Enthaar back among winners as Ebhaar announces herself a Slipper contender for Emirates Park
There is no secret of the desire possessed by Emirates Park to win the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) with a homebred and yesterday a contender revealed itself to potentially fulfil that lofty aim as Ebhaar (I Am Invincible) showed her enormous talent with a fine debut triumph in the Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Caulfield.
Nasser Lootah’s powerhouse breeding operation already have two editions of the Golden Slipper in their trophy cabinet, having landed the race with Inglis Easter graduates Mossfun (Mossman) and $1.7 million filly Estijaab (Snitzel) in 2014 and 2018 respectively, but the farm’s general manager Bryan Carlson told ANZ Bloodstock News it is a long-held goal for the nursery to breed a winner of the famous two-year-old contest.
“It would be amazing to win the Slipper with one we have bred,” said Carlson. “We have won it with two fillies we have bought, but our main aim would be to do it with a homebred and fingers crossed she can be there at the end of March.”
Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Ebhaar indicated she could be a star in the making when she won a 1045-metre trial at Randwick on October 29, beating her stablemate Calgary Stampede (Snitzel) into third who subsequently went on to impressively break his maiden over 1100 metres at Rosehill on November 17.
Prior to her run yesterday, the filly was also sighted breezing to an easy victory in an 800-metre jump-out at Flemington and Carlson said that, while performing well at the trials is a huge bonus, it is not a done deal they will show that talent on race day.
“We’ve seen her trials in Sydney and Melbourne and they have been very good, but coming into the race there is always that unknown,” he said. “Her trial form was good, with Calgary Stampede, who finished third in the trial at Randwick, has come out and won in town, so that is always a good sign.”
After jumping awkwardly from barrier eight under Damien Oliver, the filly was settled outside the leader Marincanto Doll (Pride Of Dubai), who was setting good fractions in the early part of the contest.
Upon straightening, Oliver urged the daughter of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) to the front and she rallied gamely when challenged to beat Boldinho (Brazen Beau) by three-quarters of a length. Godolphin’s Moko (Impending) was a further two lengths away in third. The winning time was a slick 56.92 seconds on the Good 4 surface.
“She was very professional in the race and the time she clocked there was very impressive,” said Carlson. “It was very impressive to see a two-year-old on debut produce that sort of performance. She sat out wide early and then on the turn the other horse fell back, so she had to do a bit of work mid-race and most horses might give up after that, but she kept going and then when they came she went again and that was pleasing to see.
“There was a lot of merit in that performance. I would say she switched off a little bit, but Damien rode her beautifully and she changed gears very smoothly.
“I think she still has more to give and it will be interesting to see how she comes back early next year.”
Carlson said the filly would now head for a spell and then be prepared for her autumn campaign in Sydney, which is likely to be geared towards the Slipper at Rosehill on March 19.
“She is a nice two-year-old and has done everything that was asked of her,” he continued. “She will go for a spell now and then we will bring her back to Sydney for the autumn.
“The main reason we went to Melbourne was that there were no black-type races in Sydney until after Christmas and also this was good prize-money. We will come back to Sydney and target those fillies races in January, February and March and aim her towards the Slipper and see where we go from there.”
Ebhaar (2 f I Am Invincible – Maroon Bay by Exceed And Excel) hails from one of the most active families in the Australian stud book, being out of dual-winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Maroon Bay, making her a half-sister to two winners, including the Group 3-placed Shotmaker (Shooting To Win).
Maroon Bay herself is a daughter of Group 3 winner Legally Bay (Snippets) – the dam of six other winners, headed by dual Group 1 scorer and now Coolmore Stud-based sire Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock), while Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock), stakes scorer Setanta (Fastnet Rock) and Listed-placegetter Zara Bay (Fastnet Rock) were also produced by the mare. Meanwhile, her other daughter Bayrock (Fastnet Rock) is the dam of stakes winner Hindaam (Savabeel).
Legally Bay herself is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Bonaria (Redoute’s Choice) and Group 3 scorer Time Out (Rory’s Jester), while she also counts Chatoyant (Flying Spur) among her other siblings and she is the dam of Group 2 winner Paulele (Dawn Approach) and Group 3-winning trio Tessara (Medaglia D’Oro), Montsegur (New Approach) and Heresy (Street Boss).
Emirates Park purchased Maroon Bay for $370,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and Carlson said since they bought the mare, the page has just continued to upgrade.
“Since we bought the mare the page has improved so much, with Merchant Navy, Zara Bay and Hindaam and even with Paulele further down and Heresy. It is just a family that has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months,” he said.
“Maroon Bay produced Shotmaker, he could have been anything, I thought. Maroon Bay has got a very nice Brazen Beau filly and she is in foal to Capitalist.”
In winning the Listed contest, Ebhaar became the 69th individual stakes winner and 35th juvenile black-type scorer for Yarraman Park’s superstar stallion I Am Invincible.
Meanwhile, Emirates Park’s excellent day at the races was capped off by brilliant filly Enthaar (3 f Written Tycoon – Final Agreement by Not A Single Doubt), who returned to winning ways with a fine win in the Doveton Stakes (Listed, 1000m) later on the Caulfield card.
The daughter of Written Tycoon (Iglesia) was a leading light of the two-year-old ranks last season, winning the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on debut, before taking out the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on her second start in January.
The filly was then beaten into sixth in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), after which trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace decided to send her for a spell and miss the Golden Slipper.
Enthaar made her seasonal debut by running a good third behind Profiteer (Capitalist) in the Schweppervescence Plate (1000m) at Flemington on November 2, but she bounced back to something like her best yesterday with a comfortable three-quarter-length victory over Streetcar Stranger (Stratum). Yulong Command (Written Tycoon) was the same distance away in third.
Carlson said the filly had taken a bit of time to come to hand this season, but that the patient approach they took with her had begun to pay off.
“She might not look it on the track, but she takes a lot to come to hand and we have been very patient with her,” he said. “She could have started a while back in the Moir Stakes, but we decided against that and I think we made the right call there. We have been very patient and that is now starting to pay off.
“It has been a work in progress with her. I think the ear muffs last time (at Flemington) worked too well and just slowed her down. Ciaron and David have done a great job with her down there and I think it is slowly beginning to pay off. To get her to relax today was perfect and then to do it in such a good time was a great result.”
Given her two-year-old form, Enthaar was very much touted as a future Group 1 winner and, while Carlson is hoping she can get back into elite-level company in the future, he is mindful the filly should not be rushed.
“Hopefully in the autumn there are bigger and better things to come for her,” said Carlson. “With a horse like Enthaar we just have to let her tell us where she goes in the autumn, hopefully we can get her into that Group 1 company, but we just have to take it race-by-race with her.”
Enthaar is one of two winners out of winning Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) mare Final Agreement, who was purchased by Emirates Park for $400,000 at the 2016 edition of Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Final Agreement herself is a sister to 2017 Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Secret Agenda and Group 2-placed Stellar Pauline, while she is a three-quarter sister to Group 3-placed Sweetener (Snitzel) and she also counts the Group 3-placed Donandkim (Smart Missile) among her half-siblings.
The mare has this year foaled a filly by the Emirates Park-owned, Newgate Farm-based stallion Tassort (Brazen Beau) and has most recently been covered by Capitalist (Written Tycoon).
Enthaar is one of 44 stakes winners for Written Tycoon, who has just covered his first book of mares at Yulong Stud in Victoria at a fee of $165,000 (inc GST), having stood last season at Arrowfield Stud in the Hunter Valley.