Cover image courtesy of Yarraman Park Stud
Written by Jessica Owers
Hawkesbury Racecourse hosted a full book of trials on Tuesday morning, with nine races exclusively for the 2-year-olds. Among the winners were progeny of first-season sires Capitalist, Maurice (Jpn) and Frosted (USA), and a colt from the only Australian crop of former Coolmore shuttler Air Force Blue (USA).
However, the notable sire of the moment was the late Hinchinbrook, who had two juvenile winners across the morning.
They were Santa Star, trained at Warwick Farm by Bjorn Baker, and the smart Lovick, who towelled his opposition for local trainer Matt Vella by 7.09l in an Open event over 800 metres.
Paying dividends
Two-year-old gelding Lovick is from the Lonhro mare Dilemmas, who was bred at Woodlands Stud and is a half-sister to the G2 Autumn S. winner Pied A Terre (Ad Valorem {USA}).
Dilemmas was unsuccessful on the track, managing just a minor placing in five starts, but she has been handy as a broodmare.
Her second foal, Morton’s Fork (Ad Valorem {USA}), won the G2 Sandown Guineas and Listed Christmas Cup, while Lovick is her fourth named foal. The colt was sold as a yearling at the Inglis Classic Sale for $150,000 to Mitchell Bloodstock and G1 Goldmine, and then passed in at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale some months later.
Lovick as a yearling
“I had the horse early on as a breeze-up prospect, and we passed him in because we weren’t happy with what he made,” said trainer Matt Vella. “I always felt like he had a lot of ability, so I said to the owners to keep him if they wanted a nice horse to race. And he’s going to pay dividends I think.”
Vella remains in the ownership of Lovick with Newgate Farm and Mitchell Bloodstock and, while the gelding is not specifically for sale, he would fall into the category of being a good prospect for Asia off the back of his brilliant trial on Tuesday.
“If an offer comes that we like, he will be sold,” said Vella. “That wasn’t the intention heading into this trial, but after it, we thought if someone wants a nice horse for Hong Kong, the other owners might consider going down that avenue.”
Perfect timing
Lovick’s Tuesday trial was his first outing under silks and, ridden by Rachel King, the gelding won as he liked.
Jumping from an inside barrier, he was in the lead after his first stride, and drew away thereafter. By the post he was 7l ahead of the Newhaven Park filly Pinball (Written Tycoon), with another 2l to Godolphin colt Ascetic (Teofilo {Ire}).
“My horses have always got improvement in them,” Vella said, “but what I liked about this trial was that the time was very good. You can win trials by five or 6l, but if the time is no good, it’s no good. But this time was very good. He was very sharp on a wet track.”
"This time was very good. He (Lovick) was very sharp on a wet track." - Matt Vella
The going was rated a Soft 5, and Lovick completed his heat in 47.31s, the last 600 metres in 33.23s. It was the fastest 2-year-old time of the morning over 800 metres.
“I galloped a couple early this morning, and it did have a lot of give in it,” Vella added about the going. “So the time was sensational considering the wet track.”
Provided he is not sold, Lovick will race as a late 2-year-old.
“He is ready to go to the races,” Vella said. “There’s still two months left of the 2-year-old season, but if he does go, it will be in town. I’m just leaving it to the other owners. There’s four of us involved, and I bought the share so I could train him, but I really leave the decisions up to Henry (Field) and the boys.”
Matt Vella | Image courtesy of Inglis
That Hinchinbrook legacy
It’s almost three years since the promising Hinchinbrook passed away at Yarraman Park Stud. In July 2018, the stallion broke a hindleg in a treadmill accident on the eve of a new breeding season.
By Fastnet Rock and a half-brother to sire sensation Snitzel, Hinchinbrook was a star on the rise, and boasts 21 stakes winners posthumously, including Chica Fuerte, twice a Group 3 winner and a $900,000 graduate of the recent Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, along with Group 1 winners Press Statement, Seabrook and Spright, and Hong Kong Group 1 winner Beat The Clock.
As a racehorse, Hinchinbrook won the G3 Skyline S. and Listed Canonbury S., but was slightly unlucky in that his vintage included Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), Hay List (Statue Of Liberty {USA}), G1 Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily (Stratum) and G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. winner (and now sire) Toorak Toff.
The late Hinchinbrook
Vella breaks in about 150 horses a year, and has handled a few of the Hinchinbrook progeny. He said there are certainly traits that wash through them.
“They’re very forward, and they’re very easy horses to educate,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of strength about them.”
Of Lovick, the trainer said he was typical of what Vella had come to expect from Hinchinbrook’s progeny.
“He just always had a bit of class about him and, when he didn’t sell at the breeze-up, we gelded him because he was such a big, heavy horse,” Vella said. “I got a really good, early feel for him, just being well-bred and being by Hinchinbrook, who leaves a good mark on his horses. I felt there was no way he wasn’t going to have any sort of ability. He’s too nice a horse.”
