Fleetwood (AUS)

2 c Encryption – Jennifer Juniper by Time Thief

O: Godolphin

B: J Dann

T: James Cummings

S: 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale V: Kenmore Lodge P: Godolphin Australia, $160,000

W: Proven Thoroughbreds Handicap, 1100m, May 17, Warwick Farm

With the might of their breeding program at home, it is not often that Godolphin dips their toes into the yearling market, taking something exceptional to entice them to splash the cash. But in the case of Fleetwood, a son of Eureka Stud’s Encryption (who raced in the Godolphin blue), the purchasing team believed they had found just that.

At Warwick Farm on Wednesday, Fleetwood duly demonstrated his talent, displaying battling qualities to boot to land the two-year-old handicap over 1100 metres by a neck.

“He’s a bit of a chip off the old block,” Godolphin’s assistant trainer Darren Beadman said post-race.

“He looks so much like his dad Encryption and the sales team went out on a limb and bought him to support Encryption.

“He’s a lovely individual, very professional.”

Godolphin parted with $160,000 to prize the Fleetwood from the Kenmore Lodge draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with the colt becoming the third first-crop winner for the regally bred Encryption, who won the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and placed in the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) as a three-year-old, adding to his victory in the Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) as a juvenile.

Success for Fleetwood, who improved upon a debut eighth behind Don Corleone (Extreme Choice) at Randwick in January, followed hot on the heels of Encryption earning his first stakes winner last Saturday, when Cifrado, the stallion’s most expensive yearling at $320,000, won the Spirit Of Boom Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) at Doomben. Encryption has had 15 runners to date and will stand the upcoming season at Eureka Stud in Queensland for an unchanged fee of $13,200, having covered 120 mares last year.

Fleetwood, himself, derives his name from his dam, maiden winner Jennifer Juniper – the title of a song written by Donovan in the 1960s about Jenny Boyd, the wife of Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac.

Although far from a hit on the track, Jennifer Juniper (Time Thief) is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Whateverwhenever (Choisir) being out of the Royal Academy (Nijinsky) mare Celestia. Jennifer Juniper, who has a yearling filly by Better Than Ready (More Than Ready) and went back to Encryption last year, was retained for breeding by her Toowoomba-based trainer John Dann.