First for Grunt
New winners
Grunt – Veight (2 c ex Neena Rock by Fastnet Rock) provided Yulong’s first-season sire Grunt (O’Reilly) with his first winner from three runners, when producing an emphatic display in a 1200-metre maiden at Pakenham. Making his racecourse debut, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained colt was sent off a $5.50 chance, but made a mockery of those odds, pulling right away in a canter to beat Apulia (Fiorente) by six lengths at the line, with a further short-head back to Itza Motza (Starspangledbanner) in third. A $220,000 purchase for McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Veight is out of the dual Group 3-winning Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Neena Rock and is a half-brother to three-time winner I Am Clever (Sebring). Grunt stands for a fee of $13,750 (inc GST).
New Group / Grade 1 winners
Sweynesse – Lucky Sweynesse (4 g ex Madonna Mia by Red Clubs) became the first Group 1 winner for his Novara Park stallion Sweynesse (Lonhro) when winning the Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) at Sha Tin. The Manfred Man-trained four-year-old, who was named champion griffin last season, won by one and a half lengths under Zac Purton ahead of four-time Group 1 winner Wellington (All Too Hard) and Sight Success (Magnus), who trailed a head further back in third. A $90,000 buy for J & I Bloodstock from the Woburn Farm draft at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, Lucky Sweynesse is out of the Listed winner Madonna Mia, whose first foal, Signora Nera (Sweynesse), was Group 1 placed. Lucky Sweynesse is one of five stakes winners for Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Sweynesse, who has had 123 runners, and stands for a fee of $9,000 (plus GST).
New stakes winners
Alamosa – Colorado Star (7 g ex Elegant Emerald by Unbridled’s Song) provided his sire Alamosa (O’Reilly) with a 21st individual stakes winner from 406 starters when he made all in the Taranaki Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) at New Plymouth. Sent off a $31 chance for trainer Mike Breslin, the seven-year-old gelding was not for catching under Ryan Elliott, battling well when joined by Soldier Boy (Proisir) to hold that rival by one and a quarter lengths. The Janelle Millar-trained Zola Express (Shamexpress) finished third, beaten four and a half lengths by the winner. Bred by Wellfield Lodge’s Bill Gleeson, Colorado Star is out of the Unbridled’s Song (Unbridled) mare Elegant Emerald, a five-time winner from 12 career starts who also placed fourth in the 2003 Telegraph (Gr 1, 1200m). He is a half-brother to Winter Cup (Gr 3, 1600m) winner Ritani (Makfi). Alamosa stands at Wellfield Lodge for a private fee.
Contributer – The Mark Walker-trained Family Ties (3 f ex Glamazon by Pins) provided Mapperley Stud stallion Contributer (High Chaparral) with a fifth individual stakes winner from 107 starters when she scored in the New Zealand Oaks Prelude (Listed, 1800m) at New Plymouth. The three-year-old filly settled nicely in midfield for jockey Opie Bosson, but had to negotiate plenty of traffic inside the closing stages, before shooting through a gap to hit top gear and beat The Woman King (Sacred Falls) by one and a half lengths, with a further one and a quarter lengths back to Klairelle (Savabeel) in third place. Purchased for just $60,000 by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale, Family Ties is out of the winning Pins (Snippets) mare Glamazon and is a sister to winner City Gold Master. Contributor stands for a fee of NZ$20,000 (plus GST).
Fascinating Rock – The Philip D’Amato-trained Earls Rock (5 g ex Ajaadat by Shamardal) provided his sire Fascinating Rock (Fastnet Rock) with a second individual stakes winner when scoring in the Thunder Road Stakes (Gr 3, 8f) at Santa Anita. Ridden by Flavien Prat, the five-year-old gelding narrowly denied Du Jour (Temple City) by a nose at the line with a further neck back to favourite Air Force Red (Air Force Blue) in third in what was a tight finish. Earls Rock is the second foal out of the winning Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) mare Ajaadat, herself a sister to winner Rekdhat. Fascinating Rock, who has had 78 starters, stands at Burgage Stud in Ireland.
I Am Invincible – Madeira Sunrise (2 f ex Indrabeel by Savabeel) provided Yarraman Park stallion I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) with a 197th individual stakes winner from 984 runners when she landed the Lonhro Plate (Listed, 1000m) on debut at Randwick. Trained by Michael Freedman, the juvenile filly was ridden by James McDonald and was always handy, despite being a little keen, before running on strongly in the closing stages to beat favourite Sicilian (I Am Invincible) by half-a-length, with a further length back to Portorosa (Not A Single) in third. A $200,000 purchase for Mitchell Bloodstock out of the Yarraman Park draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Madeira Sunrise is out of the three-time winning Savabeel (Zabeel) mare Indrabeel. I Am Invincible stands for a fee of $247,500 (inc GST).
Iffraaj – Perfect Scenario (5 g ex Rosetti Bay by Pins) provided his sire Iffraaj (Zafonic) with a 91st individual stakes winner from 1798 starters, when coming home a comfortable victor of the White Robe Lodge (Gr 3, 1600m) at Wingatui. The five-year-old gelding took advantage of stablemate and favourite Prise De Fer’s (Savabeel) disappointing display to make it a one-horse affair in the closing stages, streaking three and a quarter lengths clear of Live Drama (Ghibellines), with a further three-quarters of a length back to Rock Sensation (Rock ‘N’ Pop) in third place. Out of the Group 3-winning and Group 2-placed mare Rosetti Bay (Pins), Perfect Scenario is a half-brother to Tauranga Classic (Listed, 1400m) winner Queens Rose (O’Reilly). Darley stallion Iffraaj currently stands at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket for a fee of £15,000 (approx. AU$26,240).
Into Mischief – Spendthrift Farm stallion Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) racked up three individual stakes winners across Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita last week, taking his overall tally to 127. The Claude R McGaughey-trained General Jim (3 c ex Inspired By Grace by Curlin) was ridden by Luis Saez and the three-year-old colt gamely dug deep in the closing stages to edge out odds-on favourite Super Chow (Lord Nelson) by a length with the pair a further 11 lengths clear of the third-placed Two Of A Kind (Overanalyze). An $850,000 (approx. AU$1.22 million) purchase as a yearling, General Jim is the fourth foal out of the stakes-placed winning Curlin (Smart Strike) mare Inspired By Grace, herself a sister to Grade 1 winner Off The Tracks and half-sister to Grade 2 winner Concord Point (Tapit). Newgate (3 c ex Majestic Presence by Majestic Warrior) became Into Mischief’s second stakes winner of the week when running out a narrow victor of the Robert B Lewis Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f) at Santa Anita. Ridden by Frankie Dettori, the Bob Baffert-trained three-year-old colt showed plenty of heart to beat Hard To Fight (Hard Spun) by a neck with a further one and three-quarter lengths back to Worcester (Empire Maker) in third place. Purchased as a yearling for US$850,000, Newgate is a half-brother to winner Just Like This (Candy Ride) being out of the stakes-placed Majestic Warrior (A.P. Indy) mare Majestic Presence, herself a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Victress (Include). Rocket Can (3 c ex Tension by Tapit) rounded out the trio of stakes winners for the stallion when he stayed on strongly in the closing stakes to land the Holy Bull Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f) at Gulfstream. Ridden by Junior Alvarado for trainer Bill Mott, the three-year-old colt beat Shadow Dragon (Army Mule) by three-quarters of a length with a further two and a quarter lengths back to West Coast Cowboy (West Coast) in third. Rocket Can is the third foal out of the Tapit (Pulpit) mare Tension, herself a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Tiz Midnight (Midnight Lute) out of the Grade 1-winning mare Tough Tiz’s Sis (Tiznow). Into Mischief, who has had 1150 starters, stands for a fee of US$250,000 (approx. AU$361,170).
Mastery – Surprisingly (4 f ex Vagabond by Arch) provided Claiborne Farm stallion Mastery (Candy Ride) with a second individual stakes winner when coming with a late effort to land the Endeavour Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f) at Tampa Bay Downs. The Claude R McGaughey-trained four-year-old was ridden by Paco Lopez and came from an uncompromising position to grab Scotish Star (Key Deputy) on the line, winning by a neck. The Chad Brown-trained favourite Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah) finished third, beaten a length by the winner. Surprisingly is the only winner out of the winning Arch (Kris S) mare Vagabond. Mastery, who has had 152 starters, stands for a fee of US$7,500 (approx. AU$10,840).
Needs Further – The Spirit Of Zero (2 g ex Fuji Spirit by Pierro) headed a quinella for Needs Further (Encosta De Lago) in the Gold Sovereign Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Launceston as the Armidale Stud-based stallion added a seventh individual stakes winner to his name. Trained by Yassy Nishitani, The Spirit Of Zero won by a neck over odds-on favourite Needs Sugar, with Cairns (Stratosphere) a half-length behind the winner in third. Taking his record to two wins from three starts, The Spirit Of Zero is the fifth individual stakes-winning two-year-old by the stallion. A homebred for his trainer, The Spirit Of Zero is the first foal out of the unraced Pierro (Lonho) mare Fuji Spirit, herself a daughter of three-time Group 1 winner Yosei (Invincible Spirit). Needs Further, who has had 192 runners, stands for a fee of $6,600 (inc GST).
Postponed – The Leda Beck-trained Honesty (8 m ex Requiem Moss by Mossman) made her second crack at black-type level a winning one as she registered a determined success in the Dunedin Cup (Listed, 2400m) at Wingatui. Having finished eighth when tackling the Fasttrack Stakes (Listed, 1300m) as a three-year-old in March 2018, the now eight-year-old had been kept to lower grades since, but came into the contest on the back of a victory in a Benchmark 65 contest over 2000 metres at Gore and maintained the winning thread with a gutsy half-length success over Riviera Rock (Road To Rock) at odds of $21. The Jo-Anne Dalton-trained Leave It To Me (Makfi) finished a further one and three-quarter lengths behind in third place. Out of the Mossman (Success Express) mare Requiem Moss, Honesty is a sister to winner Shadow Tower. The win provided Honesty’s sire Postponed (Summer Squall) with a 16th individual stakes winner from 466 starters.
Quality Road – Hopkins (5 h ex Hot Spell by Salt Lake) became the 67th individual stakes winner for Lane’s End Farm stallion Quality Road (Elusive Quality) when scoring in the Palos Verdes Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Bob Baffert, the five-year-old finished off the race powerfully to beat Radical Right (First Samurai) by two and a quarter lengths with a further one and a half lengths back to Straight No Chaser (Speightster) in third place. Out of the stakes-placed winning mare Hot Spell (Salt Lake), Hopkins is a half-brother to the stakes winner Saratoga Heater (Temple City) and to Grade 2-placed winner Of A Revolution (Maclean’s Music) and stakes-placed winner Malocchio (Orb). Quality Road, who has had 688 starters, stands for a fee of US$200,000 (approx. AU$289,340).
Rulership – Hrimfaxi (3 c ex Reizend by Special Week) became the 26th individual stakes winner for his sire Rulership (King Kamehameha) when winning the Kisaragi Sho (Gr 3, 2000m) at Chukyo. The three-year-old won by a head from Open Fire (Deep Impact), with Cours Mirabeau (Defrong) a further three lengths back in third. Hrimfaxi is now unbeaten in his last three starts for trainer Naosuke Sugai. He is a half-brother to Nassau Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) winner Deirdre (Harbinger). Rulership, who has had 904 starters, stands at Shadai Stallion Station for JPY¥6,000,000 (approx. AU$66,070).
Santos – Aquis Farm’s first season sire Santos (I Am Invincible) sired both his first winner and first stakes winner from just ten runners when his daughter Ulanova (2 f ex The Fairy’s Kiss by Elusive Quality) hacked up in the Taranaki 2YO Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) at New Plymouth. Ridden by Craig Grylls for trainer Stephen Marsh, the filly was sent off the $3 favourite following a fourth-placed effort in the Karaka Million 2YO (Listed, 1200m) last time out. She made her class tell here with a pillar-to-post effort, cruising six and three-quarter lengths clear of Lantern Way (Satono Aladdin), with a further half-length back to She Turns Heads (Headwater) in third. Bred by Ancroft Stud, Ulanova was a $150,000 purchase for bloodstock agent Michael Wallace out of the Kilgravin Lodge draft at last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. Out of the Group 3-placed winner The Fairy’s Kiss (Elusive Quality), she is a half-sister to Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m) winner Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible). Santos stands for a fee of $6,600 (inc GST).
Turn Me Loose – Loosespender (3 g ex Spendaholic by No Excuse Needed) provided Windsor Park Stud stallion Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) with a sixth individual stakes winner from 104 starters, when running out a comfortable victor of the Waikato Guineas (Gr 2, 2000m) at Te Rapa. The Ben Foote-trained three-year-old gelding was sent off a $26 chance in the market, but began well from his outside barrier and remained handy throughout under jockey Kozzi Asano, hitting the front early in the home straight and readily holding off the challenge of Devildom (Almanzor) to score by one and a half lengths at the line. The Mark Walker-trained Savoir Faire (Savabeel) – a $41 chance – ran a big race to be third, beaten two and a quarter lengths, with odds-on favourite Waitak (Proisir) a further short-head behind him in fourth place. Bred by Vivienne Kaye, Loosespender was purchased out of Beckam Equine’s draft at Book 2 of the 2021 NZB Karaka Sale for just $60,000 by Hong Kong operation Upper Bloodstock and is raced by them along with the Stride Racing Club Syndicate and Foote. Turn Me Loose stands for a fee of $20,000 (plus GST).
Wrote – Wrote To Arataki (4 m ex Galloping Gerte by Align) became the second individual stakes winner for New Zealand-based Highview Stud stallion Wrote (High Chaparral) when the progressive filly won the Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) at Sandown. Trained by Warrnambool-based handler Matthew Williams, Wrote To Arataki won by a long neck from Belle Et Riche (Rich Enuff) and Forbidden City (I Am Invincible), who finished a length and a half from the winner in third in the Trelawney Stud silks. Contesting her first race at stakes level, the Kiwi import backed up a victory over 1400 metres at Flemington on New Year’s Day. Wrote To Arataki is the first foal out of dual winner Galloping Gerte (Align), herself the only foal out of Miss Reset (Reset). Galloping Gerte has an unnamed two-year-old filly named Ring Jessie (Wrote). Wrote, who has had 121 starters, stands for a fee of $5,000 (plus GST).