Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Race-Day Recap:
There was emotional scenes at Doomben when Hi Barbie (I Am Invincible) pulled off the fairytale beginning to her career and won the Listed Phelan Ready Plate for the family of her breeder, the late Alan Acton.
Listed Merson Cooper S. winner Palm Angel (Starspangledbanner) sprouted wings that took her to victory at Caulfield, and signalled herself a potential player in the G1 Blue Diamond S. next year.
Promising The Playwright (Written By) led wire to wire at Rosehill Gardens, and threw herself into Magic Millions contention with a tenacious win.
Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan) went one better than his previous two starts to capture the juvenile contest in Auckland, with connections dreaming of Karaka Millions success.
First season sire North Pacific gets his first winner on the board as Brazen Sailor storms home at the Gold Coast for Liam Birchley.
Fairytale debut for daughter of Outback Barbie
Jennifer Acton, widow of beef magnate Alan Acton, went to $1.2 million to secure the first foal of Acton’s beloved Outback Barbie (Spirit Of Boom) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and vowed to continue her late husband’s love of racing with the filly. Hi Barbie (I Am Invincible), as that filly has been named, delivered on debut on Saturday for Acton and trainer Tony Gollan with an emphatic 0.95l victory over Cuddles For Kimmy (Spirit Of Boom) in the Listed Phelan Ready Plate at Doomben. It was no surprise to see the filly’s connections in tears as she crossed the line.
“This just means so much, we are doing this for dad," Acton’s daughter Jessica told Racenet after the run.
“Dad would be stoked - and most importantly he would be really thrilled, hopefully, to have this filly qualified for the 2-year-old Magic Millions. He loved Outback Barbie, and this was the first foal - and the last foal - he saw of hers.
“Dad (Alan Acton) would be stoked - and most importantly he would be really thrilled, hopefully, to have this filly (Hi Barbie) qualified for the 2-year-old Magic Millions.” - Jessica Acton
“Dad was a massive supporter of Tony (Gollan), and mum has carried that through.
“It was probably as nervous as I've been coming to the races for a first starter,” Gollan said. “Not because of how good she is, it's just that she means a lot to the Acton family and to our family.
“I didn't love that sort of heavy ground for her, I just hoped her class would shine through. She was just better than them today.”
Tony Gollan and Jennifer Acton with Hi Barbie as a yearling | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Outback Barbie was a five-time winner, four of those wins at Listed level, as well as runner-up in the G2 Silver Shadow S. and numerous Group 3 contests when trained by Gollan. She finished third in both the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the R. Listed Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, before emerging victorious as a 4-year-old mare in the $1 million Magic Millions QTIS Open. With Saturday’s victory, Hi Barbie - so named by Jessica Acton’s son Tommy after they watched the Barbie movie - cements her spot at the start line for the juvenile event in January.
Outback Barbie foaled a full brother to Hi Barbie last year, who will be offered at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January as Lot 755 in Yarraman Park’s draft. She sadly lost her Snitzel filly this spring, and visited I Am Invincible again in October.
Outback Barbie when racing | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Diamond-bound Palm Angel flies home in Merson Cooper debut
Palm Angel (Starspangledbanner) started her racing career off with a bang at Caulfield on Saturday, leading all the way and downing fellow debutant Wiltshire Square (Wootton Bassett {GB}) by 0.75l to take home the Listed Merson Cooper S. for trainer Jason Warren and owners Rosemont Stud. Pre-race favourite and last start winner of the G3 Maribyrnong Plate Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) finished fourth, 5.75l back. Warren was pleased to see the filly frank her superb jump-out form and remind him of a special Group 2 winner in the process.
“She's by Starspangledbanner out of a Pivotal mare, and we had a bit of fun with a mare called Brooklyn Hustle bred on the same cross,” Warren said.
“We've liked this filly a lot, from the first day we started galloping her. I said to the boys at Rosemont, the whole team, that she's pretty special and she's just shown that at the trials.
“She's very much the professional, and she's an exciting filly. She'll have a freshen up now and then we'll prepare for the Blue Diamond lead-up races.”
“She's (Palm Angel) very much the professional, and she's an exciting filly. She'll have a freshen up now and then we'll prepare for the Blue Diamond lead-up races.” - Jason Warren
Bred and retained to race by Rosemont Stud, Palm Angel is the second stakes performer for Noblest (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), after her older half-brother Narbold (Churchill {Ire}), runner-up in the Listed Anzac Day S. last season. Noblest is a winning full sister to G1 Sun Chariot S. winner Peeress, dam of Listed Chester City Plate S. winner Ladyship (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), herself dam of three stakes winners, including this year’s G1 Lockinge S. winner Audience (GB) (Ifraaj {GB}). A full sister to Palm Angel was born this spring, and Noblest has since visited Churchill (Ire) again.
Jason Warren | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Playwright puts hand up for Magic Millions with debut victory
The Playwright (Written By) made good on the promise she showed with her trial win two weeks ago, fending off the more experienced Icarian Dream (Blue Point {Ire}) by 0.19l to claim victory in the first race at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. The 2-year-old filly, from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, led for much of the trip, going toe to toe with Gallo Nero (Wootton Bassett {GB}) before the colt faded to fourth.
“She has shown tremendous improvement throughout the preparation,” said co-trainer Adrian Bott, who was trackside for the victory. “The improvement we saw from her first trial to her second was very encouraging, I thought. In that trial, every time they challenged her, she responded, and that’s exactly what we saw today.
“They sustained a bit of pressure through the race, and she kept kicking. She was there to be beaten, but she kept finding.
“She’s switched on now, she knows what it’s all about. She will be amongst the nominations (for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic). She was an astute purchase by James Moss and the team (at Tricolours Racing) and has paid for herself today.”
“She’s (The Playwright) switched on now, she knows what it’s all about. She will be amongst the nominations (for the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic).” - Adrian Bott
The fourth winner from four runners for Listed Dalrello S.-placed Sugarparma (Snitzel), a half-sister to G3 Skyline S. runner-up Collect (Fastnet Rock), The Playwright descends from Listed Belle of the Turf S. winner Rubitoff (Rubiton). She passed in as a weanling at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, before her breeder Newhaven Park sold her to Tricolours Racing & Syndications for $60,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Sugarparma has a yearling and foal at foot by Newhaven Park’s Xtravagant (NZ) and was covered by Cool Aza Beel (NZ) in September. Her yearling filly will be offered as Lot 1397 in Newhaven Park’s draft at the Gold Coast in January.
Adrian Bott | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Third time lucky for Toretto en route to Karaka Millions
Twice a second placed finisher behind the Te Akau Racing duo To Bravery Born (NZ) (Snitzel) and La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth), Toretto (NZ) (Ardrossan) finally emerged victorious on Saturday at Auckland. The 2-year-old gelding, trained by Hollie Wynyard, made it 1.3l clear of well-bred In Haste (Snitzel) at the line, with That’s Gold (Lucky Vega {Ire}) finishing a gallant third after backing up from last weekend’s Listed Counties Challenge S.
“I’m really happy with him, as we have run into Te Akau with all of my 2-year-olds all season and finished second,” Wynyard said. “To get it (the win) this time was nice.
“The goal is to get back here for the Karaka Millions and going around Ellerslie is a big asset, so with the track being a soft five today, he should pull up really well and we can go on from here.
“He has come on so much stronger and so much better from his first start, and after his run at Te Rapa, he has put on weight, and I just can’t get on top of him.”
“The goal is to get back here for the Karaka Millions (with Toretto).” - Hollie Wynyard
Toretto’s win takes his earnings to NZ$29,275 (AU$26,000), which all but assures him entry to the NZ$1 million Karaka Millions 2YO race in late January.
Purchased for NZ$165,000 by Benner Racing out of Landsdowne Park’s draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, Toretto was bred by Dewar Partnership out of Pentire (GB) mare Pwerfect, a granddaughter of Listed Upavon S. placegetter Guaranda (GB) (Acatenango {Ger}), a half-sister to 11-time winner and sire Fame And Glory (GB). Perfect’s third foal, a full brother to Toretto called Beau Dazzler, was the winner of the Listed Phelan Ready S. on this day a year ago. The mare produced another full brother last spring, who will be Lot 228 in Elsdon Park’s draft at Karaka next year.
Toretto (NZ) surges to victory in the Mondiale VGL | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Brazen Sailor delivers first winner for North Pacific
Newgate Farm-based North Pacific was handed his first winner with only his second runner, when his son Brazen Sailor took out the opening juvenile race at the Gold Coast on Saturday by 1.3l over Shemakesmenervous (Power {GB}). Grafterburners (Graff) was a close third after connections had their protest against the second placed finisher dismissed.
Fourth in his only trial earlier in the month, Liam Birchley’s 2-year-old colt sat near the tail of the field for most of the run, before eating up the ground to the finish.
Bred by Fergal Connolly of Valiant Stud and offered through his Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, Brazen Sailor was purchased by Bloodstock Solutions for $60,000. He is the first foal of three-time winner Commute (Denman), whose grandam Sweet Centro (NZ) (Centro {NZ}) was a half-sister to the dam of G1 Randwick Guineas-winning sire Ilovethiscity.
North Pacific | Standing at Newgate
Commute has a yearling filly by Prague, and a colt born this spring by Captivant. G3 Up And Coming S. winner North Pacific stands his fourth season at Newgate Farm for $16,500 (inc GST).
