3 minute read

North Pacific lands Up And Coming. .

Darley-based sire Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) was handed his ninth stakes winner courtesy of expensive colt North Pacific's (3 c ex Up In Lights by O'Reilly) victory in the Up And Coming Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) at Randwick on Saturday which saw him rocket to the head of the betting for the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). 

Last seen shredding his maiden tag at the second time of asking at Rosehill, the Team Hawkes-trained three-year-old colt surged clear in the final stages to beat Bazooka (Smart Missile) by five and a quarter lengths with another neck back to Marsannay (Snitzel) in third. 

Winning jockey James McDonald struggled to contain his enthusiasm for the colt, whose only defeat was a debut third to Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) in the Silver Slipper (Gr 2, 1100m). 

"Can I go around again?" McDonald joked after the race. 

"The Hawkes stable have always had big wraps on him and I still believe there is a bit to come, I suppose they do too.

"They do a wonderful job with these colts and he is no exception.

"He oozes a lot of class, he swaggers around the arena and then canters down off the bridle, executes brilliantly and wins like that. It's pretty nice."

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes confirmed the colt, raced by Orbis Bloodstock, was likely to go straight into the Golden Rose on September 26 without another run.

"This is a stepping stone and he will probably go to the Golden Rose next," Hawkes said.

"We kept him fresh and it was five weeks between runs into today."

Purchased by his owners for $800,000 at the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft, the colt is out of the unraced O'Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Up In Lights, who is herself a three-quarter sister to Sitting Pretty - the dam of Epona Stakes (Gr 3, 1900m) winner Missybeel (Savabeel). Sitting Pretty herself is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion Metal Bender (Danasinga). 

Further back this is the family of Group 1 winner and sire Keeper (Danehill).

Up In Lights' colt by Arrowfield Stud shuttler Maurice (Screen Hero) - now named Miyazaki - was purchased by Paul Willetts Bloodstock for $24,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, before realising $100,000 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, when he sold to Robert Roulston. The mare is currently in foal again to Brazen Beau.