First for Staphanos
New winners
Staphanos – Novara Park’s Staphanos (Deep Impact) sired his first winner when Pignan (2 f ex Hirondelle by Sepoy) prevailed at Trentham when winning a juvenile contest over 1100 metres. The filly proved far too good at her third start, beating Valentine (Turn Me Loose) by three and a half lengths. Stickto The Orders (US Navy Flag) finished third, another three-quarters of a length away. Purchased as a weanling for $15,000 at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Weanling Sale by agent Adrian Clark, Pignan is trained by Awapuni-based Lisa Latta. Staphanos was a Grade 3 winner at three in Japan and remained sound for a further three seasons, recording five Grade 1 placings at four, five and six years. The stallion also finished second to Blazing Speed (Dylan Thomas) in Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) as well as third behind Maurice (Screen Hero) in the Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m). Pignan is from Hirondelle (Sepoy), an unraced half-sister to dual Listed winner William Wallace (Darci Brahma). Her grandam is a half-sister to two stakes winners including the Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Hasselhoof (Tavistock). Staphanos stands for a fee NZ$7,000 (plus GST).
Stratosphere – Cairns (2 f ex Airlie Magic by Magic Albert) became the second winner from five runners to date for Stratosphere (Snitzel) when landing an 1100-metre contest on debut at Launceston. After settling just off the lead, the Star Thoroughbreds-owned filly came away in the closing stages to defeat Needs Sugar (Needs Further) by one and three-quarter lengths, with the odds-on favourite Thoros Of Myr (Frosted) three-quarters of a length further away in third. Cairns was a $30,000 Magic Millions Tasmania purchase for trainer Barry Campbell, from the Brooklyn Park Stud draft and is the second foal out of Airlie Magic (Magic Albert), a winning daughter of Epona Stakes (Listed, 1900m) winner Airlie Bird (Zoffany). Stratosphere finished runner-up in the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at his only start. He stands at Grenville Stud for a fee of $4,400 (inc GST) and has 12 entries for the 2023 Magic Millions Tasmania Sale.
New Group / Grade 1 winners
Rulership – Dolce More (2 c ex Ayusan by Deep Impact) stretched his unbeaten record to three when seeing off late challengers to bag the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Hanshin and in the process became the third individual elite-level winner for Rulership (King Kamehameha). Lining up off the back of a victory in the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup (Gr 3, 1600m), the Naosuke Sugai-trained favourite beat Danon Touchdown (Lord Kanaloa) and Labeling (Frankel) by a neck and the same. Dolce More is the fourth foal out of Japanese 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Ayusan (Deep Impact). Rulership, who has now had 883 individual starters will stand the 2023 northern hemisphere breeding season at Shadai Stallion Station for a fee of ¥6,000,000 (approx. AU$65,655).
Trippi – Drakenstein Stud foundation stallion Trippi (End Sweep) sired his 11th individual elite-level winner when Charles Dickens (3 c ex Demanding Lady by Dynasty) won the Cape Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Kenilworth. Wearing the Drakenstein Stud silks, Charles Dickens won as the odds-on favourite by four and a half lengths ahead of Cousin Casey (Versingetorix) and At My Command (Querari), who finished a short head further back in third. Trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, Charles Dickens remains unbeaten from six starts, having previously won the Cape Classic (Gr 3, 1400m) and Somerset 1200 Stakes (Listed, 1200m). Trippi, who has now had 1016 individual starters, stands for a private fee.
New stakes winners
Capitalist – Sovereign Fund (2 c ex Mossbeat, by Mossman) provided Capitalist (Written Tycoon) with a tenth individual stakes winner from 236 starters when producing an impressive debut in the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m). Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, the colt ranged up on the outside turning for home and stayed on to beat Quasimoto (Squamosa) by one and a quarter lengths, with a further short-head back to Summer Loving (Exceed And Excel) in third. The colt will now bid to emulate his sire by winning next month’s Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m). Bred by SF Bloodstock and partners, Sovereign Fund was a $550,000 purchase at this year’s Gold Coast yearling sale for China Horse Club, Newgate Farm and Trilogy Racing. He is the second winner from as many to race out of the Group 3-placed Mossman (Success Express) mare Mossbeat. Mossbeat missed to Deep Field (Northern Meteor) last spring. Capitalist, who has 42 catalogued for next month’s Magic Millions sale, stands at Newgate Farm for $99,000 (inc GST).
Highly Recommended – Polygon (3 f ex Polyantha by Encosta De Lago) became the third stakes winner for Highly Recommended (Fastnet Rock) when the lightly raced three-year-old dashed home in the Eulogy Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) at Te Rapa. The three-year-old fillies contest was transferred after racing at Awapuni was abandoned last Saturday and that played into the hands of the Lance Noble-trained runner who was originally being aimed at the Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day. Polygon came with a sustained burst in the home straight to defeat the Allan Sharrock-trained duo Librarsi (Reliable Man) and Sophmaze (Derryn). Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay, Polygon is out of the five-time winner Polyantha (Encosta De Lago), herself a half-sister to the Moonee Valley Oaks (Gr 2, 2040m) winner Pure Harmony (Stravinsky) and the Auckland Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) runner-up Galway Lass (Rhythm), in turn the dam of Flemington Listed winner Outdo (Exceed And Excel). Moonee Valley Group 2 winner Highly Recommended has 78 winners from 203 runners to date and stands at Berkley Stud in New Zealand for NZ$3,000 (plus GST) in 2022.
Le Havre – Beholding (4 f ex Lady Darshaan by High Chaparral) became the 55th individual stakes winner for the late Le Havre (Noverre) when taking out the Prix Arcangues (Listed, 2500m) on the Deauville all-weather track. Now trained by Jerome Reynier, the filly was winning for the third time in seven starts as she beat Honor And Pleasure (Oasis Dream) by two lengths. Behtar (Kitten’s Joy) was a short head further away in third. Beholding is the sixth foal out of the Group-placed winner Lady Darshaan (High Chaparral), making her a half-sister to three winners including the Listed scorer Let’s Go (Street Cry). Lady Darshaan herself is a half-sister to the Group 1 winner Total Gallery (Namid). Le Havre, who died earlier this year, has now had 781 individual starters.
Moshe – Ashford Street (5 g ex Magic By Gosh by Magic Albert) became the third individual stakes winner for Moshe (Bel Esprit) when winning the Kensington Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Flemington. Ashford Street trailed the leader Yulong Command (Written Tycoon) until passing halfway before gradually asserting his authority to win by a short-head. Colsridge (Canford Cliffs) finished third, a length and a half behind the winner. Bred and part-owned in Warrnambool by Peter McLaren, Ashford Street now boasts earnings of $508,900 from eight wins. A brother to unbeaten champion Black Caviar, Moshe’s three stakes winners have come from 294 runners. He was exported to Indonesia in 2019. Inbred 4×4 to Snippets (Lunchtime), Ashford Street is a half-brother to Carlyon Stakes (Listed, 1000m) winner Grandview Avenue. Their dam, Magic By Gosh (Magic Albert), died in 2019.
Ocean Park – Kovalica (3 g ex Vitesse by Makfi) became the 18th individual stakes winner from 374 runners for Ocean Park (Thorn Park) when winning the Grand Prix Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) at Eagle Farm. The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old took his record to four wins from five starts in beating Noah ‘N’ A Deel (Maurice) by a length and a quarter, with Kandos Cosmos (Stratum Star) two lengths from the winner in third. Bred by Nearco Stud Limited, Kovalica sold for NZ$110,000 as a New Zealand Bloodstock Premier yearling in 2021 from the Curraghmore draft to the bid of Guy Mulcaster. He is the second foal of Vitesse (Makfi), a winning half-sister to three-time Group 1 winning sprinter The Bostonian (Jimmy Choux). The grandam Keepa Cheval (Keeper) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and New Zealand Horse Of the Year Mufhasa (Pentire). Vitesse has a 2020 colt by Tavistock (Montjeu) and a 2021 filly by Super Seth (Dundeel). Ocean Park’s fee at Waikato Stud in 2022 is NZ$30,000 (plus GST).
O’Reilly – The Peter McKay-trained Sagunto (7 g ex Queen Sabeel by Savabeel) provided his late sire O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) with his 96th individual stakes winner from 1,405 runners when proving best in the Manawatu Cup (Gr 3, 2300m). Having made much of the running, Sagunto stayed on strongly to defeat Subtle Point (Nadeem) and Soprano Supreme (Contributer). Bred by Waikato Stud, Sagunto has now won seven of his 53 starts and more than $200,000 in prize-money. He is the third living foal of Listed winner Queen Sabeel (Savabeel) and was purchased by his trainer Peter McKay and wife Kim for NZ$120,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft during the premier session at the 2017 NZB National Yearling Sale at Karaka. New Zealand Horse of the Year and four-time champion sire, O’Reilly died at Waikato Stud in December 2014.
Outreach – End Assembly (3 g ex Lonhro’s Spirit by Lonhro) became the second stakes winner for Outreach (Exceed And Excel) when the Mark Currie-trained gelding remained unbeaten to land the Gold Edition Plate (Listed, 1200m) at Eagle Farm. End Assembly finished best of all to defeat Golden Boom (Spirit Of Boom) by a length with Exo Lady (Exosphere) a further three lengths away in third. Currie purchased End Assembly’s dam Lonhro’s Spirit (Lonhro) for $9,000 at the 2015 Inglis Spring Mixed Sale. The mare won twice before retiring to stud. Her first foal Wedged (Outreach) is a winner with End Assembly her second foal and the mare has a 2021 filly by Press Statement (Hinchinbrook). Both End Assembly and Outrreach descend from Royal News (Sovereign Path), a sister to champion sire Sovereign Edition. Placed in the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at two, Outreach has had 158 runners and stands at Widden Stud, where his fee in 2022 is advertised at $3,300 (inc GST).
Practical Joke – Ashford Stud resident Practical Joke (Into Mischief) sired his 18th individual stakes winner when Practical Move (2 c ex Ack Naughty by Afleet Alex) got the better of a trio of fancied Bob Baffert-trained runners to take out the Los Alamitos Futurity (Gr 2, 8.5f). Trained by Tim Yakteen, a former assistant to Baffert, Practical Move came home three and a quarter lengths clear of Carmel Road (Quality Road) with a gap of a further four and a quarter lengths to Fort Bragg (Tapit). He has now won two of his five starts. A US$230,000 purchase from the Eisaman Equine consignment to Ocala earlier this year, the colt is out of the stakes-placed Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet) mare Ack Naughty. He is the only one of her three foals to hit the track. The dam also has a 2022 Complexity (Maclean’s Music) colt and was bred back to Upstart (Flatter) for next year. Practical Joke, who has now had 230 individual starters, will stand the 2023 northern hemisphere breeding season for a fee of US$25,000 (approx. AU$37,400).
Star Turn – Alsephina (4 m ex Delta Gee by Street Cry) became the seventh individual stakes winner for Star Turn (Star Witness) when landing the Starstruck Classic (Listed, 1600m) at Ascot. Alsephina raced in fourth place to the home turn and ran to the lead inside the final 200 metres to defeat Gunmetal Grey (Bradbury’s Luck) and Playing Marika (Playing God). Bred by G&G Bloodstock Australia Pty Ltd in Victoria, Alsephina is now the winner of eight of her ten starts for trainers Grant and Alana Williams. She is the third foal and second winner from her dam Delta Gee (Street Cry), herself the winner of the Natasha Stakes (Listed, 2200m) in Perth and placed in the Matron Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) and Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) in Melbourne. She is a half-sister to stakes winner Wave Rock (Blackfriars). Star Turn, who has had 113 runners, stands at Vinery Stud in New South Wales for $27,500 (inc GST) in 2022.
Zacinto – Ucalledit (5 g ex Special Bay by Al Maher) became the eighth individual stakes winner for former Valachi Downs stallion Zacinto (Dansili) when winning the Lough Neagh Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Eagle Farm. Settled just behind the speed, Ucalledit scored by nearly two lengths over Rubamos (I Am Invincible) with Holyfield (I Am Invincible) in third. Bred by Bill Lawton, Ucalledit is inbred 3×3 to Danehill (Danzig) and is the final foal out of the unraced Special Bay (Al Maher), herself a half-sister to six winners. The dam was purchased as a Karaka yearling by Kevin Myers from the draft of Grangewilliam Stud for NZ$15,000. Ucalledits’s fourth-dam is the three-time Group 1 winner Special (Habituate). Zacinto has now had 213 individual starters.