Stradbroke to follow for Regal Award after Fred Best success
Highly rated punters’ headache Regal Award (Ole Kirk) became his young sire’s seventh stakes winner and capped a major day for trainer Phillip Stokes and jockey Lachie Neindorf in taking Saturday’s Fred Best Classic (Gr 3, 1400m) at Eagle Farm.
A total of 35 minutes after claiming the Lord Mayor’s Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) with Athanatos (I Am Immortal), Stokes and Neindorf celebrated a race-to-race black type double when Regal Award overcame a wide gate to score a dominant win in the three-year-old set weights event.
Jumping from barrier 14 of 18, the gelding was forced to travel three wide without cover just behind leading pair Grafterburners (Graff) and Skyhook (Written Tycoon), though the leaders set no records for pace.
In the straight, Skyhook, who’d come from gate 18, and Regal Award pulled away to make it a two-horse race, and it was the latter who prevailed, coming clear in the end to score by 1.06 lengths.
Ryan and Alexiou’s Skyhook held second at $6, while Bjorn Baker’s smart filly Within The Law (Lucky Vega) was the best of the chasers, making good ground from near last on the turn to run a 1.75-length third at $13. The $5 favourite Brave Monarch (Brave Smash) finished fourth.
Regal Award started at $18 – and drifted.
Withdrawn from Inglis Easter by his renowned breeder, Northern Territory pastoralist Viv Oldfield, and gelded before he’d raced, Regal Award looked an extremely bright prospect last spring.
After a 2.25-length Sandown win at his third outing was followed two runs later by a thumping 7.5-length victory over 1600 metres at Caulfield, he went into Flemington’s Carbine Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) as a $1.90 favourite.
But his bubble burst somewhat when he ran a well-beaten second that day, and what followed in the autumn had been a battle to restore his reputation.
After a seventh at $11 in Rosehill’s unsuitably short Darby Munro Stakes (Listed, 1200m), he was backed in to $1.90 in Randwick’s South Pacific Classic (Listed, 1400m) but could manage only third.
He then was a $2.70 favourite for the Hawkesbury Guineas (Gr 3, 1400m) but came fifth.
Thus punters had largely sacked him by Saturday but – with a tongue tie removed – he responded by showing his full ability, confirming a shot at the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) at the same course in a fortnight.
“We’ve always known this horse had a lot of ability, but he’s been very frustrating and hard to train, so full credit to the team,” Stokes said.
“He’s done well since he’s been here and it looks like we’ve got to keep him here for another two weeks now.
“We’re feeling good. His work’s been really good, the horse is thriving up here, and it was just great for him to bring his A-Grade game.
“Let’s hope he pulls up well but we’ll probably have to find another rider because the 49.5 kilos, Lachie won’t ride that [in the Stradbroke].
“It’s very rewarding. The owners are very good friends of mine. Viv Oldfield and I grew up as good friends in Alice Springs.”
Beaming after his double, Neindorf was able to joke about Regal Award’s roguish ways.
“It’s a great training effort,” he said. “This horse, he’s difficult – a bit like me when I was about ten to 15 – very difficult.
“But he’s maturing slowly but surely, and once again, like I said with the last fellow [Athanatos], Phil’s taking his time and he’s travelled him around, and as a result of that, he’s mentally calmed down a lot more and matured, and he’s a horse I know so well.”
He added: “I was able to find a beautiful rhythm with him and just approaching the 700 he wanted to get a little bit keen.
“I had to just flush him out three wide because I know he’s got that much stamina this horse and that’s his best asset.”
Regarding not being able to make the gelding’s Stradbroke weight, Neindorf said: “I might be strapping. I’ll give him a good luck pat and tell him to behave himself whoever does ride. But regardless, I’ll be cheering him.”
Regal Award is the first foal of triple Melbourne Group 3 winner Sovereign Award, whose Rosemont Stud sire Shamus Award (Snitzel) is co-owned by Oldfield.
The mare’s colt by Anamoe (Street Boss) was bought by Stokes at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $350,000. She now has a weanling filly by the same sire, but missed on a return to Ole Kirk last spring.
Last season’s champion first season sire Ole Kirk, standing at Vinery Stud this spring for $110,000 (inc GST), up from $99,000, has seven stakes winners from 97 runners at 7.22 per cent, and currently sits fifth on the second season sires’ table.