Famous silks land the juvenile feature at Bendigo for Trapeze Artist

Written by Jessica Owers

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

Bendigo Racecourse is known as the ‘nursery of champions’, so when there’s a 2-year-old result to look at, it’s often worth the effort.

On Thursday afternoon, that was the case for prominent owner-breeders Peter Devitt and Russell and Craig Gordon, who cheered home their filly Flying Concello (Trapeze Artist) in the opener.

The 2-year-old rattled home from the back of the pack to post a 0.75l victory over Pink Chandon (Pierro), with race favourite I Miss Margie (Deep Field) home for third.

Flying Concello is trained by Ben and JD Hayes. She is part of the juvenile caravan that has rolled on and on this season for Lindsay Park.

Thursday’s win was her second outing after a fifth on debut at Moe on June 15. In that race, she was squarely beaten by Elderberry (Bolt D’Oro {USA}), but while she also looked beaten at Bendigo, the spacious track was the making of her and she accounted for the field easily enough.

“I was quite surprised by that turn of foot,” said Jasmin Williams, who was trackside representing Lindsay Park. “She probably jumped a little worse than I would have liked her to, but she really came home in that 50 metres, which was fantastic.

“She looked like she really got going at her last start too, so she obviously likes a bit of space in the home straight. A little bit of luck at her last start and she might have been a bit better, but she’s done a great job today.”

Eight for Trapeze Artist

Flying Concello is raced in those familiar pink silks of breeding partners Peter Devitt and brothers Russell and Craig Gordon. The Victorians have raced such good horses in these colours as Nicconi, Niconero (Danzero) and Fast ‘N’ Rocking (Fastnet Rock).

Between them, Devitt and the Gordons breed around a dozen foals a year, and Flying Concello is a filly they bred in 2020 from a mare they also bred, Little Gypsy (Lonhro).

It’s not a huge page but it’s a tidy one. Little Gypsy won two races in eight starts when trained by David Hayes for Lindsay Park. She is a half-sister to the smart filly Roma Giaconda (Magic Albert), who was second in the G2 Stan Fox S. and third to Mosheen (Fastnet Rock) in the G1 VRC Oaks.

Like Little Gypsy, Roma Giaconda was also bred and raced by Devitt and the Gordon brothers.

“Little Gypsy was no superstar, but we kept her and decided early days to go to Trapeze Artist,” said Russell Gordon, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “We’ve had Nicconi at Widden Stud for quite a few years, and the three of us, Peter, my brother and myself, plus the brains at Lindsay Park, opted to support Trapeze Artist with this mare. We actually sold the full brother at the sales this year to Danny O’Brien.”

Little Gypsy went to Trapeze Artist two seasons in a row, and the colt she produced after Flying Concello was sold this year at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He fetched $200,000 when offered by Newhaven Park and bought by Danny O’Brien Racing.

“She’s a very young mare and this was a good result for her today (Thursday),” Gordon said. “Her second progeny a winner and a Trapeze Artist as well.”

Flying Concello became the eighth winner for first-season sire Trapeze Artist, which ranks him equal-second with Harry Angel (Ire) for seasonal winners. Only Brave Smash (Jpn) is ahead of the pair with 10. On earnings, Trapeze Artist sits fifth on the first-season sires’ table.

“We wanted to use a first-season sire for Little Gypsy because they’re always popular,” Gordon said. “We got a bit of a push from Widden to support him because we’ve had a close association with them for a long time, and it’s proved a good decision. It’s all a bit of a gamble with young mares into very young stallions, but we can’t be happier at the minute.”

Gordon was impressed with the effort from Flying Concello at Bendigo. He thought it a huge ride from Daniel Stackhouse, who was cool enough in the straight to reel in the field from a long way back.

“We were always going to have to go back from that barrier (nine) and come down the outside,” he said. “We were worried about the heavy track, and had there not been a small enough field, because there were about five scratchings I think, we probably would have scratched too.

“We just thought she’d get caught wide, but with the smaller field, the Lindsay Park team decided to leave her in. She had a nice sprint in the end and it’s good to see them lengthen like that.”

A Blue Point half on the way

Devitt and the Gordon brothers keep their mares dotted around Victoria and New South Wales. Some are at Widden, others at Seymour Park and other places.

They’ve had a lot of success for a long time, but Russell Gordon still gets a kick out of youngsters like Flying Concello because they’re homebreds from homebreds.

Little Gypsy is currently in foal to Blue Point (Ire), who has done very well on the sales circuit this Australian season, and there’s a possibility the mare will return to that stallion again this spring.

“She’s in foal to Blue Point, the same Blue Point that you cannot get into this year,” Gordon said. “That was a recommendation from Andy Makiv at Darley Victoria. They think the horse is going to be a superstar.

“We’re considering another of our horses, Friday Hussy, for Trapeze Artist this spring, but we might have to change that around with Little Gypsy.”

Trapeze Artist will stand the spring upcoming at $55,000 (inc GST), which is unchanged on last year’s figure. He has met superb books in his four seasons at stud, covering more mares last spring (183) than he ever has.

Flying Concello was a tidy result for the stallion late in his season, and Gordon said his co-breeders were either overseas or arriving home from overseas, so he was watching solo.

“But it doesn’t matter where you watch your horses or where they win,” he said. “It’s always a nice feeling when you have a winner.”