Saturday summary: Waller reigns supreme on Winx Day

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

G1 Winx S. trifecta for Chris Waller

With six runners in the G1 Winx S. there were sharp odds around trainer Chris Waller winning the race named for his Champion mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) and he delivered with the trifecta. Zougotcha (Zoustar) ridden by Tommy Berry led down the centre of the track and was just nailed on the line by Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) who flew along the rails for Kerrin McEvoy.

Out wide, Fangirl (Sebring) showed she had recovered from her scary injury last season to close late for jockey James McDonald but couldn’t quite get there in time, finishing in third.

“Obviously, she's a very smart horse and I'm privileged to be training horses like her,” Waller said. “It was a beautiful ride from Kerrin (McEvoy). He didn't go around a horse, saved ground and had plenty of horse topping the famous Randwick rise. She was strong all the way to the line.”

Waller will now split up the three into separate targets with Via Sistena heading to the G1 Makybe Diva S. before the G1 WS Cox Plate.

“The plan was the Makybe Diva in three weeks. I've just got to split them up a bit now - all three could have won a Group 1 race if their stablemates weren't there, so I don't want to waste too many. Via Sistina is probably our number one seed for the Cox Plate, unless Fangirl wins like she did in the King Charles (S.) again.”

Now the winner of two of her three Australian starts (all in Group 1 company), Via Sistina took her career record to seven wins from 16 starts with earnings over $3.3 million and she is another super mare owned by Yulong Investments. She was purchased by Evergreen Equine at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 2.7 million gns (AU$5.5 million), and prior to that was a 5000 gns (AU$10,200) yearling purchase by Stephen Hillen Bloodstock at the 2019 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

Conceived during one of Australia Champion Sire Fastnet Rock’s eleven seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, she is one of his 193 stakes winners which includes 43 Group 1 winners, and this was her third Group 1 win after the G1 Pretty Polly S in England, and last season’s G1 Ranvet S.

Gallery: Images courtesy of Sportpix

Fastnet Rock has crossed well with Galileo mares producing Group 1 winners Age Of Fire, Intricately (Ire), Magicool, Personal, Pizza Bianca (USA), Qualify (Ire), Rivet Delight (Ire), Unforgotten, Zhukova (Ire), and Via Sistena (Ire).

Via Sistena’s unraced dam Nigh (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has only two winners from five to race, and she is a half-sister to Champion 3-Year-Old Sprinter in Great Britain and dual Group 1 winner Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil {USA}) who beat War Artist (Orpen {USA}), Sir Gerry (USA) (Carson City {USA}), and Takeover Target (Celtic Swing {GB}) in the G1 Royal Ascot Golden Jubilee S.

Joliestar arrogant in G3 Show County, heads to The Everest

Joliestar (Zoustar) stamped her claims to a coveted The Everest slot with a breathtaking win in the G3 Show County Quality, winning with such ease that jockey James McDonald had time to give her a pat before the finishing line. Officially the winning margin was 2.9l from Angela Davies trained Our Kobison (Kobayashi) with Brad Widdup trained outsider Phearson (Exosphere) in third.

“She is very good isn't she? She is well named, she's a star,” trainer Chris Waller said. “She was dominant in the Arrowfield (3YO Sprint) in the autumn, the owners looked after her so well and were patient and are reaping the rewards now.

“It does help with looking towards (The Everest) slot interest, but most importantly, we will see how she comes through it. Wherever she goes, she's going to be a star.”

The 4-year-old mare won the G1 Thousand Guineas last spring before winning the G2 Arrowfield Stud Sprint in the autumn, and now has a record of four wins and three seconds from seven starts. Zoustar’s commercial hotness continues to fire and he now has 57 stakes winners and Joliestar is one of his eight Group 1 winners.

Stunningly well-bred, Joliestar was a $950,000 purchase by Cambridge Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Segenhoe Stud draft. A daughter of G2 Roman Consul S. winner Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock), Joliestar is a half-sister to the stakes-placed winners God Of Thunder (More Than Ready {USA}) and Emperor (I Am Invincible).

Jolie Bay is a full sister to dual Group 1 winner and sire Merchant Navy and to Listed winner of seven races Setanta with all three being out of Group 3 winner Legally Bay (Snippets). Group 1 winner and young sire Paulele is also a member of this family.

Kimochi, the $2.2million mare, wins G3 Toy Show

Trainer Gary Portelli is pushing for a slot in The Everest for 4-year-old mare Kimochi who rewarded her new owners Yulong with a strong win in the G3 Toy Show Quality on Saturday at Randwick.

Ridden by Jason Collett, Kimochi fought hard to put her head in front of a wall of horses to win by 0.36l from Godolphin’s Commemorative (I Am Invincible) with the Michael Freedman-trained Mumbai Muse (Zoustar) only an inch behind in third.

“Fantastic start to her preparation, a great win today for Yulong. Commiserations to her previous owner, Leo To, who bought her in the first place, but she did a great job for him and I'm sure he's got mixed emotions at home watching the race, but he's got some nice horses coming through himself,” Portelli said.

“She's been racing nearly forever, and this is the first time she's come in (after) a good two or three months (spell) under her belt. And I was pretty confident that she was after these horses when you saw the opposition that had been winning today. She's been amongst these horses every time she's raced. So today was her day, and she did a great job. No luck at all, three deep, no cover the trip and still did the job, so she's a pretty good mare.”

Purchased by Ilsay Vale for $2.2 million at the Inglis Chairman's Sale when consigned by Twin Hills Stud on behalf of her owners, Kimochi races in the Yulong Stud colours. Previously, she had been a $21,000 weanling purchase by Hall Of Fame Bloodstock at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale from Valiant Stud.

Kimochi now has three wins to go with her nine placings from 14 starts with earnings over $1.1 million. By Yarraman Park Stud’s Brave Smash (Jpn) who has three stakes winners from only 100 named foals, she is the second foal of unraced mare Summer Fun (I Am Invincible) whose first foal is Listed Singapore Derby-placed, winner of three races, Hole In One (Spieth {NZ}). Summer Fun also has an unraced 3-year-old filly, Distinctly Summer (Invader) and an unnamed 2-year-old colt by Russian Revolution.

Summer Fun is a full sister to the stakes-placed winner Real Charisma, and their dam is G1 Victoria Oaks-placed winner Summerbliss (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Eliyaas keeps Australian unbeaten record in G3 Premiers Cup

Exciting French import Eliyass demonstrated why he is the early favourite for the G1 The Metropolitan with another impressive win at Royal Randwick on Saturday to take his Australian record to two from two.

Ridden three deep around the corner by jockey Tim Clark for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Eliyaas sprinted clear at the 250-metre mark before being challenged by the Peter Snowden-trained Touristic (GB) (Frankel {GB}), but Eliyaas held on to win by 0.47l. Super Strike (NZ) (Super Easy {NZ}) was 2l further back in third.

“He was vulnerable there at the furlong when challenged, but those good horses, that's what separates them,” Bott said. “He's just able to dig deep, and he found plenty there, through the line. So I'm sure there's good improvement off the back of that.

“He's on a Metropolitan path and I think he'll be better suited when he gets over that little bit further. So, there's a couple of nice options coming up for him, but I think he's right on track. I think we'll bide our time. He might have a month between runs now, running 2000 metres in a month's time (Kingston Town S.), and that'll be his main lead up for the Metropolitan.”

Winner of six of his eight starts in France including the Listed Grand Prix de la Région Grand Est, he was purchased by Astute Bloodstock at the 2023 Arqana Arc de Triomphe Sale of mixed stock for €330,000 (AU$544,000), and his two starts in Australia have earned him over $250,000.

He is the second winner for winning mare Edilisa (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Edelmira (Ire) (Peintre Celebre {USA}) and to the dam of Listed winner Evina (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

Brilliant Bonny Lass adds G2 Foxbridge Plate

A stakes winner in every season of racing from two to five, Bonny Lass kicked off her 6-year-old season on a perfect note when she defeated a star-studded field in Saturday’s G2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa.

With seven Group 1 winners in the field, Bonny Lass was given a perfect ride by Craig Grylls, who positioned her in seventh behind a fierce early battle for the lead. Those early exertions were always going to take their toll on the leaders, and the field fanned across the track at the top of the home straight to try to run them down. Grylls got Bonny Lass off the rail just before the turn and presented her five off the fence, and the ultra-consistent mare produced her customary turn of foot to sprint into contention.

Bonny Lass dashed to victory by 0.75l from the longshot Mali Ston (NZ) (El Roca), who flashed home late after being second-last at the home turn. Group 1 winner Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel) was another long head away in third.

“That was a very good effort today,” co-trainer Rogan Norvall told Loveracing.nz. “We know how tough she is. The track being a Heavy9 today was a concern, but she’s tougher than most. We’ll have a chat with all the connections to see where we go from here. It’s a fairly quick turnaround into the Tarzino, only two weeks, but we’ll definitely think about it.”

Bonny Lass took her record to eight wins from 21 starts with earnings over NZ$745,000, and she had previously won the 2024 G1 Waikato Sprint. She is the only Group 1 winner for Super Easy (NZ), who has six other stakes winners.

A full sister to stakes-placed Clark Kent (NZ), Bonny Lass is out of the stakes-placed winner Posh Bec (NZ) (Le Bec Fin {NZ}), herself a half-sister to Group 3-placed, winner of seven races Time To Celebrate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).

Mornington Glory redemption continues, and now has a Group 1 target

Next month’s G1 Moir S. is an option for the Gavin Bedggood-trained Mornington Glory (Shalaa {Ire}) after he delivered the trainer an emotional win in the Listed Norman Carlyon S. at The Valley on Saturday.

Tony Gollan-trained Golden Boom (Spirit Of Boom) led all the way down the straight for jockey Blake Shinn, but Mornington Glory chased hard coming through the centre to lift at the last moment to win by 0.3l for jockey Ethan Brown. The Mark Walker-trained Sans Doute (Not A Single Doubt) was third, 0.5l further back.

“He did it the hard way and he was too good for them,” Bedggood said of the win that gave him his first black type win at The Valley.

“I’ve got some soul-searching to do over the next week. Everything you hear on the radio for the last four or five weeks is going there, but it’s probably hard for us to not go because he’s three for three here (The Valley) over 1000 metres. A Group 1 would be great on mine and his CV.”

Winner of his last two in succession, Mornington Glory could only manage fifth when second favourite in the G3 Sir John Monash S. in his first run this season. All up, he has six wins from 19 starts with earnings over $530,000 and was a $360,000 purchased by Matt Laurie, Bahen Bloodstock and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2020 Magic Millions Gooree Stud Reduction Sale.

This was his first win at stakes level and Mornington Glory becomes the 17th stakes winner for Shalaa (Ire), whose local progeny include G2 winner Seven Veils and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Shaquero.

Mornington Glory becomes the third stakes winner for the Group 3 winner Crowned Glory (Danehill {USA}), who ran second to Belle Du Jour (Dehere {USA}) in the G1 Golden Slipper. She is the dam of Group 1 winner and sire Hallowed Crown and Group 3 winner and sire Needs Further. Crowned Glory’s dam, Significant Moment (Bletchingly) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and Champion Sire Zabeel (NZ), and Group 1 winner and sire Baryshnikov.

Country Cups target for Listed Leon Macdonald S. winner

Second To Nun (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) will be aimed at the Listed Balaklava Cup and Listed Murray Bridge Gold Cup after winning Saturday’s Listed Leon Macdonald S. at Morphettville. Trained by Will Clarken and Niki O'Shea, the 5-year-old mare was coming off a fourth-placing in the G3 Behemoth S. won by See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) who was sent out as favourite today but could only manage fourth.

Ridden by Kayla Crowther, Second To Nun won by 0.4l from the Mitchell Freedman-trained Attrition (Churchill {Ire}) with the Lindsay Park-trained Nicolini Vito (Nicconi) only 0.2l behind in third. A homebred for Racing.com form analyst John Kelton, Second To Nun took her record to nine wins from 26 starts with earnings over $420,000 for her large syndicate of owners.

“Her dam, Tidy Prophet, was such a good fun mare for us, she won a Lincoln Cup and a few other nice races and this girl is proving herself to be even better,” Clarken said. “These homebred horses can take a bit more time, but we’ve always thought she was worth waiting for, and she’s vindicated that today.

“The Balaklava Cup is plan A, but it will depend on what weight she gets in that. There might be an option for her in Melbourne as well.”

This was her first black type win and she became Akeed Mofeed’s (GB) fifth stakes winner. Second To Nun is the second foal for the stakes-placed winner Tidy Prophet (Keep The Faith) who won nine races and nearly $250,000. She has an unnamed 3-year-old filly by Toronado (Ire) and a 2-year-old colt by Tagaloa.

Favourite Searchin’ Roc’s wins Listed Idyllic Prince S.

Trainer Jim Taylor added a fifth win in the Listed Idyllic Prince S. at Belmont on Saturday with short favourite Searchin’ Roc’s (Awesome Rock). The $125,000 Listed event was rebranded in celebration of one of Taylor’s best and favourite horses, Idyllic Prince (Scenic) who won the race four times from 2008 to 2011.

Ridden by Steven Parnham, Searchin’ Roc’s won by 1.26l from the Simon Miller-trained Valour Road (Frosty Giant {USA}) and Vast Art (Flying Artie), trained by Darren McAuliffe. Searchin’ Roc’s, who hadn’t won since the spring of 2023, took her record to nine wins from 26 starts and tipped her earnings over $1 million. She has won six times at stakes level, including twice at Group 3 level.

From the first crop of G1 Mackinnon S. winner Awesome Rock, who now has five stakes winners from his time in WA from 91 runners, Searchin’ Roc’s is bred and raced by H and R Grant. Searchin’ Roc’s is the only winner for her dam, Still Searchin’ (Trade Fair {GB}) who only had one start.

This family is light on stakes winners in the immediate generations, and aside from Searchin’ Roc’s, pedigree enthusiasts have to go back four generations to find Joyfulness (Bletchingly) who is an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winner Joie Denise (Danehill {USA}), dam of Group 1 winners Tuesday Joy (Carnegie {Ire}) and Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}), dam of Group 1 winner More Joyous (More Than Ready {USA}).