G1 Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup, $5,000,000, 2400m
Absolutely dominant adding the G1 Caulfield Cup to his impressive resume, one which now has three Group 1 races on it (the Turnbull S. and the Makybe Diva S. the others), Incentivise (Shamus Award) is certainly a horse with the wow factor!
Sent out favourite despite a horror draw, Incentivise did a bit of work in running but had no dangers from early in the straight; jockey Brett Prebble summing it up well... "that was special."
The winner of nine of his 11 starts, Incentivise was bred by Queensland trainer Steve Tregea out of the stakes-placed Miss Argyle (Iglesia) who died last spring having produced another three stakes winners - Ardrossan (Redoute's Choice), Bergerac (Drumbeats) and Cheyennne Warrior (Not A Single Doubt).
All four of her black-type performers are members of the Redoute's Choice sireline, all four boasting a cross of Redoute's Choice's high achieving fourth dam Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}) whose grandson Try My Best (USA) is Iglesia's grandsire.
There is just one more foal out of Miss Argyle, the unraced Steve Tregea trained 4-year-old Argyle Lane (Golden Archer). She has two daughters at stud - Flaunt (Drumbeats) recently producing her first foal, a filly by Spirit Of Boom whilst the city winner Ra Ra Epic (Drumbeats) was served last spring by Yes Yes Yes having foaled a colt last October by Deep Field.
Miss Argyle is one of the four winners produced by the winner Precious Pearl (Semipalatinsk {USA}) whose tough son Diamondsondinside (Iglesia) won 15 races, two at Listed level.
This year's G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic winner Prince Of Boom (Spirit Of Boom) also hails from this good Queensland family, one whose members also include the stakes winners Express Air (Piccolo {GB}) and Heaven's Deal (Spirit Of Boom).
Incentivise is one of 16 stakes winners sired by Rosemont Stud's in-form G1 W.S Cox Plate/G1 Australian Guineas winner Shamus Award.
G2 McCafe Caulfield Sprint, $300,000, 1000m
An exciting type able to win a Caulfield Cup Day feature at just his sixth start, Oxley Road (Exceed And Excel) was bred by Nick Vass out of the now sadly departed Listed Proud Miss S. winner Bonnie Mac (NZ) (Thorn Park).
Sold at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $125,000, Oxley Road is the third runner and third stakes winner for Bonnie Mac, also dam of the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Exceedance (also by Exceed And Excel) and the Listed winner Mac 'N' Cheese (Sebring).
Bonnie Mac rewarded her owners not only on the track but in the sales ring with her last to be sold being a Capitalist colt who fetched $1,050,000 to the bid of Hickman racing at this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
A descendant of the influential Queen Mary (GB) (Gladiator {GB}), Oxley Road is a grandson of the stakes-placed Gold Class (NZ) (Gold Brose), dam of the Group 3 winners Upham (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and Intimate Moment (NZ) (Dubawi {Ire}) and of the Listed winner Gold Rum (NZ) (Golan {Ire}).
G2 Lexus Tristarc S., $300,000, 1400m
Colette (Hallowed Crown) put on display her considerable class, doing a great job winning over 1400 metres off the back of a G1 Caulfield Cup campaign that was thwarted by a badly timed foot abscess.
A seven-time winner (fourth at Group level) from 19 starts, the Godolphin homebred is one of her Twin Hills Stud-based dual Group 1-winning sire's three stakes winners.
She is a half-sister (though both are members of the Street Cry {Ire} sire line) to the Listed winner Metastasio (Street Cry {Ire}) and to the dam of the US-based Listed winner Frenzified (GB) (Yeats {Ire}).
Her unraced dam Libretto (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) died a few months ago, her final foal also passing away - leaving Colette as the last of her six runners.
Libretto's dam is the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Truly Special (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}) who has proven a strong influence as the dam of two Group 2 winners - Wareed (Ire) by Sadler's Wells (USA) and Truly A Dream (Ire) by Darshaan (GB) - and ancestress of another 34 stakes winners.
Colette boasts crosses of the terrific mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Almahmoud (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}) and Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}).
G3 Neds Moonga S., $200,000, 1400m
Giving a good kick in the run home, the imported galloper Buffalo River (USA) (Noble Mission {GB}) broke through for his first stakes win; a tough effort on the back-up from a Listed Weekend Hussler S. second last weekend.
Bred in Kentucky by Katierich Farms and passed in at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Buffalo River was secured for his Australian connections by Paul Moroney for 180,000 gns (AU$334,000) at the 2018 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.
He is the first Australian stakes winner, and eighth overall for Frankel's (GB) triple Group 1-winning full brother Noble Mission (GB). His dam is the two-time winner Fashion Insider (USA) (Indian Charlie {USA}), full sister to the US dual Group-winners Bwana Charlie (USA) and My Pal Charlie (USA).
Fashion Insider is also a half-sister to the Group 3 galloper Bwana Bull (USA) (Holy Bull {USA}) and three-quarter sister to the Group 3 winner Cinco Charlie (USA) (Indian Charlie {USA}).
Buffalo River is a descendant of, and line-bred to, the influential Marchetta (GB) (Marco {GB}).
G3 Neds Classic (Norman Robinson S.), $200,000, 2000m
It was a strong finish that saw the G1 VRC Derby bound Gunstock (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) break through for his first stakes success at just his fourth start.
Bred by the Lindsay family, Gunstock has made his way through the sales ring on two occasions, at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale fetching NZ$80,000 and at the 2020 Inglis Ready2Race Sale selling for $135,000.
He is the 32nd stakes winner for his much-missed sire Tavistock (NZ) and he is that stallion's 11th stakes winner out of a mare by Zabeel (NZ) - a cross which provides for the duplication of the aptly named matriarch Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) via her grandson Sadler's Wells (USA) and son Nureyev (USA).
A full brother to the twice Group-placed The Irishman (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), Gunstock is out of the unraced Zeranti (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) whose grandam is the high-class Perth mare Hold That Smile (Haulpak), winner of the G1 Karrakatta Plate.
Gunstock is a descendant of the acclaimed broodmare Cinna (GB) (Polymelus {GB}). His dam Zeranti was served last spring by Belardo (Ire).
G3 Schweppes Ethereal S., $200,000, 2000m
What a nice way to break a maiden, Daisies (Sebring) is so tough on pace, claiming this contest at just her fourth start having not run a placing (though competitive in good races) in her first three outings.
The 72nd stakes winner for her late sire, Daisies was bred by Widden Stud, Boeara Holdings, Ms C Richards, Mr D Shaw and Ms E Bertoli, fetching $250,000 to the bid of Sheamus Mills Bloodstock at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
A full sister to the stakes-placed Motown Lil, she is out of the dual city-winner Tigress Lily (Snitzel) whose dam is the G1 VRC Oaks placegetter Empress Lily (Zabeel {NZ}), daughter of the outstanding mare Tycoon Lil (Last Tycoon {Ire}), the triple Group 1 winner who earned the crown of New Zealand Horse of the Year.
Producing a Pierata filly a couple of weeks ago, Tigress Lily has a Zoustar 2-year-old (Zou Tiger); that $200,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale graduate being a member of the John O'Shea stable.
Daisies is bred on a 4 X 4 Danehill (USA) cross, also carrying strains of that stallion's close relations Northern Dancer (Can) and Halo (USA).
Listed Polytrack Gothic S., $175,000, 1400m
Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice) made it three determined wins in a row, digging deep to earn black type at his first crack at stakes level.
Bred by Nielma Grant-Taylor and purchased by Anthony Freedman Racing for $340,000 at the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, he is the fifth stakes winner for Newgate Farm's G1 Blue Diamond S. and Moir S. winner Extreme Choice, from just his first 22 runners.
He is the third stakes winner for the high-class broodmare Abscond (Galileo {Ire}) who has also produced the G1 Tattersall's Tiara winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible) and the recent G3 JRA Cup winner Secret Blaze (Sizzling).
Served last spring by I Am Invincible, Abscond produced a Russian Revolution filly last November with her previous foal being a now 2-year-old Spirit Of Boom colt who was sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $275,000 at this year's Inglis Easter Sale.
Abscond is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Light Up Manhattan (Manhattan Rain) from the family of G1 Adelaide Cup winner The Hind (NZ) (McGinty {NZ}).
Listed Carlton Draught Alinghi S., $175,000, 1100m
Mileva (Headwater) has won half of her 10 starts after this success, her second at Listed level on the back of her Manihi S. success in Adelaide in late March.
Mileva is a homebred for the South Australian-based Tucker family, who have been cheering on members of this family for generations, also breeding and racing her two-time winning dam Lady Einstein (Magic Albert), her multiple city-winning grandam Relativity (Geiger Counter {USA}) and her Listed WATC Gimcrack S.-winning third dam Western Zip (Zephyr Zip {NZ}).
Mileva is her dam's first foal, Lady Einstein (a half-sister to Mossman's Group winners Second Effort and Diamond Effort) subsequently producing a Nicconi (the 3-year-old Hans Albert who jumped out well only recently for the Symon Wilde stable) and a Showtime colt, last spring paying a return visit to Headwater.
She is one of four stakes winners for Vinery Stud's up-and-coming young stallion, a G2 Silver Slipper S.-winning son of Exceed And Excel. Headwater hails from the same family as Mileva's second damsire Geiger Counter (USA); giving her a cross of the great mare Simon's Shoes (GB) (Simon Square {GB}) who appears again in Headwater via her grandson Windsor Slipper (GB).
