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Juvenile hands Headwater his fifth winner.
Fresh from siring his first stakes winner last weekend, Vinery's first season stallion Headwater (Exceed And Excel) was handed his fifth first crop winner on Wednesday courtesy of Be Water My Friend's (2 g ex Whisper Of Hearts by Duporth) easy victory in the Q Advertising 2YO Handicap (1000m) at the Sunshine Coast.
The Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained gelding had no trouble scoring a one and three-quarter length win on debut over the favourite Better Lad (Better Than Ready) with Winter Rain (Rubick) two and a quarter lengths back in third.
The son of Headwater (Exceed And Excel) is the only named foal out of the unraced Duporth (Red Ransom) mare Whisper Of Hearts, who was purchased by Gainsborough Lodge for $12,000 with the gelding in utero at the 2017 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Whisper Of Hearts herself is out of the placed Flying Spur (Danehill) mare Informant, making her a half-sister to Group 2 winner Traitor (Mossman).
Further back the gelding hails from the family of 2012 Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Brambles (Savabeel), Group 3 winner Lincoln Blue (Savabeel) and Listed-winning pair Legsman (Pins) and Lopov (Savabeel). Whisper Of Hearts died in 2018 and her colt by Counterattack (Redoute's Choice) was sold for $30,000 at this year's Inglis Classic Sale.
Headwater's first-crop progeny is headed by last Saturday's Ken Russell Memorial Classic (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Wisdom Of Water, who is a major fancy in next month's JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1400m). Headwater is set to stand the upcoming breeding season at Vinery Stud in the Hunter Valley for a fee of $13,750 (inc GST).
