Oxley in the fast lane on road to elite level
Peter Moody said it took great ‘courage’ for him to step stoutly-bred colt Oxley Road (Exceed And Excel) up to stakes grade in yesterday’s Zeditave Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield. He needn’t have worried.
Showing early speed in jumping straight to the front of the seven-runner field, Oxley Road (3 c ex Bonnie Mac by Thorn Park), the brother to Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Exceedance, pulverised his rivals, defeating It’sourtime (Time For War) by one and three-quarter lengths, with the same margin back to Godolphin’s Valaquenta (Street Boss) in third, as he became the 182nd individual stakes winner for Exceed And Excel (Danehill).
In fact, the decorated trainer admits he might need to be braver still.
“You’ve seen him lead-up in two easier races and get totally lost, so we’re going to have to grow a set of balls and find a fast horse and snag him because we’ve seen him put his head on his chest and quicken,” said a bullish Moody in the aftermath of the race.
Held together by jockey Luke Nolen, Oxley Road travelled much the best of the field turning the bend, before showing his inexperience when wobbling in the straight, but the three-year-old responded for pressure late on.
It was just his second start, after all. His third could be in a Group 1 weight-for-age.
“We just need to find a race with a fast horse, no matter what grade it is in,” Moody said. “You just need to find that fast horse where he can sit at his girth or sit behind one.
“One morning we snagged him at Pakenham – if you look at the jump–outs, we snagged him there one morning – and he quickened like a genuine weight-for-age horse.
“You haven’t seen him quicken yet like I’ve seen him quicken.”
The William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on March 19, a race that Moody has won three times as a trainer, is now a distinct possibility as Oxley Roads seeks to follow the path of his brother in becoming a Group 1 weight-for-age winner at three.
A $125,000 purchase by Singapore trainer Stephen Gray out of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2019, six months prior to his brother’s Group 1 success at Flemington, Oxley Road is out of stakes-winning New Zealand-bred mare Bonnie Mac (Thorn Park), who was purchased by Steve Allam for $375,000 at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale in 2019 when in foal to Capitalist (Written Tycoon), with that Capitalist colt being sold as Lot 222 in the Yarraman Park draft at the upcoming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Bonnie Mac’s third foal is the unraced Spendthrift Farm-owned two-year-old filly Mac ‘N’ Cheese (Sebring).
Aegon all class on Australian debut
Kiwi revelation Aegon (Sacred Falls) remained unbeaten in his five-start career after proving much the classiest act in this year’s running of the Hobartville Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Travelling along the rail in the second half of the field under Hugh Bowman, Aegon (3 g ex Toss Up by Zabeel) powered through a gap between leader Peltzer (So You Think) and Prime Star (Starbangledbanner) to stretch clear in the final 100 metres, winning cosily by one and three-quarter lengths and defeating a quality line up that included the staying-on runner up North Pacific (Brazen Beau) and last year’s dual Group 1-winning juvenile King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice), who never featured.
Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, Aegon won the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in November, adding to his Hawkes Bay Guineas (Gr 1, 1400m) victory on his second start and is now firm favourite to take out the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in two weeks’ time.
Unable to travel to Sydney due to Covid-19 restrictions, co-trainer Andrew Forsman watched on nervously from New Zealand.
“It was a real buzz,” he said. “To see him win like that was very special.
“I was quite apprehensive and then watching the way the track was playing my confidence was drained a little bit.
“Hugh had him in a beautiful rhythm and that was the key to it. He just needed that split and thankfully he got it. He is a horse that can be held up and sprint off a pretty short run. It was a great thrill.”
A $150,000 Karaka Yearling Sale graduate, Aegon holds entries for the Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) and Doncaster Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) during his first Australian preparation.
The fourth foal out of Toss Up (Zabeel), Aegon has a two-year-old half-sister, Single Tail (Tivaci), who made her debut for trainer John McArdle at Ballarat on February 7, finishing unplaced.
Doors opened for Coolmore filly
The Coolmore bred and owned filly Parure (Fastnet Rock) opened numerous possibilities according to co-trainer Ben Hayes after breaking through for her first black-type success in the Autumn Stakes (Gr 2, 1800m) at Caulfield.
Now the winner of three of her seven starts, Parure beat Butter Chicken (Savabeel) by half a length with Khoekhoe (Turffontein) another length and a quarter away in third, becoming the 168th individual stakes winner for Fastnet Rock (Danehill) in the process.
“We’ve got lots of options with her now and she has shown she can run out a strong 1800 metres and she’s bred to get out to 2000 and beyond,” said Hayes, who trains in partnership with Tom Dabernig. “It is an excellent result and well done to all the staff and I’m sure they got a good kick out of it.”
Parure, who holds an entry for the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) on April 10, is out of Edward Manifold Stakes- (Gr 2, 1600m) winning mare Fontein Ruby (Turffontein), a sister to Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner The Mitigator (Master of Design), while her fourth dam, Finneto (Cerreto), produced Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Fields Of Omagh (Rubiton).