Jimmy Recard emerges as a new star for Bennett Racing
Syndicator Bennett Racing may have a new star in their ownership after Jimmy Recard (I Am Invincible) showed previously undiscovered toughness to become his all conquering sire’s 121st black type winner in Saturday’s Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield.
Aiming for a hat-trick after winning a Gosford maiden at start number two and Flemington’s Next Gen Sprinters Series Final (1200m) for two-year-olds on July 5, the Ciaron Maher-trained Jimmy Recard was sent out a firming $3.60 favourite for the Vain, his toughest assignment to date by far.
Jamie Melham had the colt well positioned in fourth of the seven on the fence from gate one as Shaggy (Sandbar) and $4 second elect Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) set an even tempo.
When Shaggy drifted out under pressure entering the straight, Jimmy Recard speared through to take the lead, only to be challenged as Team Hayes’s $5 third favourite Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) unleashed a powerful finish from midfield.
Tycoon Star twice veered in on Jimmy Recard while taking a narrow lead inside the last 200m, with a slight first brush eclipsed by a far heavier bump around the 80-metre mark, but as the two colts knuckled down, Jimmy Recard lifted doggedly to score by 0.25 lengths.
Gerard Moloney’s gelding Express Class (Exceedance) earned his first dash of black type at his second start by taking third, beaten 1.75 lengths, at $13, while Shining Smile, chasing a sixth straight win, weakened to fifth.
The fight of Jimmy Recard impressed Melham, who’d partnered him in his Flemington win and a subsequent tick-over jump-out.
“I know this horse has got talent. He’s really impressed me in his work and his trials, but I was just concerned the penny hasn’t dropped yet with him,” Melham told Racing.com.
“When he got that bump at the 200, I thought he was probably going to throw the white flag in. He didn’t. He loved it. He just stuck his head out.
“It was just a brush – Tycoon Star just stepped in – but that’s normally enough for him [Jimmy Recard]. He hasn’t been that tough lately. I thought that would be enough and he’d put in the white flag.
“He’s really grown and matured. He’s always been talented but the penny’s dropped with him now. He’s got some bigger wins in store for him.”
Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Jimmy Recard had earned his first stakes victory “pretty naturally” having had six weeks’ break between runs.
“It was a good effort. We were back, and had a lot of horse, but thankfully the leader rolled off the fence a little,” Turnbull said. “He got up his revs and was very strong to the line.
“We just built him up gently at Cranbourne since his last start. He’s obviously talented and did it pretty naturally.”
The Vain has been taken out by six subsequent Group 1 winners since 2002 including Giga Kick (Scissor Kick), Bivouac (Exceed And Excel), Russian Revolution (Snitzel) and Sepoy (Elusive Quality).
Turnbull is hopeful Jimmy Recard has the ability to emulate them, and to live up to the deeds of Bennett Racing’s last major star Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon), who 12 months ago was building up to his second elite success in the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m). He’s about to start covering his first book of mares for Widden Victoria at $38,500 (inc GST).
“It’s a nice kick off point,” Turnbull said of the Vain Stakes. “Plenty of good colts have won this race and hopefully Jimmy Recard is another one.
“For Bennett Racing, it’s fantastic to have another colt. We had Southport Tycoon who went to stud, and this bloke’s heading along that path hopefully.”
Turnbull said Jimmy Recard shaped as a sprinter, putting the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on his horizon, but that he could also yet “stretch to 1400 metres and a mile”.
Bred by Gall Bloodstock, who’ve stayed in the ownership, Jimmy Recard was bought from the draft of I Am Invincible’s home farm Yarraman Park at Magic Millions Gold Coast last year by Bennett Racing and Maher for $350,000.
He’s the fourth and best foal among six for the New Zealand Group 3-placed Aquamosa (Alamosa), who hails from the same family as Singapore’s Champion 3YO Sprinter of 2008 Big Maverick (O’Reilly).
Bennett Racing backed up to buy Jimmy Recard’s sister at the Gold Coast this year for $290,000.
Aquamosa now has a yearling filly by Hellbent (I Am Invincible) and was covered by that stallion again last spring.
I Am Invincible now has 121 stakes winners from 1278 runners worldwide at 9.46 per cent. In Australia, the triple champion sire has 107 from 1193 runners at 8.96 per cent.