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Three Kings leads home quinella for late Widden stallion in Anzac Day Stakes

The late Widden Stud-based sire Sebring (More Than Ready) sired his 66th stakes winner on Sunday as the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Three Kings (2 c ex Princess Emmy by King's Chapel) lead home a quinella for the stallion in the Anzac Day Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington. 

The colt came into the race having broken his maiden at the third time of asking over 1400 metres at Ballarat on April 11 and he was able to build on that performance when he prevailed in a close finish to beat Biscayne Bay (Sebring) by a head. El Rocko (Fastnet Rock) was the same distance away in third. 

Calvin McEvoy said the colt could now head to the South Australian Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Morphettville on May 8. 

"He hasn't gone backwards since that win at Ballarat.” McEvoy said. “He's just trained on well and we came here pretty confident. It was a big step up but it is an opinion of the horse we've had for a long time.

"Thank you to the owners. A good ownership group. He's really living up to what we've thought of him and he deserves to go up in grade.

"We're going to consider the Sires in Adelaide. It comes up nicely on 8 May. If we could get him back home, on the farm on the river. He doesn't have to be trained for that, he'll stay at 1400 metres and it looks a nice race. If he bounces through this then that's where we'll go. If he feels it and needs a break he'll go to the paddock."

Bred and co-owned by Widden Stud, the colt was retained to race by the operation after he failed to make his $220,000 reserve at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2020. 

Three Kings is out of New Zealand Listed winner Princess Emmy (King’s Chapel), who was purchased by Hollymount Stud for $130,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and she has produced five further winners, including Three Kings’ Group 3-winning sister Thurlow. 

The colt’s sister was purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for $270,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier in the year, while in 2020 Princess Emmy produced a filly by Super One (I Am Invincible). 

The colt becomes the 19th juvenile stakes winner for Sebring, while his 66 black-type winners are headed by six Group 1 winners. Sebring died in 2019, aged 13.