Star quality on show as Treasurethe Moment adds Vinery to impressive record

Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Oaks-bound Treasurethe Moment makes it look easy

Yulong’s star 3-year-old filly Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) made it look easy on Tuesday in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes. A hot pace set by jockey Tom Marquand on Powers Of Opal (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), who faded after leading, likely helped the $1.40 favourite who powered home from mid-field to win for jockey Damian Lane by 1.22l over brave Glen Thompson-trained Benagil (Manhattan Rain) with Chris Waller-trained Delichy Boulevard (Snitzel) 2l back in third.

“She's a dream horse. She'll learn a lot today. I think she got a little bit lost. She didn't have that trail. They spread out enough and she was sitting out on a limb with nothing really there to follow. Looked a little bit lost, but when she got into it, she was really good late so she's only going to be better for the experience,” said trainer Matt Laurie.

“It is great to win another Group 1 and great to win one for Yulong. She is proven at (the Oaks) distance and she's going to lap it up. She's just got better and better. We have been here for nearly a fortnight and she lost a little bit of weight on the way up and wasn't completely settled but as we got deeper, she got better and better and I was pleased with her today. Ten days into the Oaks will be perfect.”

Treasurethe Moment took her record to eight wins and two seconds from 10 starts with her last seven wins in succession. This was her second Group 1 win after winning the G1 Victoria Oaks in the spring, and she has earnings over $1.8 million.

From the first crop of Alabama Express whose four stakes winners also include Saturday’s Flemington stakes winner Alabama Lass, Treasurethe Moment is out of Street Cry (Ire) mare Draconic Treasure (USA). Treasurethe Moment is her third and final foal and this is the family of G1 Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle (Ire) (Theatrical {USA}).

“I feel blessed (to train for Yulong). They're big players and they are very supportive. They've had horses with us for a number of years and this was one of the first batch of Alabama Express that they had bred themselves and how lucky am I to have her in the stable.”

Dubai Honour makes it three with a wonderful Tancred victory

Wouldn’t you love to own a horse like him! Trainer William Haggas has taken 7-year-old gelding Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai) all over the world and the globetrotting galloper continues to put in strong efforts wherever he goes. Coming off a last start Group 1 second in Hong Kong, Dubai Honour, ridden by Tom Marquand, had to work hard for his 0.87l victory in the G1 Tancred Stakes on Tuesday over Ciaron Maher-trained Duke De Sessa (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) with revitalised Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in third.

“Anyone who knows me knows how special this horse is to me and to the whole team. He is just an absolute star,” Haggas’ travelling foreman Isabella Paul said.

“He's 7-years-old and he has proved again he is still at top-class level. He is the most perfect horse to travel. He never misses a beat. I never worry about him. We joke that he's like a labrador because he is like my pet. I'm just so proud of him.”

He might take on Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes next, a race he won in 2023 after winning the G1 Ranvet Stakes the start prior. “This race, for me, it felt like it was his race this year and I was really keen that he came here. He has proved himself over that mile-and-a-half trip. Stepping back to 2000 metres, we haven't really got an option, but there is no reason not to try, especially after that performance. He is such a star for the stable and it's nice to see that, at 7-years-old, he is still winning.”

Dubai Honour took his record to nine wins from 29 starts and earnings over $8 million, although spread over several currencies having won stakes races in Australia, France, and England, as well as placing in Hong Kong.

Gallery: Images courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

One of five Group 1 winners for Pride Of Dubai, who is gathering a reputation for producing tough gallopers such as Pride Of Jenni, Bella Nipotina, and Deny Knowledge (Ire), Dubai Honour is out of unraced mare Mondelice (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}). She has produced two other winners and has a Northern Hemisphere 2-year-old filly by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr).

Mondelice is a half-sister to G3 Maisons-Laffitte Prix Daphnis winner Last Kingdom (USA) (Frankel {GB}).

Lekvarte upgrades pedigree ahead of Chairman’s Sale

Joe Pride-trained 6-year-old mare Lekvarte (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) enhanced her pedigree page ahead of the Inglis Chairman’s Sale with a strong win in Tuesday’s G2 Emancipation Stakes, and in doing so gave her trainer and jockey Joshua Parr a double for the day after they won the G3 Neville Sellwood Stakes with Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}).

She put a gap on the field down the centre of the track with Chris Waller-trained 3-year-old filly Lazzura (Snitzel) chasing hard to close the gap to 0.11l on the line with Nathan Doyle-trained 3-year-old filly Harlem Queen (Brutal {NZ}) in third.

“Gee she sprinted quickly on that ground, and if you look at her form, she has been a horse who has struggled on wet ground,” Pride said.

“That was a really good run and a Group 2, she's in the Chairman's Sale in six weeks time. She'll have one more run in the Queen Of The Turf but she's done her job in so many ways already so to get another good win out of her, it'll be a sad day when she finishes. She's a lovely mare. Excellent win and nice to see a mare at her age still racing on so well.”

Catalogued in the Inglis Chairman’s Sale as Lot 77, Lekvarte has won 10 races, four at stakes level, from 36 starts and over $1.1 million. Sold by Westbury Stud at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for NZ$210,000 to BK Racing & Breeding and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) in 2020, Lekvarte is one of 27 stakes winners for Reliable Man (GB) whose four Group 1 winners include Inspirational Girl (NZ), Miami Bound (NZ), and Miss Sentimental (NZ).

Her dam Plumm (Encosta De Lago) placed in the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes and is also the dam of Listed placed Total Power (Dundeel {NZ}) and Power Ahead (Authorized {Ire}) the dam of Singapore stakes winner Smart Star (Star Witness). Her yearling colt by Bivouac was purchased by Belhus Racing for $50,000 from Lynward Park Stud at the recent Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. Plumm is out of G1 South Australian Oaks-placed Madame Plume (NZ) (Military Plume {NZ}) and Lekvarte’s fourth dam is G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Toy Show (Showdown {GB}).

Pocketing a potential Derby surprise

Trainers Richard and Will Freedman will consider paying the $44,000 late entry fee for Saturday’s G1 Australian Derby with Tuesday’s G2 Tulloch Stakes winner 3-year-old gelding Pocketing (Grunt {NZ}) after he proved the toughest in the 2000-metre contest. Pocketing came down the centre of the track, while second-placed Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained gelding Firm Agreement (Yes Yes Yes) had a rails ride from Tyler Schiller with only 0.05l separating the two on the line. In third was John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding King Of Thunder (NZ) (Tivaci) who also swooped late to finish 0.18l from the leaders. Both second and third will likely head to the Derby.

“There is a decision to make today. I will be guided by Josh (Parr) a bit. He has gone from 1600 to 2000 so he was probably entitled to not be savaging the line. We will see how he pulls up. Fortunately, he's at home so he is only going across the road to go back to his box,” said Will Freedman.

“The four-day back-up I'm not too concerned about. It's probably whether he stays 2400 but do many of them? Probably not.”

A last start winner, Pocketing took his record to four wins from nine starts with earnings over $290,000. Owned by Yulong, it was Pocketing’s first stakes win and he becomes the third stakes winner for Yulong sire Grunt (NZ). Yulong purchased his unraced dam Pickpocket (High Chaparral {Ire}) for $12,000, and Pocketing is her second foal, while her third foal is 2-year-old colt Graphic Sight (Lucky Vega {Ire}) who ran third on debut in December. Pickpocket had a full brother to Pocketing in 2024.

Gallery: Images courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Pocketing’s fourth dam is Jesmond Lass (Lunchtime {GB}) who produced the Group 1-winning full siblings Canny Lass (Bletchingly) and Canny Lad, and founded a dynasty which includes the stallions Bivouac, Sepoy, Ghibellines, and Encryption.

Big decisions ahead for connections of Nepotism

Nepotism (Brutal {NZ}) missed a start in the G1 Golden Slipper, needing two scratchings to make the field, but the Team Hawkes-trained 2-year-old colt showed everyone his class in Tuesday’s G3 TL Baillieu Handicap over 1400 metres. Ridden by Tyler Schiller, he found a run with 100 metres to go and wore down the pace making filly Brad Widdup-trained Savvy Hallie (Hellbent) to win by 1.25l. In third was Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained filly Tupakara (Trapeze Artist).

“Today, going to 1400 (metres) wasn't ideal with not running Saturday but we just kept him ticking over and Tyler rode the right race. He was a little bit tardy away and he rode for luck, came up through them, and when he finally got out, he put paid to them. He's a proper colt,” said Michael Hawkes.

When asked if he will run in Saturday’s G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes, Hawkes said, “The five-day back-up, it was always going to be a bit tough (to go to the Sires’) but we haven't counted anything out. It depends on how he pulls up.

“We can accept today, it's a free hit, so we'll just see how he pulls up. Obviously tonight is acceptance time, but now he's won it's a big difference. He's still a baby and he doesn't know what he's doing yet and he's going to be a proper colt in the future.”

This was Nepotism’s second start after running third on debut in the G2 Todman Stakes behind Tentyris (Street Boss {USA}) and Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}). “He just got hemmed up a little bit and Wodeton went past him and he had to pick himself back up again, which he did and he really hit the line strongly.”

He becomes the second stakes winner for Brutal (NZ) and is beautifully bred being out of unraced mare Brigite (Casino Prince), a half-sister to Black Caviar and All Too Hard and to unraced Naturale (Bel Esprit), the dam of Ole Kirk.

Purchased by International Thoroughbred Solutions for $160,000 from Gilgai Farm at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, his dam Brigite has missed the last three years.