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British-bred gelding Selino shines in Sydney Cup
The Chris Waller-trained Selino (5 g ex Air Kiss by Red Ransom) claimed his first win on Australian soil when he landed the Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) at Randwick on Saturday and in the process handed late Juddmonte stallion Champs Elysees (Danehill) with his fifth Group 1 winner and second in Australia.
Having only his fifth start for Waller and co-owners OTI Racing, having won on two occasions in Britain for James Fanshawe and he also finished second in the Doncaster Cup (Gr 2, 2m2f) on his final start in Europe.
Ridden by Ron Stewart - who was enjoying his first elite level winner in Australia - the gelding raced wide for much of the contest, before showing an impressive turn of foot at the end of the marathon contest to beat Rondinella (Ocean Park) by a length and a quarter. Group 1 winner Miami Bound (Reliable Man) was the same distance away in third.
Waller said he was also confident the horse would thrive over this distance and the gelding would now be aimed at the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) in November.
"He was sent to me in very good form. They (the owners) might've lost a bit of confidence in me when they saw him going around and running in 2000 metre races, 2600 metre races. But we've said all along stick to the confidence of running in this race. He's an extreme distance horse and he certainly showed it today."
Bred by St Clare Hall Stud, the gelding is out of the unraced Red Ransom (Roberto) mare Air Kiss and she is herself a half-sister to 1998 Prix du Cadran (Gr 1, 4000m) winner Invermark (Machiavellian), Group 2 winner Craigsteel (Suave Dancer) and Group 3 scorer Inchrory (Midyan).
Juddmonte Farms UK stud director Simon Mockridge told Racing & Sports Bloodstock it was great to see so many middle distance horses thrive in Australia, especially given the attractive prospect of the prize-money on offer in the country.
“It is nice to see so many of our older horses travel down to Australia and be competitive, with Frankel’s other Group 1 winner down there in Mirage Dancer and of course Finche who ran very well in two Melbourne Cups,” said Mockridge.
“There is a lot of money to be won in Australia and it is very attractive to transfer those middle distance horses down there. These European horses demonstrate time and time again they can be extremely competitive in these sorts of races in Australia and the Melbourne Cup is a great example of that.
It is nice to have Australian trainers and owners wanting to come up and purchase horses out of our international market.”
Champs Elysees died in 2018 and Sileno joins Harlem as the stallion’s other Group 1 winner in Australia, while the stallion has sired 31 black-type winners over all.
