the partnership saddling 18 juvenile stakes winners since the start of the 2019/2020, which is more than any other stable in Australia, with Godolphin’s James Cummings their closest rival and he is sitting on 13.
El Padrino’s victory brought up juvenile stakes win number two for the partnership this season, with the colt’s stablemate Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) having landed the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) in October.
Last seen running second over 1000 metres on debut at Cranbourne, El Padrino – who was ridden by Jason Collett – jumped from gate ten and was forced to sit wide the entire 1000-metre journey, before showing a potent turn of foot in the straight to beat Calgary Stampede (Snitzel) by a short-neck with Athletica (Exceed And Excel) a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
The winner’s stablemate, Boldinho (Brazen Beau), who was sent off the 11-8 favourite, finished another half a length away in fourth, having had no luck in running.
“Good horses win this race. She Will Reign won it and then won the Slipper, as did Mossfun, Wild Ruler and Extreme Choice have also won it and went onto win feature Group 1s as colts etc, so it’s a great race to win. It’s a formula that’s tried and true and now El Padrino joins the list,’’ said the stable’s assistant trainer Jack Bruce.
Bruce said the stable would now likely take in the lucrative Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) back at Randwick on February 5, believing it be the perfect lead-up into the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in March.
“You’ve got to have a serious look at the Inglis Millennium with him now, with the prize-money on offer and it being a genuine lead-in to the Golden Slipper with some of the prize-money now counting too for Slipper qualification, so that’s the obvious consideration next,” Bruce continued.
“We’ll take him home and see how he is first and foremost. It’s very exciting for a huge group of people to get involved in this horse and get the ultimate reward. We’ve taken him through the system quite quietly and he’s really improved going into that Cranbourne run on debut and he’s gone to a new level today.’’
Bred by Peter Murray’s Murray Thoroughbreds, the colt was purchased by his trainer for $210,000 from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year and Murray described El Padrino as a “classic-looking yearling’’.
“He was always a nice colt, strong and forward from the day he was born,’’ Murray said.
“Toby and Peter Liston and the team at Three Bridges did a great job with him, he was very well liked at the Inglis Sale, a real classic-looking yearling and he sold accordingly.’’
The colt is the first winner out of the winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Misty Rock, who Murray purchased for $30,000 at a 2018 Inglis Mixed Sale and sent her straight to Street Boss, who he has thrown his support behind in recent years.
“I’ve sent a lot of horses to Street Boss over the years, I’ve always loved him as a sire,’’ Murray said.
“I’ve been breeding since around 2007 and this result sits very high up the ladder of satisfaction. To breed a great-looking yearling that develops into a great-looking two-year-old that wins a feature Stakes race at his second start, it’s very satisfying.’’
Three Bridges’ Toby Liston added: “This was the first horse we raised for Pete, he’s such a great fellow and for him to win a race of the standard such as the Inglis Nursery, it’s awesome.
“I remember [Ciaron Maher’s bloodstock manager] Will Bourne loved this colt at the farm and then Ciaron himself loved him at Oaklands heading into the sale, and they got the one they wanted.
“He did so well during that Premier prep, everyone there liked him and many wanted him.’’
In May, the colt’s half-sister by Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) was purchased by Paul Willetts Bloodstock Consultancy for $30,000 at the Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale and she is set to be offered by Newhaven Park as Lot 274 at the upcoming Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The mare has most recently produced a filly by Brutal (O’Reilly).
Further back, El Padrino’s third dam is Group 3 scorer Beauty Bright (Danehill), a daughter of fellow Group 3 winner Dietrich (Storm Cat) – the dam of ten winners including Beauty Bright’s Listed-winning three-quarter sister Aloft (Galileo).
Palazzo Spirit hands Spirit Of Boom his Second juvenile stakes winner of the season
Eureka Stud’s star stallion Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) continued his brilliant season when his son, the Steven O’Dea and Matthew Hoysted-trained Palazzo Spirit (2 c ex Palazzo Pubblico by Conatus), retained his unblemished record in yesterday’s Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Eagle Farm.
Ridden by Baylee Nothdurft – who was aboard the colt on his winning debut at the same venue in October – Palazzo Spirit was tucked in behind the leader Inequality (Capitalist) in the early part of the contest.
The colt took up the lead with 250 metres left to travel and had to find another level in the closing stages to repel the advances of Hard To Say (Exceed And Excel), eventually beating him by a long-neck. Swiss Exile (Pariah) finished with a head further away in third.
Palazzo Spirit was bred by Gerry Harvey and was purchased by Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds for $80,000 from the Westbury Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January.
The colt is the first winner out of dual Listed scorer Palazzo Pubblico (Conatus) and further back this is the same family as Group 2 winner My Sienna (Weasel Clause) – the granddam of Group 3 scorer Moreish (More Than Ready).
Yesterday’s win sees Spirit Of Boom’s total stakes-winning haul move to 16, while the victory marks his second juvenile stakes win of the season, following up Get In The Spirit’s triumph in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) and this fifth juvenile win of the season sees him become the stallion in Australia with the most juvenile wins to his name this campaign.
This was always set to be an exciting year for the stallion, with this the first book of runners produced off his career-high fee of $55,000 (inc GST), having stood his first four seasons at stud at a paltry fee of $11,000 (inc GST). The fee hike was introduced after he was crowned champion first season sire by number of winners in 2017-2018.
Meanwhile, trainer Desleigh Forster’s faith in Exo Lady (2 f ex Sheza Falvelon by Falvelon) was repaid when the filly brought up her third win from three starts when she took out the next race on the card, the Calaway Gal Stakes (Listed, 1000m). In doing so, she handed Oaklands Stud-based sire Exosphere (Lonhro) with his fourth stakes winner.
The filly broke her maiden at the same track on October 9, before adding a second victory to her CV when saluting the judge on October 23 at Doomben and she kept her unbeaten record intact yesterday, when beating Minks Star (Star Witness) by a comfortable length and a quarter. Penthouse (Capitalist) was a further length and three-quarters away in third.
Despite not being paid up for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m), Forster is planning to aim the filly at $125,000 Aquis Gold Pearl (1100m) at the Gold Coast on January 8.
“She’ll probably go to that fillies’ race the week before Magic Millions,” the winning trainer said. “It’s a nice restricted-to-fillies’ race. It’s worth good money too so she’ll go there then have a little break.
“She’s a little gem. I have always had a big opinion of this horse and she would be good when she has a bunny to chase. All we had to do was wait for the gap and then she was able to put them away. She is a pretty serious filly.”
Bred by Winjana Park, Exo Lady was purchased by Rita Giltrow for $50,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January from the Glenlogan Park draft and she is one of two winners out of Sheza Falvelon (Falvelon), who is herself a half-sister to the stakes-placed Heza Jetsetter (Jet Spur).
Further afield, the filly hails from the same family as stakes winner She’s A Pipe Dream (Jackson Square) – the dam of Singapore Listed winner Liang Xian (Lion Cavern) and the stakes-placed Falvelon’s Dream (Falvelon), as well as being the granddam of Listed winner Estrato (Stratum).
Sheza Falvelon produced a filly by Rothesay (Fastnet Rock) in 2020, before foaling a colt by The Mission (Choisir) this year.
In winning yesterday’s Listed race, Exo Lady joins Group 3 scorer Thermosphere as Exosphere’s other stakes-winning juvenile. The son of Lonhro (Octagonal) stood his first five seasons at stud at Darley, before relocating to Oaklands Stud in Queensland for the 2021 season.