Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
Race-day Recap
Rosemont homebred Summer Flame (Written Tycoon) won on debut at Mornington for trainer Chris Waller, but it hasn't all been easy for the well-bred 3-year-old filly.
TAB Racing Club's 2-year-old filly In Haste (Snitzel) will be aimed at the Matamata Breeders S. after an impressive 4.25l win at Matamata on Wednesday.
Queensland trainer Kelly Schweida has a promising juvenile filly with debutant winner Sunrays (Hellbent) who won at Doomben.
Gary Portelli’s 3-year-old colt King Of Dragons (Harry Angel {Ire}) took his Magic Millions form south and came up trumps at Kensington.
Nicely bred Shanwah (NZ) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) lives up to his price tag with maiden win at Mornington, providing a timely update for his half-brother who sells on Sunday at Karaka.
Vale Howard Blight. Headhunter (Vancouver) gives the family of his owner an emotional win on a hard day.
From rogue to flashy debutant win for Rosemont
Rosemont Stud’s homebred 3-year-old filly Summer Flame (Written Tycoon) made her debut at Mornington on Wednesday and led all the way for jockey Damian Lane to win by 1.75l from stablemate 3-year-old gelding Climb The Ladder (NZ) (Ardrossan) who was also on debut. In third was Ciaron Maher trained colt Alero (Toronado {Ire}).
“She had a great experience - she's been a little difficult to get to the races, we had a few hiccups,” stable representative Lizzie Collett said.
“She was a bit pesky with the barriers - we can thank Julien Welsh for helping us out there, he got her manners under control. From the start I think we were pretty confident with her, it's just been a matter of getting her behaviour right and giving her a good experience. But she's taken everything well today … credit to Damian for doing such a good job.”
Rosemont Stud purchased Summer Flame’s dam Divine Quality (Sepoy) with Summer Flame in utero for $725,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale from Glastonbury Farm.
Winner of the G3 Begonia Belle S. Divine Quality’s first foal, Divino Cavello (Pierro) has won twice this season, while her current 2-year-old is the unraced colt Augusta National (Zoustar) who sold for $625,000 to Rosemont Stud, Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA), and John O’Shea at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The yearling full sister to Summer Flame has been entered in the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale by Rosemont Stud as Lot 145.
This is the family of New Zealand Horse Of The Year and triple Group 1 winner King’s Chapel who stood at stud in NZ, and Listed winner Vatican (God’s Own).
TAB Racing Club has thrilling future with In Haste
The TAB Racing Club could be in for an exciting couple of months with their juvenile filly In Haste (Snitzel) whose impressive 4.25l win at Matamata on Wednesday has her trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson looking at stakes targets. “She was very tractable and showed a really good turn of foot. It’s onwards and upwards for her and hopefully we can get her back here in a few weeks’ time for the Matamata Breeders,” Bergerson said.
In Haste is part-owned by TAB Racing Club, an Entain Australia and New Zealand initiative which promotes racehorse ownership among TAB customers, mirrored off the success off their Ladbrokes Racing Club in Australia, and is free to join. “What they are doing for racing is massive, so to get a result like that with a filly who’s hopefully going to go on to better things is really exciting.”
Runner up in November, In Haste was having her second race day start. Stablemate Born To Be Royal (King's Legacy) was second and Stephen Marsh trained Miss Moet All (Russian Revolution) was third.
In Haste is owned by Newgate Farm, SF Bloodstock, and the TAB Racing Club, and was purchased at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Newgate Farm’s draft for $400,000 by the Ladbrokes Racing Club and Newgate Bloodstock.
In Haste as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
By Champion Sire Snitzel, In Haste is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Prompt Response (Beneteau) and Group 3 winner Prompt Return (Beneteau), and her dam Prompt (Exceed And Excel) has had seven winners from as many to race.
Hellbent adds another exciting juvenile
Hellbent’s fourth crop opened the ledger with the exciting Tremonti winning the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. back in the start of the spring, and on Wednesday, his debutant 2-year-old filly Sunrays won at Doomben to become the third juvenile winner from this crop. Trained by Kelly Schweida and ridden by Cejay Graham, Sunrays won by 1.1l from Toby Edmonds & Stephen McLean trained pair of filly Cool Moon (Cool Aza Beel {NZ}) and Steffi Electronica (Graff).
“A really nice filly. I thought it was a nice win, she did everything right, and was strong when asked for an effort,” Schweida told TTR. “She’s a natural improver and a nice pedigree. Hellbent over a Fastnet Rock mare. It’s too early for plans. A good owner too.”
Withdrawn as a yearling, Sunrays is raced by Peter Moran who bred her. She is the first live foal from unraced mare Hiccups (Fastnet Rock) who has a 2024 colt by Written By. Hiccups’ dam Supreme (Encosta De Lago) is a half-sister to G1 BTC Cup winner and sire Duporth, G1 Sires’ Produce S. winner and sire Excites, and Group 2 winner and sire Tickets. Another half-sister is winning mare Succeeding (Flying Spur) who is the dam of dual Group 1 winner in South Africa and sire Delago Deluxe, who shares the same sire as Hiccups’ dam. The three stakes winners are out of four-time Group 2 winner Staging (Success Express {USA}) who was multiple times Group 1 placed.
Hellbent won as a late 2-year-old, improving to add the G1 William Reid S. as an older horse. His stock have followed a similar vein and he has six stakes winners led by Group 1 winning sprinters Benedetta and Magic Time. Hellbent has produced three stakes placed winners out of Fastnet Rock mares being Hell Queen, Vivy Air, and 3-year-old gelding Hella Fast who was second in the G3 Vo Rogue Plate two starts ago.
Hellbent | Standing at Yarraman Park
Portelli looking for a few more Harry Angels
Trainer Gary Portelli’s stable representative James Fathers’ hinted that they have Harry Angel (Ire) on their buying list for the upcoming sales after the tough maiden win of 3-year-old colt King Of Dragons (Harry Angel {Ire}) in the first at Kensington on Wednesday. Ridden by apprentice Braith Nock, King Of Dragons won by 0.62l over Robert Quinn trained 3-year-old gelding Wal’s Me Mate (Headwater) with Chris Waller trained 3-year-old gelding Wa Wa Wa (Deep Field) 1.4l in arrears in third.
“I thought if he could reproduce his form, he’d be very hard to beat and he managed to do that today. It was a great ride, and a big job for the team to get the horse here in good order. It’s not easy after a trip to Brisbane and back, obviously he nearly won there,” Fathers said, referring to his last start second in the $250,000 Magic Millions Maiden Plate on January 11 behind Heavenly Impact (Harry Angel {Ire}).
“He’s very tough to be fair, he does try his guts out for you and you know in a fight he’ll be hard to beat.” When asked how many Harry Angel’s the stable has, Fathers said, “This is probably our favourite one and we’ll be looking for a few more of them.”
“He’s very tough to be fair, he does try his guts out for you and you know in a fight he’ll be hard to beat.” - James Fathers
King Of Dragons ran poorly at his only start at two, and this spring had placed in three of his four starts leading into this win. His record stands at one win and three placings from six starts with earnings over $116,000. Catalogued for sale three times, King Of Dragons first went through the ring at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale where Hollylodge Thoroughbreds sold him for $110,000 to Bevan Smith Bloodstock and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA). He was re-offered as a yearling by Sullivan Bloodstock at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where Trilogy Racing bought him for $180,000, and he was passed in at the Inglis Ready To Race Sale.
A half-brother to Listed Calway Gal S. winner Champ Elect (Choisir), King Of Dragons’ dam Champalou (Encosta De Lago) was a winner at two and is a daughter of G1 Queensland Oaks winner Vouvray (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). This makes Champalou a half-sister to winning mare Sancerre (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), the dam of Horse Of The Year and multiple Group 1 winner Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubawi).
King Of Dragons as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Champalou has produced seven winners and has an unnamed 2-year-old gelding by Hellbent and a colt foal by Hitotsu. Harry Angel (Ire) has seventeen stakes winners with Listed winner Vicious Harry also out of an Encosta De Lago mare.
A timely breakthrough win for Shanwah (NZ)
Time-honoured Trelawney Stud in New Zealand added an exciting 3-year-old winner to their long list of graduates when Shanwah (NZ) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) won nicely at Mornington on Wednesday. Second in the betting at his fifth start, Shanwah was ridden by Blake Shinn, who became the fifth different jockey to have a crack on the Ciaron Maher trained gelding. Launched from the bend by the experienced jockey, Shanwah won by 1.25l from Chris Waller trained favourite 3-year-old filly Belle Detelle (Zed {NZ}) with Maher trained Ongatiti (NZ) (Sweynesse) in third.
Sold by Trelawney Stud at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$750,000 to Cameron Cooke Bloodstock, the farm are offering Shanwah’s half-brother by Per Incanto (USA) on Sunday as Lot 20.
Shanwah is a half-brother to G2 Rose of Kingston S. winner Excelida (Exceed And Excel) and their dam is three-race winner Lady Sayyida (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) who is a half-sister to G1 Cox Plate winner and Waikato Stud’s proven sire Ocean Park (NZ). Lady Sayyida is also a half-sister to city winner Ruqqaya (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy {USA}), the dam of dual Group 1 winner and sire Grunt (NZ) and G2 Matriarch S. winner Zayydani (NZ) (Savabeel). Further back, this is the fantastic Kiwi family of G1 Golden Slipper winner Courtza (NZ), dam of Champion Sire O’Reilly (NZ).
Emotional win for Headhunter in Queensland
The news came through on Wednesday morning to the Matthew Hoysted stable that owner Howard Blight had died, and his 3-year-old gelding Headhunter (Vancouver) delivered an emotional win at Doomben.
“It’s never a message you like to receive. It’s heartbreaking for the family but just glad this guy was able to get the job done, and bring a little bit of happiness to the family on such a tough day,” Hoysted said.
“Howard’s been a very successful breeder and a huge supporter of Steven (O’Dea) and now mine, and we’ve had some really nice horses for him and thankfully (Headhunter) looks to be another one. He’s still a big raw bugger and he’s going to improve with time and experience and he’s got a nice future ahead of him.”
“It’s never a message you like to receive. It’s heartbreaking for the family but just glad this guy (Headhunter) was able to get the job done, and bring a little bit of happiness to the family on such a tough day.” - Matthew Hoysted
TTR wrote this article about Blight after the gelding he bred, Golden Monkey (Star Turn), won the 2022 Singapore 3YO Sprint. Golden Monkey went on to add the 2023 Singapore Derby and Stewards’ Cup, and now racing has ended in Singapore, he’s just been imported to Tim Fitzsimmons’ stable in Ballarat.
Headhunter’s win came at his second start, having run second on debut in early January, and he is the second foal of winning mare Dixie Chick (Star Witness) whose yearling colt by Snitzel is being offered by Riversdale as Lot 347 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Dixie Chick’s first foal, Noble Conqueror (Churchill {Ire}) has won three times, and Dixie Chick is a half-sister to G2 Jockey Club Sprint-placed Flagship Shine (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) and to Dixie’s Comet (Northern Meteor), the dam of the aforementioned Golden Monkey.
