Private Harry share bought by Yulong
Yulong confirmed on Saturday that they have purchased a 50 per cent share in unbeaten Group 1-winning 3-year-old colt Private Harry (Harry Angel {Ire}). Private Harry, will run in Yulong’s G1 The Everest slot in the spring of 2025/26.
Trained by Nathan Doyle, a condition of sale is that he will remain in that stable. The colt has won all his five starts, including a last-start victory in the G1 Galaxy Handicap, as well as the $3 million Sunlight Plate. He has earnings over $1.9 million, and was a $115,000 purchase by Kurrinda Bloodstock, and Doyle Racing, from Rheinwood Pastoral’s 2023 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft. Harry Angel (Ire), has sired 18 stakes winners with his oldest foals only 4-year-olds including Group 1 winner Tom Kitten, and exciting 3-year-old colt Angel Capital.
Private Harry | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Private Harry is the fourth foal of winning mare Happy Pilgrim (Congrats {USA}), who has produced three winners, and is a half-sister to stakes placed winners Snipzu (Snippetson), and Paredo (Better Than Ready).
Rosehill moved to Tuesday
The feature race meeting at Rosehill in NSW, was abandoned after 17mm of rain fell early in the morning, with 50mm forecast for the day. “Racing NSW, wish to advise the postponed Rosehill Gardens meeting today, has been rescheduled, and will now be conducted on Tuesday, 1st April 2025 at Rosehill. Please note all race fields to remain unchanged with scratching's to be reinstated,” reported racingnsw.com.au.
The black type races affected are the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes, G1 Tancred Stakes, G2 Emancipation Stakes, G2 Tulloch Stakes, G3 Star Kingdom Stakes, G3 Doncaster Prelude, G3 TL Baillieu Handicap, and G3 Neville Sellwood Stakes. The trials which were scheduled for Tuesday will move to Friday.
Rain plays havoc with Saturday on the East Coast
The rain on the east coast of Australia, resulted in nine meetings being abandoned. Rosehill will move to Tuesday. The others are Wyong, Doomben, Ipswich, Mingenew, Moranbah, Winton and Tullibigeal. The Gold Coast meeting was moved to the Polytrack.
Aviatress headlines Toeroek treble
Jockey Jake Toeroek, rode a treble at Morphettville on Saturday, with the 1.72l victory of trainers Richard and Chantelle Jolly, consistent 4-year-old mare Aviatress (Smart Missile) in the Listed Matrice Stakes at Morphettville, being the highlight. She won over Sue and Jason Jaensch-trained 4-year-old gelding, Sir Sway (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), with Andrew Gluyas-trained 4-year-old gelding, Air Assault (Justify {USA}) in third.
Aviatress won the G3 Northwood Plume Stakes in the spring, and now has six wins from 12 starts with earnings over $320,000, for owner Price Bloodstock. Aviatress is the fifth winner from as many to race for winning mare Twin Star Rocket (Bel Esprit), who has also produced Aviatress’s full brother Green ‘n’ White, who is Group 3-placed in Hong Kong, and has six wins there. Twin Star Rocket, is a half-sister to Listed winner Ever The Same (Canny Lad), and this is a distant branch of the Redoute’s Choice family.
Toeroek’s other two winners were on Stuart Gower-trained 3-year-old gelding Darknconfidential (Cosmic Force), and Aviatress’s stablemate Star Sirius (Sir Prancealot {Ire}).
Imported Deakin wins Roy Higgins
Trainer Phillip Stokes and OTI Racing, will begin planning for a G1 Melbourne Cup run with imported 5-year-old Deakin (Fr) (Australia {GB}), after he won Saturday’s Listed Roy Higgins, with the victory gaining him a ballot exemption for the 2025 Cup. “It's a very important win, just to see the progression the horse, has made from when he came to us,” Stokes said.
“Which way we go is probably through a Caulfield Cup, I would have thought, but he's a very exciting horse and it's a credit to train him.” Deakin has won three of his five starts in Australia, and in total has five wins from 14 starts. This was his first black type victory and takes Australia (GB)’s record to 45 stakes winners for the son of Galileo (Ire). Deakin is out of Dealbata (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who was a dual Listed winner in France.
Consistent Doctor Askar wins Listed Manawatu Flying Handicap
Trained, bred and co-owned by Joanne Moss, 4-year-old gelding Doctor Askar (NZ) (Derryn) won his first black type race in Saturday’s Listed Manawatu Flying Handicap at Trentham and was ridden by Joe Doyle. It was his fourth win in succession. “Joe said to me last week when he got off that we need some faster horses and I was thinking I will fix you,” Moss told Loveracing.nz.
“But he was right and it’s really exciting as we bred him and I race him with Mum, I’m just really proud. I named him after a Doctor at Waikato Hospital, Doctor Askar, who saved my sons life. When I talked to him about naming the horse after him he said he had had some funny requests but never one like this. I have emailed him a couple of times and he has said he has been watching and he wants a photo, so this one might be a good one. My son is really good and just like any other normal child now.”
Doctor Askar has won five of his 14 starts and over NZ$184,000, and he is the fifth stakes winner for Derryn who gained his first Group 1 winner last week with Oaks winner Leica Lucy (NZ). Doctor Askar is the third foal and first winner for Petipas Delight (NZ) (St Petersburg) who won three races and Doctor Askar is the first stakes winner in four generations.
Comeback victory in Listed Bob Hoysted for Joyful Fortune
Lindsay Park added another rehabilitated horse to their stable with the Listed Bob Hoysted victory of 8-year-old gelding Joyful Fortune (Nicconi) on Saturday. “His straight form is impeccable – he’s a highly talented galloper and it’s just an incredible team effort,” Will Hayes said.
Ridden by Ethan Brown, he won by 0.4l from Adam Chambers-trained 4-year-old gelding Major Share (Overshare) with just under a length back to third placed Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained 6-year-old gelding Midwest (Zoustar).
“The team is working together. It started with the team at Euroa getting him right. John Russell and our assistant trainer Sarah Fannin have put so much work into this horse and to get him on raceday is really special. We just kept him ticking along. We’ve got a routine that works for him. We did a trial away this time and just gave him the simulation of a raceday experience and that seems to have done the trick, he just ran enormous.”
Joyful Fortune won on debut in Hong Kong in 2020, putting together two wins from seven starts there before returning to Australia where he had three starts in 2022, for a win, a mid-field run in The Everest and a win in the Listed Century Stakes. He wasn’t seen for just over two years when he resumed in this campaign where Saturday’s win was his third run. He has now won five of his 13 starts and over $1 million.
VOBIS Gold Reef won by Athanatos
Phillip Stokes-trained 3-year-old gelding Athanatos (I Am Immortal) won Saturday’s VOBIS Gold Reef for 3-year-olds at Flemington by 2l from Charlotte Littlefield-trained gelding The Muffin Man (Too Darn Hot {GB}) with Lindsay Park-trained colt Ndola (Justify {USA}) a further length back in third.
Athanatos took his record to two wins from 12 starts with earnings over $320,000. He is one of 14 winners sired by I Am Immortal, whose oldest crop are 3-year-olds. Athanatos is one of three winners for Mumbeilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) who won three races at a mile. Mumbeilly’s yearling by King’s Legacy sold for $70,000 at the recent Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, and this is the family of Group 1 winner Silver Chalice (NZ) (St Hilarion {USA}).
Treble for Fiore at Ascot
Jockey Lucy Fiore rode the first three winners at Ascot in WA on Saturday, winning the first on 3-year-old filly Sixinch Heels (Nicconi) who took her record to three wins in succession for trainer Simon Miller. She is the first foal of Atame (Zoustar) who is a city-winning half-sister to Listed winner Husson Eagle (Husson {Arg}).
In an interesting coincidence, her stablemate 3-year-old gelding Amaroo Star (Sessions) made the same achievement – three in succession – in the next race on the card. Fiore won the third race on the card on Adam Durrant-trained Fortune’s Luck (Safeguard).
Baker’s pair for Wellington Boot
Trainer Bjorn Baker will run Invincible Phantom (I Am Invincible) and Alabama Charm (Alabama Express) in Sunday’s Wellington Boot for 2-year-olds. “They are two talented 2-year-olds that look to be well placed in the Wellington Boot,” Baker told racingnsw.com.au.
“Invincible Phantom won his two trials before he made his debut on the Kensington track at Randwick and he ran well when finishing fourth, beaten less than a length. If he can run up to that effort then he should take plenty of holding out.
Bjorn Baker | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“We started (Alabama Charm) in the Gimcrack Stakes on debut and she was down the track in that and went for a break straight afterwards. She had two trials leading into her return to racing and she’s come back in good form with a third at Newcastle and then a last start second at Gosford. If she can maintain that sort of form then she should be in the finish as well.”
Update on injured jockeys
Apprentice jockeys Dylan Stanley and Jordan Quince were involved in a fall at Wellington on Friday. Racing NSW reported that Quince had some arm pain, and Stanley was “discharged from hospital after his scans were clear. He suffered a concussion and will be off riding for a week.”
Ka Ying Rising and Purton reunite
Jockey Zac Purton will reunite with Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) for Sunday’s G2 Sprint Cup. “It feels pretty good. It’s a little bit niggly, but nothing to worry about. I’ve ridden in more pain before so it’s not going to worry me,” Purton told scmp.com about his toe.
“(Ka Ying Rising) is a nice horse to be coming back for and I’m just looking forward to getting back out there. I’ve been on his back at the trials and in a bit of work. He just continues to please us and do everything well. He’s pretty uncomplicated. He’s pleased us in every little thing he’s done here in Hong Kong. He’s the perfect little racehorse.”
Ka Ying Rising (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Purton also rides Galaxy Patch (Wandjina) in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy. “I wouldn’t say he’s at the crossroads, but he’s been a little bit disappointing recently. It’s my first time riding him on race day and you get a better impression of what a horse is really like after you ride them in that scenario, so I’ll learn a bit about him on the weekend. He’s obviously a talented horse, we’ve just got to try get him going the right way again.”
Straight No Chaser to Winstar
Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Straight No Chaser (USA) (Speightster {USA}) will stand at WinStar Farm upon his retirement, the farm announced on Friday. After beginning his year with a win in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February, the Dan Blacker trainee is entered in next Saturday's G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan on Dubai World Cup Day.
“Acquiring the breeding rights to Straight No Chaser ensures that we will retire the fastest horse in the world two years in a row, following Cogburn this season,” said WinStar Farm's president, CEO, and racing manager Elliott Walden. “Straight No Chaser has a profile very similar to his grandsire, Speightstown. He was a Breeders' Cup winner in the sprint division and a champion who retired at age six. Straight No Chaser is an exceptionally good-looking horse, and he has demonstrated incredible speed. We're looking forward to working with Michael Behrens and the entire MyRacehorse team.”
Straight No Chaser (USA) | Image courtesy of Santa Anita Park
Straight No Chaser has won seven of his 11 career starts and he has amassed earnings of US$2,616,300 (AU$4.1 million). He has recorded four triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, including a career-best 107 in winning the Maryland Sprint Stakes. His win in the aforementioned Riyadh Dirt Sprint guarantees him a return berth in this year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Fairy Godmother retired
Fairy Godmother (Ire), who has been off the track since winning the G3 Albany Stakes for Aidan O'Brien, and the Coolmore partners last June, has been retired from racing following a training setback. “Fairy Godmother aggravated an old injury so she's going to go to Coolmore, and be covered by Wootton Bassett. She just aggravated an injury she had last year and we won't take any chances with her,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien.
With entries in the G1 1,000 Guineas in Britain and Ireland, she had been as short as 6/1 for the Newmarket Classic on May 4. Bred by Paul and Marie McCartan's Ballyphilip Stud, the daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire) fetched 425,000gns (AU$917,000) when sold to MV Magnier at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
First runner is a winner for Starman
Dundalk's gossip was red-hot about the debutante Lady Iman (Ire) on Friday, and the 4-6 favourite did not disappoint, to get her Tally-Ho Stud-based first-season sire Starman (GB) off to a flyer. Happy to stalk early, the Ger Lyons-trained half-sister to the G2 Blue Point Sprint, and G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint winner West Acre (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), took control two out and despite running green was the authoritative 3.5l winner.
“She has a temperament to die for, and she should improve for that, so hopefully she's a stakes filly in the making. That stakes race in Naas (the G3 Fillies' Sprint Stakes) is always on my agenda. I've three of these (Starman juveniles) at home and the one thing they have in common is their temperament, so congratulations to Tally-Ho. They've found another one,” said Lyons.
