Les Vampires (AUS)
3 c Pierro – Musidora by Rock Of Gibraltar
O: T Gorgovski, Mrs S A Hardie, JWF Adams, T R Martin, T Heffernan, D J Counsel, Mrs J A Vacey, Miss S Latner & G J McNamara
B: Katom
T: Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott
S: 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale V: Coolmore Stud P: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Kestrel Thoroughbreds, $200,000
W: Furphy Maiden Handicap , 1200m, August 9, Warwick Farm
Having done a few things wrong when only third as an odds-on favourite on his debut at Canterbury last month, Les Vampires (Pierro) showed the benefit of that experience when breaking his maiden at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Quickly away from his wide barrier in 11, the three-year-old colt led all the way under Adam Hyeronimus and, having travelled well until the turn, grabbed a break on his rivals upon straightening before going on to beat Encap (Capitalist) by a length and a quarter.
Suspect (I Am Invincible), a $1.9 million purchase for Coolmore, finished a further three-quarters of a length behind in third place.
“It was good to see him bounce back as he has a lot of talent,” said Adrian Bott, who co-trains the colt in partnership with Gai Waterhouse.
“He’s doing it quite naturally and is still pretty raw as you’ve seen, so I think there’s a lot of upside there.
“It was very pleasing how strong he was over that last 600 metres as they’ve run home quite sharply and he was very strong through the line and I think he’s got scope to get over a bit further and still has good physical improvement in him.”
Les Vampires was a $200,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase from the Coolmore draft for his trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
Out of the Group 3-winning mare Musidora (Rock Of Gibraltar), meaning he is a brother to dual Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Tulip, while he is also a half-brother to Group 3 winner Sacred Eye (High Chaparral).
Coolmore sold another Pierro colt from Musidora at Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale this year for $200,000 to Curran Bloodstock, while she produced another filly by the stallion last year.