Three for Extreme Choice
New first season sire winners
Extreme Choice
Abseiler (2 g ex Wanted Lady by Wanted) became the third winner from Extreme Choice’s (Not A Single Doubt) first crop when taking out the Summer Twilight Series Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell, the newcomer beat Telluride (Medaglia d’Oro) by a length, with Chameleon Choice (Extreme Choice) another long neck away in third. Abseiler, who is raced by prominent Western Australian businessman Santo Guagliardo’s Ridgeport syndicate, was a $70,000 purchase by Mathew Becker’s Group 1 Bloodstock from the Western Breeders Alliance at the 2020 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. Extreme Choice, who stands at Newgate Farm for a 2020 service fee of $22,000 (inc. GST), has nine lots catalogued in this week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Shalaa
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Saasmit (2 f ex Touchy Greeley by Mr Greeley) scored on debut at Murray Bridge on Saturday to provide Arrowfield Stud’s shuttler Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) with his second first crop southern hemisphere winner, joining ATC Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Shaquero. Saasmit ($5.50) took out the Irongate Two-Year-Old Plate (1000m) by three lengths over Garrire (I’m All The Talk). Lamoree (Headwater) was another length and a quarter away in third. Saasmit was purchased by Melbourne Bloodstock for $21,000 from the Vinery Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale in 2019. Shalaa, who sired 22 individual winners from his first northern hemisphere crop, has 28 yearlings on offer at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Winning Rupert
Hi Hi Hi (2 f ex Cottesmore by Duporth) scored impressively on debut in the first race at Canterbury on Friday night to provide Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) with his second individual winner. Trained by Gary Portelli and ridden by Kathy O’Hara, Hi Hi Hi was sent off a $31 chance after placing in two recent trials but showed his rivals a clean pair of heels in the 1200-metre maiden. After jumping smoothly into the lead, Hi Hi Hi skipped clear down the straight to see off Larkspur Run (Shamardal) by three and a half lengths, with Contentedly (More Than Ready) a further head behind in third. Bred by Victorian-based Chesapeake Thoroughbreds, Hi Hi Hi was bought for $145,000 from the Princess Park draft at the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale by Hall of Fame Bloodstock. She is the second foal and first winner out of Cottesmore, who died last year. Winning Rupert, winner of the 2016 Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m), has also produced Townsville maiden winner Vienna Cruise. He stands at Newgate Farm, where his 2020 service fee was $16,500 (inc. GST).
New Group/Grade 1 winners
Trippi (pictured above)
The fast-finishing Jet Dark (4 c ex Night Jet by Jet Master) flew home against the rail to land the Queen’s Plate (Gr 1, 1600m) at Kenilworth on Saturday, earning Trippi (End Sweep) his ninth individual elite-level winner. The Justin Snaith-trained colt, who finished fourth in the Cape Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on his previous start, broke through a small gap on the inside and sped home under Grant Van Niekerk, seeing off Rainbow Bridge (Ideal World) by three-quarters of a length, with favourite Belgarion (Dynasty) a further half-length behind in third. Trippi, 2016 champion sire in South Africa, stands at Drakenstein Stud for an undisclosed fee.
New stakes winners
Anodin
The Douglas Whyte-trained Savvy Nine (5 g ex Insan Mala by Bahhare) scored a maiden stakes success – and just his second win in 22 outings – when he took out the January Cup (Gr 3, 1800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, the five-year-old got the better of race favourite Glorious Dragon (Teofilo) by three-quarters of a length, with a further length and a quarter back to Singapore Sling (Philanthropist) in third. In doing so, Savvy Nine became the sixth individual states winner for Haras du Quesnay resident Anodin (Anabaa), a five-time Group 1-placed brother to Goldikova, who it was announced on Wednesday had died aged 16. Anodin is set to stand the forthcoming European breeding season at a fee of €7,000 (approx. AUD$11,875).
Heart’s Cry
The first Japanese Group race of 2021 saw Heart’s Cry (Sunday Silence) register a 49th individual stakes winner when Hishi Iguazu (5 h ex La Liz by Bernstein) took out the Nikkan Sports Sho Nakayama Kimpai (Gr 3, 2000m) at Nakayama on Tuesday. The Nakayama Kimpai has been used as a starting point for a number of eventual Group 1 winners in the past, including dual Hong Kong Group 1 winner Win Bright (Stay Gold), Takarazuka Kinen (Gr 1, 2200m) hero Lovely Day (King Kamehameha) and Singapore Airlines International Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) victor Shadow Gate (White Muzzle), and hopes are high that the Noriyuki Hori-trained Hishi Iguazu can join them after he made it five wins from ten starts last week. Storming home from midfield, the Kohei Matsuyama-ridden Hishi Iguazu defeated Kokorono Todai (Eishin Flash) by a neck with a further length and a half to Win Exceed (Manhattan Cafe) in third. Heart’s Cry is slated to stand another season at Shadai Stallion Station in 2021, but a fee is yet to be announced.
High Chaparral
Never Again’s (6 g ex Rollon Rose by Encosta De Lago) defeat of Vassilator (Zacinto) in the Chester Manifold Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington on Saturday brought up the 131st individual stakes winner for High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells). A six-time elite-level winner, the former Coolmore shuttler High Chaparral died in 2014 aged 15.
Husson
The John Blacker-trained Swoop Dog (3 g ex Swooper by Black Hawk) landed Friday’s Tasmanian Guineas (Listed, 1600m) at Launceston to provide Husson (Hussonet) with his 17th individual stakes winner. Under a perfectly timed ride by Kyle Maskiell, $8 chance Swoop Dog produced a huge run down the middle of the track to see off $3.70 favourite First Accused (Turffontein) by a length and a half, with One Lotto (Super One) a nose behind in third. It was a second win from four starts for Swoop Dog, who won first up over 1200-metres at Launceston in November. Husson, who was crowned Argentianian champion three-year-old miler for the 2007-2008 season before beginning his stud career in Australia, is the sire of dual Group 1 winner Lucky Hussler. He stands at Aquis Farm, where his 2020 Service Fee was ($5,500 inc. GST).
Maurice
Japan’s 2015 Horse of the Year Maurice (Screen Hero) clinched his first black-type winner as a stallion in style as his son Pixie Knight (3 c ex Pixie Hollow by King Halo) led home a one-two for the stallion in the Nikkan Sports Sho Shinzan Kinen (Gr 3, 1600m) at Chukyo on Sunday. Stepping up in class after finishing third in a conditions race, the Hidetaka Otonashi-trained Pixie Knight went straight to the lead under Yuichi Fukunaga, controlling proceedings to finish a length and a quarter clear of Rooks Nest (Maurice). Bathrat Leon (Kizuna) was another three-quarters of a length away in third. Arrowfield Stud will offer two yearlings by Maurice during today’s opening session at the Gold Coast.
Savabeel
Milford (3 c ex Etiquette by Famous Star) landed the Te Akau Gingernuts Salver (Listed, 2100m) at Ellerslie on Sunday to become Savabeel’s (Zabeel) 110th individual stakes winner. The Steven Marsh-trained colt defeated Cheaperthandivorce (Savabeel) by half a length, with Edge Of Wonder (Tavistock) a further long neck behind in third. Savabeel, who has 11 yearlings going through the ring at the Gold Coast this week, stands at Waikato Stud where his 2020 service fee was NZD$100,000 (plus GST).
The Factor
Lane’s End resident The Factor (War Front) sired his 29th individual stakes winner when his daughter Charmaine’s Mia (5 m ex Charming Vixen by Bernstein) landed the Las Cienegas Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Group 2-performed mare was winning for the fifth time in 26 starts when she beat favourite Jolie Olimpica (Drosselmeyer) by two and a half lengths with Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast) another half a length behind in third. Bred in Kentucky by Gunpowder Farms, Charmaine’s Mia was a USD$4,000 yearling purchase by Cool Hill Farm at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She is the first stakes winner for her dam, the stakes-winning Bernstein (Storm Cat) mare Charming Vixen. The Factor will stand for a fee of US$17,500 (approx. AUD$22,550) in 2021.