Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Impressive introduction to Sydney for Australian Guineas Winner
Jamie Kah never let the brakes off Australian Guineas winner Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) as he made an eye-catching introduction to Sydney racing at Tuesday’s Warwick Farm barrier trials.
The Gary Portelli-trained Miss Hades (Hellbent) won the heat, but it was the closing effort of Southport Tycoon that had most talking.
Miss Hades as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
He settled in behind the pace and once heads turned for home, Kah eased him into the clear and he ate into the leader’s margin with every stride, despite being tightly held together.
The Ciaron Maher trained 3-year-old is on the fourth line of betting at $11 with TAB for Saturday week’s G1 Doncaster Mile.
The Australian Guineas form was given a nice push at Rosehill on Saturday when runner-up Veight (Grunt {NZ}) took care of the older horses in the G1 George Ryder S.
Southport Tycoon was a $300,000 purchase for Bennett Racing from the Daandine Stud draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Southport Tycoon | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Miss Hades has won three from five, the latest in F&M BM72 grade at Rosehill in November.
Portelli also won the second heat with Extreme Spirit (Extreme Choice), who has not raced since finishing last in the Listed Dulcify at Randwick last September.
Espiona ticks over
Group 1 winner Espiona (Extreme Choice) gave her wheels a spin in Heat 5, finishing second to the David Pfieffer-trained Vegas Raider (Invader).
Espiona hasn’t raced since finishing third to Lady Laguna (Overshare) in the G1 Canterbury S. Prior to that, she was also third to Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) in the G1 Lightning S.
Vegas Raider (yellow cap)
On Tuesday, Jay Ford allowed the 5-year-old Star Thoroughbreds-raced mare to settle well back before making good ground between horses without urging to finish just under a length from the winner.
Espiona, winner of last year’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic and this season of the $2million Invitation, holds nominations for both the Group 1 TJ Smith S. and G1 Queen of the Turf S. during next month’s The Championships at Randwick. TAB has her marked as a $15 chance for both.
Slipper discard beats up on older horses
Golden Slipper emergency Espionage (Zoustar) beat the older horses in Heat 2 of the morning over 1200 metres.
Tommy Berry took the mount on the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott trained colt, who won the Breeders’ Plate in September before running second to stablemate Straight Charge (Written By) in the G2 Silver Slipper. He was then unplaced in Switzerland’s (Snitzel) Todman Trial, leaving him stranded as first emergency in the Slipper and not securing a run.
On Tuesday, he peeled out after the multiple Group-placed mare Call Di (Frankel {GB}) and put her away easily in the run to the line.
Espionage was a $1million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling purchase last year for the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership from the draft of Baramul Stud.
His second dam Military Rose (General Nediym) was a winner of the 2010 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the G2 Reisling Slipper Trial in the same year. The following season she won the G3 Gold Coast Guineas.
Embassy in good shape
Another valuable yearling seen winning at the Tuesday trial session was stakes placed colt Embassy (I Am Invincible).
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained colt took was given a little shake up by Tommy Berry at the 200 metres mark and he responded nicely, taking out Heat 11 with plenty up the sleeve.
Embassy was second to Castanya (Capitalist) in the Listed Lonhro Plate on debut, before finishing fourth to Straight Charge in the G2 Silver Slipper.
He was a $625,000 purchase for China Horse Club/Newgate/Go/Trilogy from the Yarraman Park draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is from the Denman mare Dendee, a Listed winner in Western Australia. It is the family of G1 Vinery Stud S. winner Montoya’s Secret (High Chaparral {Ire}).
Famous Woodlands family highlighted as unraced Godolphin fillies shine
Godolphin fillies, each of them unraced, took out the first three juvenile heats of the session.
Heat 7 was taken out by Novara (Epaulette), who has having her third official trial, having been unplaced at Hawkesbury and Warwick Farm prior.
Novara is from the Listed Canberra Guineas winner Italy (Domesday), who was also placed in the G2 Magic Night S. To date she is the dam of two winners, including the stakes placed Naples (Street Boss {USA}).
In Heat 8, Night Sky (Exosphere) was first home in her very first public appearance.
She is from the stakes winning Canny Lad mare Glows, which makes her a full-sister to G2 Manifold S. winner Thermosphere.
In Heat 9 Obscure (Exceed And Excel) tanked up under a vice-like Rachel King grip.
Obscure is from the six-times winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Philosophy from a famous Godolphin and Woodlands family.
Her second dam Renaissance (Lonhro) was a Group 2 winner and full-sister to fellow Group 2 winner Sessions and to Listed winner Haunted.
In all, their stakes winning mum Seances (Canny Lad) produced nine individual winners from 11 to race.
In turn, her dam Spirit (Danehill) was also a gem, with her progeny including the multiple Group winner Gordo (Brief Truce {USA}) and the ill-fated Unworldly (Quest For Fame {GB}), who tragically died on the training track, having put together a sequence of the G2 Furious S., G2 Tea Rose S. and G1 Flight S. in the spring of 2000.
Blue Point trial winner for Baker
The first of the Colts and Gelding heats was won by the Bjorn Baker-trained Point And Shoot (Blue Point {Ire}), who like the three fillies before him, is unraced to this point.
Point And Shoot was a $240,000 purchase for Baker and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) at last year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
He is from the winning Sepoy mare Watchmespin from a family that goes back to G1 Thousand Guineas winner and G1 VRC Oaks runner-up Serious Speed (Royal Academy {USA}).
Point And Shoot trialled behind Straight Charge last November, but did not race at that time and this was his first trial since then.
Maurice filly impresses
The Chris Waller-trained Pippie Beach (Maurice {Jpn}) looked the part when giving nothing else a chance from the front in Heat 14 of the morning.
The 3-year-old filly has had a string of trials dating back to March last year, but hasn’t made it to the races yet.
This was by far her most impressive trial, as she strode out to win eased down by 2.4l.
Pippie Beach as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pippie Beach was a $240,000 purchase for Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She is from the Listed winning, Group 1 placed mare Soft Sand (Dansili {GB}), who to this point has produced two foals to race, headed by the three-times winner Killiako (Maurice {Jpn}), who has been stakes placed in Melbourne.
Soft Sand is a half-sister to Italian Storm (Nicconi), who in turn is the dam of Listed winner A Very Fine Red (Deep Field).
