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Second Group 2 victory for Frankel's daughter Hungry Heart, Nicconi sires his 21st stakes winner and Sooboog notches up his fifth winner
Second Group 2 for Hungry Heart
The Chris Waller-trained Hungry Heart (3 f Frankel - Harlech by Pivotal) added a second stakes win to her CV in the Phar Lap Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The filly was purchased by Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock for $300,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Yulong draft and she is out of British-bred Pivotal (Polar Falcon) mare Harlech, who was herself purchased by Seamus Mills Bloodstock and Yulong at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale for 60,000gns. YuLong Investments will offer the filly’s Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) half-sister at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and she is catalogued as Lot 328. The filly is one of 60 stakes winners for Juddmonte Farm-based stallion Frankel (Galileo).
Stakes double for Footstepsinthesand
The Richard Hannon-trained Mums Tipple (4 g ex Colomone Cross by Xaar) landed the Lady Wulfruna Stakes (Listed, 7f) at Lingfield on Saturday and in the process handed former shuttler Footstepsinthesand (Giant’s Causeway) with his 66th stakes winner. The four-year-old gelding was purchased by The Banana Syndicate for €26,000 at the Goffs Foal Sale in 2017, before being bought for £45,000 by Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling the following year. The first leg of the stakes double was provided by the Irish-bred I Am Superman (5 h Footstepsinthesand - Fastnet Lady by Fastnet Rock) after he secured his second win at stakes level on Saturday when he landed the Ajax Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) at Rosehill. The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained I Am Superman was purchased by Danesrath Stables for €20,000 at the 2016 Goffs Ireland November Foal Sale, before being purchased by his former trainer Michael O'Callaghan - who still remains in the ownership - for €49,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale the following year. The colt is the only winner out of the unraced Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Fastnet Lady and he becomes the only stakes scorer in three generations of his family. Footstepsinthesand (Giant’s Causeway) shuttled to Australia for two seasons in 2005 and 2006.
Toffee Tongue lands Sky High
The Chris Waller-trained Toffee Tongue (4 m Tavistock - Bagalollies by Zabeel) snapped a losing streak that stretched back to her victory in the Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) last May when she landed the Sky High Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday. The four-year-old mare is out of dual winning Zabeel (Sir Tristram) mare Bagalollies, making her a sister to multiple Group 1 winner Werther. Of Tavistock’s 27 stakes winners, eight of them are out of Zabeel mares and Werther and Toffee Tongue are two of four Group 1 winners bred on the Tavistock / Zabeel cross. Tavistock died in 2019 after suffering a freak paddock accident at Cambridge Stud.
Fourth stakes win for California Zimbol
The ultra-talented California Zimbol (4 m I Am Invincible - Zimaretto by Anabaa) resumed with a victory in the Maurice McCarten Handicap (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday - her fourth victory at stakes level. The four-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) is out of placed Anabaa (Danzig) mare Zimaretto, making her a half-sister to Listed-winning duo From Within (Not A Single Doubt) and Cruden Bay (Not A Single Doubt). The four-year-old mare is one of 62 stakes winners for Yarraman Park-based sire I Am Invincible.
Scorched Earth lands Pearl at Moonee Valley
Widden Stud-based Nicconi (Bianconi) - who will relocate to Victoria later this year - sired his 21st stakes winner on Saturday when Scorched Earth (2 f ex Scorched by Exceed And Excel) landed the Valley Pearl Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Moonee Valley. The filly came into the race having broken her maiden on her third career start in the Magic Millions Adelaide 2YO Classic (1200m) on February 27 and finished second behind Arcaded (Street Boss) in the Blue Diamond Prelude (f) (Gr 2, 1100m) on February 6. Purchased by her trainer John Moloney for $90,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Lyndhurst Farm draft, the filly is out of unraced Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Scorched, who is herself a sister to Group 3 winner Furnaces. Nicconi’s progeny is headed by multiple Group 1 winner Nature Strip.
First for Lucas Cranach
Flash Aah (5 g ex Never Despair by Hotel Grand) landed a shock victory in the Australian Turf Club Trophy Handicap (Listed, 1400m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday and in the process handed Lucas Cranach (Mamool) with his first stakes winner. The five-year-old gelding has now won five of his ten starts for prize-money earnings of $141,650. German-bred Lucas Cranach stands at Bullarook Park Stud and his fee in 2020 was advertised as $5,500 (inc GST).
Second stakes win for Ancestry
The Phillip Stokes-trained Ancestry (4 g The Brothers War - Maltese by Tale Of The Cat) landed his second Listed victory when he took out the Abell Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. The four-year-old gelding landed the Century Stakes (Listed, 1000m) in November and was last seen resuming in the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) on February 20. The gelding is the only stakes winner by The Brothers War (War Front), who stands at Kooringal Stud.
Second Listed success for Solaia
Having been narrowly denied a victory in the Ascot One Thousand Guineas (Listed, 1800m) on February 27, the Daniel McAuliffe-trained Solaia (3 f Toronado - Isola Blu by Blackfriars) bounced back to winning ways in the Natasha Stakes (Listed, 2200m) at Ascot on Saturday. The three-year-old daughter of Swettenham Stud shuttler Toronado (High Chaparral) broke through at stakes level for the first time when she landed the Challenge Stakes (Listed, 1500m) last month. Solaia is one of ten stakes winners and five in Australia for Toronado.
Five for Sooboog
Kitchwin Hills-based first-season sire Sooboog (Snitzel) was handed his fifth winner on Saturday, courtesy of Boudica’s Gift’s (2 f ex Celtic Queen by Sadler's Wells) victory over 1200 metres at Rockhampton. The filly finished third at MacKay on debut, but she got her head in front when narrowly defeating Top Ceedee (Top Echelon) by a head. The filly was purchased by her trainer John Wigginton for $33,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Sale in 2020 from the Aquis Farm draft and she joins stakes placed Birdsville, Jessica Rabbit, Moonlit Rose and Emma Rose as the stallion’s other winners.
Western Empire lands Roberts Stakes
The Grant and Alana Williams-trained Western Empire (3 g Iffraaj - Western Jewel by Jeune) landed his second stakes race when he took out the Roberts Stakes (Listed, 1800m) at Ascot on Saturday. The three-year-old son of Iffraaj (Zafonic) came into the race having been successful in the Lex Piper Stakes (Listed, 1600m) on February 27. The gelding is one of 75 stakes winners for Iffraaj (Zafonic), who shuttled to Haunui Farm for 12 years, but did not return to the New Zealand nursery in 2020 and was instead replaced by his multiple Group 1-winning son Ribchester.
136th Group winner for Deep Impact
In winning the Nakayama Himba Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m) on Saturday, Rambling Alley (5 m ex Blooming Alley by Symboli Kris S) became the 136th Group winner for the late Shadai Stallion Station-based Deep Impact (Sunday Silence). The five-year-old mare landed the Cassiopeia Stakes (Listed, 1800m) in November and she is one of 170 stakes winners for Deep Impact. Deep Impact, who stood at the Shadai Stallion Station for his whole breeding career, died in 2019 and he was represented by his sire sons Tosen Stardom, who stands at Woodside Park Stud and Coolmore Stud-based Saxon Warrior in Australia last season.
Truly Great gone - Kingston Town Classic winner found dead in paddock
This season’s Kingston Town Classic (Gr 1, 1800m) winner Truly Great (Dundeel) was found dead in his paddock. The Grant and Alana Williams-trained and Bob Peters-raced gelding won eight of his 14 starts, with the Kingston Town Classic one of three victories at stakes level. The son of Dundeel (High Chaparral) earned $1,100,075 in career prize-money.
Australian-bred Wellington (All Too Hard) showcased his high-class credentials with an impressive victory in the Lantau Island Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Saturday. The son of Vinery Stud-based All Too Hard (Casino Prince) beat Group 3 winner Computer Patch (Exceed And Excel) by a length and a quarter, while last-start Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Hot King Prawn (Denman) could only manage fifth. Wellington’s overall time of 1:07.80s equalled Sacred Kingdom’s (Encosta De Lago) 2007 record for a Class 1 1200 metre contest at Sha Tin. Trained by Richard Gibson, Wellington was purchased by Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm for $70,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and he could now be aimed at the Sprint Cup (Gr 2, 1200m) at Sha Tin on April 5.
