Written Tycoon delivers Gimcrack repeat with dominant Coolangatta
Maher and Eustace strike again as colt installed favourite for Golden Slipper
In a repeat of 12 months ago, champion sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia) again supplied a Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained winner of the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) as Coolangatta produced a stunning three-and-a-half-length win to be installed as the early favourite for this season’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) in March.
Last season’s juvenile black-type curtain raiser at Royal Randwick saw Enthaar (Written Tycoon) cruise clear by three lengths for Maher and Eustace and Coolangatta’s (2 f Written Tycoon – Piping Hot by More Than Ready) success yesterday could be described as a carbon copy, only arguably even more impressive as she raced away in a class record time of 56.78 secs on the Good 4 surface.
Jumping on speed from barrier 10 over a frenetic opening furlong, Coolangatta ($2.50) was forced to hand up and sit three-wide navigating the turn, a pathway reminiscent of the run for the baldy-faced Enthaar from barrier 8 a year ago, and, as the pacesetters Pantonario (Not A Single Doubt) and Deep Expectation (Deep Field) yielded at the 300 metres, James McDonald once again found himself motionless on a Gimcrack Stakes favourite, as he presented the filly for a lethal turn of foot, putting the race to bed in a matter of strides.
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Drisana (Merchant Navy) rallied late to claim second from the battling Pantonario, who finished a long neck further back in third.
Enthaar’s juvenile journey ended under an injury cloud as, after winning the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) in equally impressive fashion, the filly finished sixth in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Caulfield, the last time she was seen at the races.
“Just exactly a cut and paste of Enthaar,” a beaming McDonald said. “Everything is similar about her. The way she acts and the way she gallops is very professional. Very easy to ride. Especially when you are coming up against a lot of green horses. There is a way to go but she’s a very smart filly.
“She came through the professional school so she is just like an older horse to ride except she does get a big fizzy. As you expect for a young horse, very enthusiastic. It is hard to muck up rides like that when she is so professional.
“I remember Ciaron ringing me for the ride … ‘How you going? Want to ride a fast two-year-old’. He hit the nail on the head.”
Stable representative Jack Bruce confirmed the training team will now plot a route to the Sydney autumn showpiece for Coolangatta.
Kerrin McEvoy was pleased with the run of Drisana and indicated there was more to come from the $125,000 yearling by Coolmore first season sire Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock).
“That was really pleasing,” he said. “We had to duck and weave up the running after beginning a bit slowly but the best is ahead of her.”
Yulong’s new recruit Written Tycoon, standing for a fee of $165,000 this year, was powered to a first champion sire title last season primarily by the exploits of his three-year-olds, but added Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Finance Tycoon to the two juvenile stakes victories of Enthaar.
Racing in the silks of an Ozzie Kheir-led syndicate, Coolangatta was a $280,000 purchase for Ciaron Maher from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Milburn Creek draft, having been bred by John and Jake Warren’s Highclere Stud.
The filly is the second foal out of two-time winner Piping Hot (More Than Ready), a $320,000 Inglis Easter yearling whose racing career was brought to a premature end after just four starts due to injury.
The dam is a daughter of Moonee Valley Oaks (Gr 2, 2040m) winner Ribe (Danehill), who in her broodmare career produced Blue Diamond winner Reaan (Hussonet).
Piping Hot’s first foal by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), named Snitzonfire, was a winner at Nowra on September 19, with nominations for Rosehill and Gosford next week. She has a yearling filly by Dundeel (High Chaparral) and was covered by Written Tycoon last month.
The male division of the season-opening two-year-old black–type features at Randwick was won by the Gary Portelli-trained Sejardan (2 c Sebring – Miss Amarjardan by Hinchinbrook) and victory looked unlikely for the $160,000 yearling, who found himself camped behind a wall of horses with 200 metres to run, but exploded to the lead when forcing the gap to defeat the James Harron Bloodstock-owned Zambezi River (I Am Invincible) by a length and a quarter in a winning time of 57.99 secs. Emperor (I Am Invincible) finished a length and three-quarters third for the Matt Dunn stable.
Sejardan, a son from the final crop of Golden Slipper winner Sebring (More Than Ready), finished second to Emperor (then named Genghis Khan) at the official two-year-old trials on September 20, but showed marked improvement to run out a convincing winner under Jason Collett, who said the gelding was ‘worked up’ pre-race and had to satisfy a veterinary examination at the barriers after getting caught in the gates.
“Like the trial he gave me a really good feel,” Collett said. “Plenty of horse to work with to manoeuvre a run like that in the straight. It looked pretty easy in the end.
“He’s not your typical, little short coupled, speedy, 1000-metre early type. He’s got a wee bit of scope about him. He’s probably doing well to be here in the first two-year-old race of the season. There’s a bit more growing to do.”
Portelli admitted to his surprise at the win, with Sejardan sent off a $10 chance to salute.
“This fella has been one that’s crept up on us,” he said.
“He trialled nicely but then his work here in the week was spot-on and we thought, ‘we’re bringing a horse ready to win’.
“I didn’t have him set for the barrier trials, they’re set for race day.”
Sejardan is the second foal out of Miss Amajardan (Hinchinbrook), an early season two-year-old winner of the Victory Vein Plate (1000m) and half-sister to last weekend’s Heritage Stakes (Listed, 1100m) third Tristate (Headwater) and Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) third placegetter Blazing Miss (Sizzling).
The colt’s fourth dam Procrastinate (Jade Hunter) is the producer of five stakes winners, including five-time South African Grade 1 winner Laisserfaire (Danehill).
Miss Amajardan has a yearling colt from the first crop by Trapeze Artist (Snitzel).
Sejardan is a graduate of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale when purchased by his trainer for $160,000 from the Middlebrook Valley Lodge draft.
James McDonald was impressed by the run of Zambezi River in second. The $1.15 million yearling from the Yarraman Park draft travelled on the rails behind the speed through the race and launched his effort at the 100-metre mark having been held up earlier in the straight.
“A beautiful colt,” he said. “He’ll take a world of experience from today, taking the tight gap and relaxing early. A colt for the future.”
Last season’s Maribyrnong Trial Plate (Listed, 1000m) gave us our first glimpse of subsequent Golden Slipper third and Blue Diamond second Ingratiating (Frosted), and in this year’s renewal the race revealed Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) filly Get In The Spirit, who stole a march in the smaller group of four on the near side, leading from start to finish to record a two-length win in a time of 58.73 secs on the Soft 6 track for the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable.
The filly showed greenness over the straight five furlongs, with Damian Lane fighting to prevent Get In The Spirit (2 f ex Sopraffina by Exceed And Excel) from wandering, but she became the 14th individual stakes winner for her Eureka Stud stallion, with nine of those having struck black type as a juvenile. Out of an Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare, she is bred on the same cross as Phelan Ready Stakes (Listed, 1100m) winner and Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) runner-up Ef Troop.
Lascars (Sepoy), who also raced on the nearside in the Godolphin colours, produced an eye-catching run late to finish second. The colt is a daughter of Alizes (Rory’s Jester), making her a half-sister to Essaouira (Exceed And Excel), dam of Group 1 winners Alizee (Sepoy) and Astern (Medaglia D’Oro).
Frankel (Galileo) colt Rampant Lion finished third, two and a quarter lengths from the winner.
A $110,000 buy for the Pendant Equine Syndicate from the Kitchwin Hills draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Get In The Spirit is the fourth foal and fourth winner out of Sopraffina, a daughter of the stakes-winning Given (Canny Lad), while this the family of New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Ugo Foscolo (Zacinto).
Sopraffina is due to foal to Zousain (Zoustar) this year.
Tivaci enjoys breakthrough victory as Never Been Kissed lands Flight Stakes
Waikato Stud’s exciting young stallion Tivaci (High Chaparral) entered uncharted waters yesterday when he sired his first Group 1 winner courtesy of the the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Never Been Kissed, who flew through the torrid conditions at Randwick to seal a surprise victory in the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
Unraced as a two-year-old, Never Been Kissed (3 f ex Movie by Savabeel) broke her maiden first-up at Hawkesbury on August 19, before adding to her winning record at Newcastle on September 4. The filly then surrendered her unbeaten record on her previous start, when finishing a well-beaten ninth in the Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) two weeks’ ago, but she put that defeat behind her with a brave victory yesterday.
After jumping smartly from barrier 3, Reagan Bayliss setted Never Been Kissed in third on the rails, stalking the early leaders. Hitting the front with 100 metres to go, she was headed by Hinged (Worthy Cause) inside the final 50 metres, but fought back eventually beating that rival by a head. Startantes (Star Turn) was a further two lengths further back in third.
It was the second win in the race for Waterhouse and Bott, with their first win in the 1600– metre contest coming when Global Glamour (Star Witness) was victorious in 2016 providing the co-trainers their first top-flight as a training partnership, while the daughter of Tivaci handed Waterhouse with her tenth win in the race overall.
“The Flight Stakes was our first Group 1 in partnership, so it will always be a special race for us,” Bott said.
“This is where it all started for us with Global Glamour.
“We just thought she would be a nice filly once she got out to this sort of trip,” Bott said.
“She didn’t quite have the brilliance of these fillies, or wasn’t quite seasoned enough to be taking them on over the shorter, sharper trips. We were able to link in once she got over a bit further.
“I thought she ran well in the Tea Rose. Unfortunately, she was caught wide and covered plenty of ground. They weren’t making up much ground that day, so I felt she stuck on very well.”
Never Been Kissed was beaten in the Tea Rose by the John Sargent-trained Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel), but that filly was unable to repeat those heroics yesterday, finishing sixth, four and a quarter lengths off the winner, and her jockey Nash Rawiller said her chances were thwarted by her wide gate.
Bred and raced by Waikato Stud, Never Been Kissed is the first runner and first winner out of the three time-winning Savabeel (Zabeel) mare Movie and her Sacred Falls (O’Reilly) two-year-old will be offered by Ohukia Lodge at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale next month. The colt is catalogued as Lot 218.
Movie herself is out of Group 3 winner Tootsie (Pins), making her a three-quarter sister to three-time Group 2 winner Ocean Emperor (Zabeel).
Tootsie herself is a sister to Group 2 scorer Legless Veuve, while their three-quarter sister Far Fetched produced three-time Group 1 winner Probabeel (Savabeel) and their half-sibling Eudora (Pins) is the dam of Savvy Coup (Savabeel), whose two top-flight victories included a win in the 2018 New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
Having drawn a blank with his first runners last season, Tivaci has hit the ground running with his three-year-olds, siring six winners so far this season. Luckily for Waikato Stud, the son of High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) has proved a very good match with daughters of his senior barnmate Savabeel, with Never Been Kissed being one of three winners out of Savabeel mares.
Savabeel himself is carving out an impressive record as a broodmare sire, with Never Been Kissed joining Savatoxl as the stallion’s other Group 1 winner in this category and she became his 14th stakes winner as a broodmare sire overall.
Meanwhile at Flemington, Elusive Express (3 f ex Braided by Elusive Quality) advertised her VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) credentials when she produced a high-class performance to win the Edward Manifold Stakes (Gr 2, 1610m) and in the process handed late stallion Jakkalberry (Storming Home) with his second individual stakes winner.
Ridden by Jye McNeil, the filly came into the race off the back of third place finish in the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) two weeks’ ago and she made amends for that latest defeat, beating Yearning (Sntizel) by three-quarters of a length. Glint Of Hope (Deep Impact) was a further two and a quarter lengths further away in third.
Impressed with her victory, co-trainer Sam Freedman said the filly would now head to Caulfield to tackle either the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on October 13 or the Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) on October 16, before a likely tilt at the VRC Oaks at Flemington on November 4.
“I think she’s got the constitution to cop a prep to head towards an Oaks so we’ll give that thought,” Freedman said.
“I was questioning her attitude behind the gates, and she has given us a bit of grief, but we’ve always thought she would get out to a bit of a trip.
“We did a DNA test on her which said that she’d probably be suited out to 2000 metres.
“We may look to head that way, but it is her first preparation and we’re mindful of looking after her for the autumn.
“She’s a filly that should keep getting better as we step her out in trip, but we’ll give the Thousand Guineas some thought, but a race like the Ethereal might suit her a bit better.”
Bred by Explosive Breeding, Elusive Express is out of the placed Elusive Quality (Gone West) mare Braided, making her a half-sister to Listed winner Condo’s Express (Rubick).
Braided herself is a half-sister to South African Listed winner Wild Ash (Dylan Thomas) and further back this is the same family as Italian Group 1 winner Paris Royal (Mill Reef) and Group 3 scorer Santosha (Coulsty).
In 2019 Braided produced a filly by Sweynesse (Lonhro) and she was purchased for $140,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, while in 2020 she foaled a colt by Staphanos (Deep Impact).
Having stood at Novara Park in New Zealand for his whole breeding career, Jakkalberry died in 2018 after succumbing to a gut infection and his other stakes winner is dual Group 1 winner Explosive Jack.
Later on in the afternoon at the Melbourne track, the James Cummings-trained Kallos (3 c ex Calliope by Exceed And Excel) landed his first stakes race when he took out the Danehill Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) and in the process provided former Darley shuttler Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado) with his 27th stakes winner in Australia and 156th overall.
Ridden by Fred Kersley – who was enjoying the biggest win of his career – Kallos was considered the second string of the Godolphin pair, with his Listed-winning Group 1-placed stablemate Ingratiating believed to be the more likely winner of the pair.
But Kallos proved his doubters wrong, surging clear to beat General Beau (Brazen Beau) by a comfortable two lengths, while Bruckner (Snitzel) was another head away in third. Ingratiating never looked comfortable and eventually finished down the field in ninth.
Kallos showed potential as a juvenile running fourth in a Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield in February before running second to Tycoon Humma (Capitalist) in the Very Special Kids Plate (Listed, 1000m) in February, his final start as a two-year-old.
After a spell, Kallos resumed with a soft win in a Hawkesbury maiden last month and had no issues with the step in grade yesterday.
Kersley started riding trackwork for Godolphin three months ago and with interstate jockeys unable to travel he has picked up several rides for the stable.
“About three months ago I probably pushed my way into (Godolphin foreman) Reg’s (Flemming) face and started doing a heap of work for him,” Kersley said.
“From there the relationship stemmed but it is just good to get good opportunities for them and being able to deliver on the big day is more important.
“He’s a nice horse going places. He travelled well for me throughout and at the 600 metres I had to remind myself to hold on.
“Then when I felt for him so late, I thought ‘ok we’re in with it here’ and the last 100 was very strong by him. He was going very well on the line.”
Bred and raced by Godolphin, the colt is the only winner out of 2016 Magic Night Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Calliope (Exceed And Excel), who is herself out of dual Listed-placed mare Melpomene (Elusive Quality), making her a sister to Zethus.
Kallos’ three-quarter sister – Thalia – is the dam of Listed winner Aquitaine (Exceed And Excel). The colt’s third dam is 2002 VRC Oaks winner Bulla Borghese (Belong To Me) and she in turn produced Group 2 winner Bound For Earth (Northern Meteor), who was also placed at Group 1 level.
Calliope’s two-year-old is called The Muses and is unraced and in 2020 she produced a colt by Lonhro (Octagonal). The mare was not covered last season.
Being out of a daughter of Exceed And Excel, Kallos is bred on the same cross as 2016 Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner and now Darley Stud-based sire Astern.
Interestingly, Medaglia d’Oro’s two other Group 1 winners in Australia have been the product of a similar cross, with Vancouver being out of daughter of Danehill (Danzig), while Flit, who won the Thousand Guineas in 2019, is out of a daughter of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill).
Medaglia d’Oro shuttled to Australia for eight seasons, but did not return in 2018 and he is now represented in Australia by his three sire sons, the aforementioned pair Vancouver and Astern, who stand at Coolmore Stud and Darley respectively, while his other sire son, Nostradamus, stands at Rosemont Stud in Victoria.
Medaglia d’Oro himself stands exclusively at Darley’s Jonabell Farm in Kentucky, where his 2021 fee was advertised as $150,000 (approx. AU$192,900).