Kementari locks in rare double at Magic Millions
‘Special K’ win in The Buffering earns him a berth in $1 million Cup, to be run days after his only yearlings go through the sales ring
The first day of 2022 may not go down as the best day’s racing for the calendar year, at least when the recaps are written 364 days from now, but perhaps it will be best remembered as an “audition day” for showpieces that will as racing in both Australia and New Zealand produced a number of contenders for upcoming features on both sides of the Tasman.
In particular, live chances for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and the Karaka Million (RL, 1200m) emerged from races in Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand, but it was an old favourite who has set up perhaps the most unique angle of this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and its corresponding raceday with victory yesterday.
Kementari (7 g Lonhro – Yavanna by Redoute’s Choice) landed his seventh career win in the $200,000 The Buffering (1350m) at Doomben, earning a berth in the $1 million Magic Millions Cup (RL, 1400m) on January 15 in the process.
What makes that feat so extraordinary, though, is that his first and only yearlings will be offered for sale through the Gold Coast sales ring on January 12 and January 14 respectively. They are among six live foals for the former stallion, who was gelded before his return to the racetrack.
Lot 275, a filly out of Mithila (Encosta De Lago), will be offered by Canning Downs on the second day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Mithila is an unraced three-quarter sister to Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago), Niagara (Encosta De Lago) and Echoes Of Heaven (Encosta De Lago), while her dam Twyla (Danehill) is a three-quarter sister to Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) and Al Maher (Danehill) as well as a half-sister to Hurricane Sky (Star Watch) and Umatilla (Miswaki).
Mithila was represented by her first stakes winner, Tibbie Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) heroine Madam Legend (I Am Invincible), during the spring.
Two days later, Lot 695 – the only colt by Kementari – will go through the ring. Consigned by Toolooganvale Farm, he is out of With Care (Bernardini), a three-time winner in country New South Wales.
The colt hails from the family of stakes winners Arbeitsam (Snitzel), Payroll (Not A Single Doubt) and Bawalaksana (Straight Strike) and is sure to be popular with those looking for a rare commodity.
Kementari will then line up in the Magic Millions Cup, having secured a wildcard berth by taking out The Buffering yesterday. Relishing the Heavy 10 conditions, he defeated Kiku (Zoustar) by a half-length with The Gateway (1400m) winner Apache Chase (Better Than Ready) a further length and a quarter away in third.
The James Cummings-trained Kementari will likely face defending champion Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) in the feature.
Latizia unlikely to follow Coolangatta path
As much as $301 was available about Latizia (2 f Capitalist – Spanish Pipedream by Scat Daddy) yesterday for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, but that price was quickly trimmed into $26 after she debuted with a terrific win at Flemington.
Racing in the colours of prominent owner Ozzie Kheir, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Latizia sprinted clear of Godolphin pair Va Via (Astern) and Kin (Impending) in the New Year Sprint (1000m) to put herself forward for bigger and better targets.
“We were reasonably confident that she had good ability, she had trialled up well,” said Eustace, who attributed much of the credit to assistant trainer Lucy Yeomans. “A big thank you to Lucy and the team at Cranbourne, she’s not the easiest of fillies, she can be cantankerous at times. Julian Welch has done a bit of work with her as well with the gates so all credit to them as they’ve done a really good job with her.”
Added rider John Allen: “It’s my first time actually sitting on her but there were high raps on her from the stable and it proved that way. She was very professional and the plan was to take a sit on her, but she began well and she was looking to press forward, so I just let her get into her rhythm.
“I liked the way she dug in the last 100 yards and pulled away from them late. It was a good win.”
The owner-trainer combination already has odds-on favourite Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) heading to the $2 million feature on January 15 but while Eustace said that Latizia could be given the chance to emulate her sire by taking in the Magic Millions juvenile feature, the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) next month may prove a more realistic target.
“It will be discussed and it was discussed pre-race as well but she’ll more likely stay here and concentrate on the Blue Diamond,” Eustace said. “To try and get her some black type in the two weeks might be a bit quick.
“She shares very similar ownership to Coolangatta and credit to Ozzie and his team, they keep putting plenty in. Newgate bred her and stayed in with SF Bloodstock as well so it’s a really good crew.
“We’ll enjoy today and if she pulls up well then we can make a plan.”
A $475,000 purchase by Ciaron Maher Racing at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Newgate Farm draft, Latizia is the first foal out of American mare Spanish Pipedream (Scat Daddy).
Spanish Pipedream is best known for being one of Wesley Ward’s two-year-olds that featured within his annual Royal Ascot raid, finishing fourth to Anthem Alexander (Starspangledbanner) in the Queen Mary Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) in 2014. She was also a two-time stakes winner at Turfway Park in Kentucky.
Acquired by SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm for US$370,000 (approx. AUD$510,000) at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Spanish Pipedream arrived in Australia in early 2017.
A mating with Capitalist (Written Tycoon) failed in 2017, but her 2018 visit to the same sire resulted in Latizia.
Subsequent seasons saw her produce a yearling filly by Exceed And Excel (Danehill), while another filly – this time by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) – was born in October. She was served by Capitalist once more last breeding season.
In Brisbane, Golden Artie (2 g Artie Schiller – Dig A Pony by Mutawaajid) secured his spot in the Classic with a surging long-neck victory over Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) winner Soaring Ambition (Not A Single Doubt). Long-time leader Better Golightly (Better Than Ready) stuck on for third, three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up.
The Bryan and Daniel Guy-trained Golden Artie made his way through the sticky going and was the beneficiary of a tremendous Ben Thompson ride to take the spoils at his third start, booking a spot in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in the process.
He is the third foal of Rivette Series Final (1600m) winner Dig A Pony (Mutawaajid) and is bred on a 3 x 4 cross of American blue hen Tallahto (Nantallah), an elite-level winner on the track and dam to Grade 1 winners Prince True (Majestic Light) and Hidden Light (Majestic Light).
Dig A Pony will have no yearling this year, having missed to Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor) when served in 2019, but she has a foal at foot by Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr 1, 10f) winner Vino Rosso (Curlin). She is currently in foal to another Spendthrift Australia stallion, Dirty Work (Written Tycoon).
Across the Tasman, Wolverine (2 f Tivaci – Knew It by O’Reilly) retained her unbeaten record in controversial circumstances as she won the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) on protest.
Pacific Dragon (Charm Spirit) was first past the post, but had shifted out significantly over the final 200 metres and impeded Wolverine. With the margin a nose, there was little debate that the protest would be upheld and so it proved as the stewards awarded victory to the Roydon Bergerson-trained filly, who had also won the Wakefield Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) last month.
Sporting the colours of Australian Bloodstock, Wolverine is now three from three and Bergerson believes he has a live Karaka Million contender.
“I was pretty certain when we saw the replay that the decision would go our way,” Bergerson said.
“Danielle (Johnson, jockey) said the way she was finishing it probably cost her a length in the end as she was closing very strongly.
“It’s great to have the decision go our way as today was an important race for her breeding career further down the track, while it also gave her a really good look around Ellerslie before the Karaka Million in three weeks.”
A rematch between Wolverine and Pacific Dragon is on the cards for the January 23 clash, with Wolverine now rated the $3 favourite by NZ TAB while Pacific Dragon is on the second line of betting at $6.
Wolverine was a $50,000 purchase by Bergerson at Karaka last year, with Australian Bloodstock acquiring 50 per cent of the filly after her striking debut win at Otaki in November. Wolverine is the second foal to race out of Knew It (O’Reilly), a Benalla winner at her only start. Knew It descends from a strong New Zealand family that includes Critic (Centaine), Courtza (Pompeii Court), O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) and Grunt (O’Reilly) as well as Ocean Park (Thorn Park), who stands at Waikato Stud alongside Wolverine’s sire Tivaci (High Chaparral).
Knew It has an Iffraaj (Zafonic) yearling going through Karaka this year as Lot 350, while she was served by Tivaci once more during the spring.