Hellbent’s Sunrays shines in Bill Carter Stakes at Doomben
Yarraman Park stallion Hellbent (I Am Invincible) raised his seventh stakes winner and his fourth among two-year-olds when hot favourite Sunrays took Saturday’s Bill Carter Stakes (Listed, 1350m) at Doomben.
At her previous start, the Kelly Schweida-trained filly was best of the rest when exciting colt Beadman (Snitzel) beat her into second by 8.3 lengths in the Gold Coast’s Ken Russell Classic (Gr 3, 1200m), on a Heavy 8.
With no Beadman around this time and Doomben turning on a soft 5, Sunrays was the one to dominate, with a fourth win from five career starts.
Heavily backed from $2.45 to start at $1.80, she was taken back to eighth by Tommy Berry while a genuine pace was set, and looked to have her nine rival fillies beaten on the home turn. Berry eased her to the outside on straightening and Sunrays quickly grabbed the lead under hands and heels riding by the 200m, streaking away to score by 1.96 lengths.
The Chris Waller-trained and Star Thoroughbreds-raced Chatterley (Snitzel) earned her first dash of black type at her second start by taking second place as $5.50 second elect, ahead of Rockhampton trainer Clinton Taylor’s Don’tdoubtthelady (Dubious) at $9.
A homebred for renowned Queensland breeder Peter Moran Sunrays became the third stakes winner this season for Hellbent, who’ll stand his eighth spring at an unchanged $38,500 (inc GST) this year.
She joins Kristilli, Fully Lit and Tremonti among the 12-year-old’s juvenile black-type victors.
Berry said he was surprised to be as far back as he was in the run, but that the “bomb-proof” Sunrays was far too classy for her opposition.
“I said to Kelly and the ownership group before the race, I didn’t know where I was going to be because it’s very unpredictable with these lightly raced fillies stepping up in class,” said Tommy Berry.
“I thought I’d be fourth at worst, but the speed was really on for that first two furlongs.
“She’s very versatile and she’s got a great turn of foot and was just a different horse on this ground today.
“She’s a bomb-proof sort of filly. She’s very adaptable, and she put them to the sword quite quickly and still had a bit of a stargaze when she got to the front, so she’s got more improvement left to come.”
Schweida said Sunrays, who won her first three starts after a January debut before an 11-week let-up ahead of the Ken Russell, might have another run this preparation – perhaps in the JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).
“I’m not sure. We thought about the [BRC] Sires’ [Produce Stakes], but it was too close, and then there’s the Listed Show a Heart in a fortnight, or do we pay a late nomination for the JJ Atkins?” he said.
“But I’ll talk to Pete [Moran] and see what he wants to do, as he didn’t want to do a lot this prep with her because she’s done most of it from being broken in, so she’s done a good job.
“It was arrogant really at the finish today. She got back a bit further than I thought she might, but she looked like she was smoking and they were hooking along early, so you knew that she was going to be strong late.”
Sunrays is the first live foal of the unraced Hiccups (Fastnet Rock), whose second dam was Moran’s former star mare Staging (Success Express).
A daughter of American sire Success Express (Hole Your Peace) – who stood at Moran’s former property Noble Park Stud – Staging won eight stakes races including four Group 2s. She then became an outstanding broodmare, throwing two Group 1 winners in Duporth (Red Ransom) and Excites (Danewin), as well as dual Group 2 victor Tickets (Redoute’s Choice).
Staging is also the granddam of Champion South African 2YO Colt and dual Grade 1 winner Delago Deluxe (Encosta De Lago).
Hiccups now has a weanling colt at foot by Written By (Written Tycoon) and was covered last spring by King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice).
Pulchritudinous chalks up first Australian win
New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Pulchritudinous (Wrote) scored her first win since moving across the Tasman when she landed Saturday’s Magic Millions Fillies & Mares Mile (Gr 3, 1600m) at Doomben.
After being purchased by Yulong as a dual stakes winner in her homeland and transferred to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, Pulchritudinous had had a chequered run in her new country.
The four-year-old had managed only four starts in 13 months, and kicked off her current campaign with a ninth in Rosehill’s Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m).
But second-up on Saturday – and sneaking under punters’ guards as a drifting $31 shot – she appeared back near her best, coming from sixth on the turn to win by 0.44 lengths in a bunched finish.
The John Dann trained Adiella (The Mission) took second at $12, with Michael Nolan’s Exotique Miss (Under The Louvre) third at $8.50. Vivy Air (Hellbent) was fifth as a $3.10 favourite, just 0.68 lengths off the winner.
“Obviously she was very talented in New Zealand through her three-year-old career but it has taken a bit longer to get her into a bit of form and used to the conditions over here,” said Bott.
“We’re thankful that Yulong are more than happy to be patient with her and she has come back in good shape. A nice first-up run there and it opens a few options for her going forward.
“We’d like to give her a couple of runs up here and she’ll thrive in the conditions. They suit her well and she’s very lightly raced.
“I want to see her getting up in trip and she’ll keep improving. I think today’s performance was going to determine which way she’d go.
“Whether this lifts our sights a bit more, we’ll try and think about the residual value for Yulong and see if we can add to that going forward. Importantly she is back in good shape today.
“Her trial coming in was the best we’d seen since her arrival, so it’s very encouraging.”
Pulchritudinous won that trial at Rosehill on May 9 by 1.62 lengths, beating Mayfair (Fastnet Rock) and Group 1 winner Vibrant Sun (The Autumn Sun). That form was franked one race before her win on Saturday when Mayfair took second in the Darby McCarthy 3YO (1110m).
Bred by Milan Park’s Tony Rider, Pulchritudinous is the fifth and best of seven live foals for Showus (Pentire), who was unplaced in three starts.
Pulchritudinous is among four stakes winners from 192 runners for Wrote (High Chaparral), who stood at New Zealand’s Highview Stud last year for $8,000 (plus GST).
Saturday’s win contributed to a strong afternoon for the progeny of New Zealand-based sons of High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells), with Antino (Redwood, by High Chaparral) also lifting the Doomben Cup.
Pulchritudinous was bought by her former trainer Chad Ormsby from Milan Park’s draft at Karaka Book 2 for $32,500. She was subsequently passed in at the NZB Ready to Run Sale.
After her New Zealand Oaks success, she was sold privately to Yulong in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo in conjunction with the Waterhouse and Bott stable.