Napoleonic marches to Red Anchor glory
Outstanding stallion Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) may be gone but he might have left a potential stallion in the making in Napoleonic if Saturday’s Red Anchor Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) is any indication.
After wins at Wyong and Warwick Farm for his trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, the three-year-old colt took his Sydney form to Melbourne and crushed a smart nine-runner field in the set weights event by 4.25 lengths as $3 favourite.
Jumping from the widest gate for James McDonald, Napoleonic was forced to travel three wide in midfield, but with cover, before pouncing on the leaders in a twinkling with an exhilarating burst of speed around the home turn.
The Clinton McDonald-trained filly Live (Zoustar) earned black type as runner-up at her second start at $16, with Chris Waller’s colt Ornithology (Too Darn Hot) third at $31.
A month after Wootton Bassett’s death at Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley, Napoleonic became his sire’s second Australian-bred stakes winner after last month’s MVRC Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) success of West Of Swindon.
And Napoleonic’s victory came just 15 minutes after Wootton Bassett’s progeny had filled the minor placings in Randwick’s prestigious Kirkham Plate (1000m), with filly Pearl Of Dubai second and Coolmore’s $1.4 million colt Defensemen third.
Bred by Bill Frost, Napoleonic was a $360,000 Inglis Easter buy from the draft of Widden Stud, where he was born and raised, for Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock, and is now owned by Jonathan Munz’s Pinecliff Racing.
“He’s got a beautiful, natural cruising speed and action,” said a delighted co-trainer Charlton after the Red Anchor.
“John and I said [to James] to trust the horse and if you get caught deep, don’t overthink it, keep it simple and hopefully he’s the best horse in the race.
“He’s a beautifully minded horse, very tractable and put them away with ease.”
A little slow to hand, Napoleonic debuted as a February two-year-old, finishing sixth at Warwick Farm, before a length second in Newcastle juvenile feature the Paul Perry 2YO Handicap (1300m).
Put away for more development, he scored back-to-back 1200-metre wins at Wyong and Warwick Farm before a creditable fourth in Rosehill’s Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) which led into Saturday.
The only down note about Saturday’s win might be that it’s come too late for a tilt at next Saturday’s stallion-making Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington.
Charlton was non-committal about attempting the back-up.
“We were thinking not, as we thought that race would probably come a bit too soon,” he said.
“We’ll just take a breath, think about it and speak to connections. Whether it is this prep or next prep, he’ll be a better horse next prep anyway.”
McDonald was full of praise for Napoleonic.
“He is a gorgeous horse. He’s a pleasure to do anything with. He let rip today and I was impressed,” he said.
“Obviously caught a bit deep but he floated into the race well. He was electric. Nice horse.
“I was pretty comfortable throughout. He built into the race from the 400 to the 200 unbelievably well. A really good transition, too.
“He cornered well and obviously adapted to Moonee Valley brilliantly. Well trained and perfectly executed.”
Napoleonic is the seventh foal out of four-time Melbourne city winner Jolie Brise (Fastnet Rock), whose fourth foal Ready Set Sail (More Than Ready) was a Group 3 winner, and whose fifth foal Set The Sails (More Than Ready) was stakes-placed.
Second dam Vestey (Last Tycoon) won an Adelaide Group 3 and was a three-quarter sister to influential broodmare Decidity (Last Tycoon), matriarch of one of the great stud book families and dam of stakes winners Bonaria (Redoute’s Choice), Legally Bay (Snippets) and Time Out (Rory’s Jester).
In winning Saturday’s race, Napoleonic became Wootton Bassett’s 75th individual stakes winner worldwide from 834 runners at 8.99 per cent.
Jolie Brise now has a two-year-old filly Josain (Zousain) awaiting her first start for the Archibald stable, and a filly foal by Zousain (Zoustar).