Fireburn sibling takes G3 Frank Packer Plate in protest
Kintyre (Hallowed Crown) won the G3 Frank Packer Plate in a dramatic protest after crossing the line in second behind Gold Bullion (NZ) (Savabeel). “Jamie (Kah) said 'I think he (Kintyre) should have won'. So we said, let's watch it. When we saw that she took the rail the last 25 metres, the rules are you can't squeeze them up. So anyway, we got the money,” said trainer Gary Portelli.
“His quality might take him out to a Derby trip but certainly there will be something up there (Brisbane) for him. We bought the half-brother to him at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. We paid $480,000-odd for him, he's by Pierata, a half-brother, so the mare is doing a great job.”
Kintyre took his record to three wins and seven placings from 20 starts with earnings over $510,000. He becomes the seventh stakes winner for Hallowed Crown, and is the 3-year-old half-brother to the G1 Golden Slipper victress Fireburn (Rebel Dane).
Ellerslie abandoned again
Safety concerns have again caused the abandonment of racing at Ellerslie racetrack in New Zealand with races seven (the G3 Easter H.) and eight not run on Saturday.
The troubled new surface had a similar issue on April 10 with races 4-7 abandoned on that day.
Begg’s big day concludes with Hareeba
After winning the G1 All-Aged S. at Randwick with Magic Time (Hellbent), trainer Grahame Begg added the Listed Hareeba S. with 3-year-old gelding Maharba (Pride Of Dubai) at Mornington.
Winner of the Listed Talindert S. as a 2-year-old, Maharba now has three wins from 10 starts and earnings over $470,000.
Exotique Miss wins Listed Daybreak Lover Plate
Consistent 3-year-old filly Exotique Miss (Under The Louvre) became her sire’s first stakes winner when she won the Listed Daybreak Lover Plate at Eagle Farm on Saturday. It was her third win in succession.
“She’s a 3-year-old filly once in her life, so the (Queensland) Oaks has always been the plan,” said trainer Michael Nolan who trains at Toowoomba. “It’s nice to get one against the big name stables.”
Exotique Miss took her record to four wins and three placings from nine starts with earnings just under $300,000.
Material Dreams gives Lean Mean Machine first stakes winner
In winning Saturday’s Listed HC Nitschke S., 3-year-old filly Material Dreams (Lean Mean Machine) gave her sire his first stakes winner. Trained by Nick Ryan, Material Dreams was unbeaten in two starts at two, and took her record to five wins from ten starts.
Material Dreams as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Material Dreams is from the first crop of Lean Mean Machine who is a Group 2-winning son of Zoustar. Purchased by G Lewis from Collingrove Stud at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $55,000, Material Dreams took her earnings beyond $195,000.
Huetor wins G3 JRA Plate
Peter and Paul Snowden’s imported Group 1 winner Huetor (Fr) (Archipenko {USA}) has overcome an eye injury and found form again in winning Saturday’s G3 JRA Plate. “It is a little shock, because he has struggled on these heavy conditions before. But obviously we're heading up to the Hollindale and the Doomben Cup and he's going up there in really good form,” said co-trainer Peter Snowden.
Huetor won the 2022 and 2023 G1 Doomben Cup and will head there again in 2024.
Former Hong Kong galloper wins Canterbury Gold Cup
In a display of longevity, 9-year-old gelding Green Luck (Street Cry {Ire}) has won the G2 Canterbury Gold Cup in New Zealand on Saturday giving trainer Stephanie Faulkner her first black-type win.
Stephanie Faulkner with Green Luck after his emphatic victory in Saturday's G3 Canterbury Gold Cup | Image courtesy of Race Images South
A $300,000 purchase by Magus Equine at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from Yarraman Park Stud, Green Luck won two of his three starts in Queensland before going to Hong Kong where he won six races, and was sent to New Zealand in 2022 where he has now won twice with his first stakes win. In total, he has 10 wins from 59 starts with earnings over $1.7million.
Dual Pressure wins Mornington Guineas
Trainer Mathew Ellerton backed up 3-year-old gelding Dual Pressure (Denman) after he failed in last week’s Bendigo Guineas and the bold move paid off as he won Saturday’s Mornington Guineas by 0.5l.
Dual Pressure now has three wins from 11 starts with earnings over $150,000.
Lofty Strike sibling wins at Mornington
Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Lofty Strike (Snitzel), who will stand at Swettenham Stud in 2024, had a pedigree boost on Saturday when his older brother Talbragar (Snitzel) won at Mornington. “A really nice horse to have,” trainer Julius Sandhu told Racing.com.
“We were pleased with the way he came through his first run, and he needed to back it up today and he did.” Owned by his breeder George Altomonte’s Corumbene Stud, Talbragar has won six of his nine races. He is the first foal of G1 Golden Slipper winner Overreach (Exceed and Excel) whose second foal is Lofty Strike and third foal is 3-year-old filly Excess (Snitzel) who won at Caulfield on Wednesday for the same trainer/owner pairing as Talbragar.
Overreach has a 2-year-old filly by Zoustar and a yearling filly by Capitalist and a filly foal by Snitzel.
Sea What I See makes it five in succession
Danny O’ Brien’s imported 4-year-old mare Sea What I See (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will step up into black type company after winning her fifth race in succession at Mornington on Saturday.
Purchased by Robert Roulston Bloodstock at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale from Watership Downs Stud for 140,000 guineas (AU$298,000), Sea What I See has done all her racing in Australia. She ran mid-field in her first two starts in May 2023 and September 2023, but this autumn has been a revelation winning five races in succession to take her record to five wins from seven starts.
Ocala 2-year-old Sale finishes with record average
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training finished on Friday USA time (Saturday morning AEST) with a new sales record average and median and a gross just off last year's record.
“It certainly felt like it picked up here at the end of the four-day stretch,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. Over the four day sale, 630 horses sold for a gross of US$81,994,000 (AU$127,800,000). The average of US$130,149 (AU$203,900) just inched ahead of last year's record-setting figure of US$129,907 (AU$202,500), while the median rose 7.7 per cent to a record US$70,000 (AU$109,100) from US$65,000 (AU$101,300) a year ago.
