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Artero wins Inglis 2YO Challenge on debut
Newgate Farm-based first-season sire Flying Artie (Artie Schiller) sired his seventh winner on Friday courtesy of Artero's (2 c ex Ella Supero by Exceed And Excel) victory in the Inglis 2YO Challenge (1100m) at Scone.
The David Pfieffer-trained two-year-old colt showed a blistering turn of foot to fly up the wide outside to claim victory in the shadows of the post, beating Hallowed Son (Hallowed Crown) by a length, while Miss Milton (Panzer Division) was another head away in third.
Artero was bred by Greg and Jo Griffin of Lime Country Thoroughbreds with Millennium Thoroughbreds and the Griffin's offered him on the Inglis Digital November Online Sale in 2019 and he was purchased by their children Jamie and Georgia for $10,000. He was subsequently re-offered during the Highway Session of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and was purchased by Darby Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock for $26,000.
The victory was a great result for Lime Country, who this week announced they were moving from the Southern Highlands to a new farm at Blandford in the Hunter Valley.
"It's been a big week and this is just a great result to keep it all going,'' Jo Griffin said.
"He was always a very athletic individual and he would have had one of the best pedigrees in the Highway Session last year.
"He was always just so natural and a running type. He's probably done more at two already than I was expecting he would - I think there's a lot more to come with this colt and he'll be a beautiful spring three-year-old.''
Scott Darby said: "Gee they don't do that on debut too often.
"He was back near last so to come from there at your first start and run past such a big field like that, that's pretty impressive.
"To be honest, we thought with the wide barrier and being his first run he might need it, but he showed us we probably need to stand up and take a bit more notice of him now.
"We're thrilled, absolutely thrilled. There's a ton of improvement in him so we need to reassess plans now and see where he ends up, but he's definitely got plenty of ability.''
The colt is the third winner out of the placed Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Ella Supero and she was purchased by James Bester for $90,000 at the 2018 edition of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast when carrying Artero in utero. The mare was subsequently reoffered at the 2019 edition of the sale and was purchased by Jim and June Anderson of $16,000.
Ella Supero herself is a half-sister to 2007 New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Redoute's Dancer (Redoute's Choice) and the dam of dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (All American) and Group 3 scorer Miravalle (Redoute's Choice) and three-time winner Great Dansaar (Choisir), who in turn produced multiple stakes winner Isotope (Deep Field).
A sister to Artero will be offered at the next month's Inglis Great Southern Sale, with the auction house set to release the catalogue next week. Ella Supero was covered by the Newgate Farm-based first season sire again last spring.
Flying Artie's seven first-crop winners are headed by Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Artorius and the stallion is sitting fourth in the leading first-season sire championship by earnings, while he is now equal with Sooboog (Snitzel) in third in terms of winners.
The son of Artie Schiller (El Prado) will stand at Newgate Farm in 2021 for an increased fee of $33,000 (inc GST), having commanded a fee of $16,500 (inc GST) last spring.
Later on in the afternoon, Artero's stablemate Laure Me In (6 g ex Laurelling by Highest Honor) produced a tenacious performance to win the Scone Cup (Listed, 1600m) and in the process handed the recently deceased sire Ad Valorem (Danzig) with his 14th stakes winner.
The six-year-old gelding added a seventh win to his record overall, when he beat Looks Like Elvis (All American) by three-quarters of a length, while Order Again (Iffraaj) was a further head away in third.
The gelding was purchased by Paul Willets Bloodstock for $32,000 at the Inglis Weanling and Broodmare Sale in 2015 from the Coolmore Stud draft before being bought for $70,000 again by Willets and Topline Thoroughbreds for $70,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale the following year.
The gelding is out of Laurelling (Highest Honor), making him a half-brother to three other winners. Laurelling herself is a sister to Group 1 winner Medaaly and a half-sister to Group 2 scorer Charnwood Forest (Warning).
Ad Valorem's progeny is headed by Group 1 winner Capital Gains and the stallion died last week, according to the Australian stud book.
