Artorius goes one better than his sire with Blue Diamond success
Son of Flying Artie provides Anthony and Sam Freedman with their first Group 1 win as a partnership
Artorius was able to do what his sire Flying Artie (Artie Schiller) was unlucky not to have done in 2016 and win yesterday’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Caulfield, providing father-and-son training team Anthony and Sam Freedman with their first Group 1 success together as a partnership.
After missing the start it appeared Artorius (2 c ex Gracie’s Lass by Redoute’s Choice), who was wearing blinkers for the first time, might have had his work cut out, but he defied the slow get away and flew home to produce one of the most impressive wins in the history of Victoria’s premier two-year-old race, crossing the line three-quarters of a length in front of Ingratiating (Frosted), having come from deep in the ruck under Luke Currie.
“It’s a big thrill,” said Sam Freedman. “There’s a big team behind this horse and to have the family colours on today is a nice touch.”
Bred by Greg Perry, Artorius was bought for $120,000 out of the Vinery Stud draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and Freedman admitted that he wasn’t a huge fan of the horse at that particular stage of his life.
“He was very immature and looked six months off being a developed yearling,” he said.
“To be honest, I didn’t love him. Dad did and he’s a very good judge of a yearling. We thought he was very immature and so we gave him time over the last six months and now he’s turned into a beast.
“1200 metres is probably short of his best distance. We’ll probably be targeting a Guineas in the spring.”
Currie, who was forced to miss the ride on runner-up Hanseatic (Street Boss) in last year’s Blue Diamond after suffering serious injuries in a fall at Moonee Valley the previous night, admitted that he had found himself further back than ideal.
“I knew he was getting a good run through, but I thought he might struggle late, just because he hadn’t really had a chance to travel down and quicken,” the winning jockey said. “But he just kept coming. It was an amazing feeling the last 50 metres.”
The win was a second in three starts for Artorius, who has now bagged just shy of $1million dollars in prize-money.
Filling the two positions behind him were the James Cummings-trained pair Ingratiating and Anamoe (Street Boss).
“It was a very good effort. I might have hit the front a smidge early and was left vulnerable,” William Pike, rider of the runner-up said.
Anamoe was another length and three-quarters away in third and his jockey Damien Oliver said having blinkers applied for the first time might have tested him.
After a less than ideal lead up with lameness concerns days out from the race, race favourite Enthaar (Written Tycoon) finished in sixth position. Her rider Mark Zahra commended the effort from a wide barrier (14) and suggested that the high pressure nature of the 1200-metre contest tested her in the finish.
Artorius was identified as the Maiden of the Week in the January 21 edition of ANZ Bloodstock News. He is the second winner out of Gracie’s Lass (Redoute’s Choice), an unraced half-sister to another Perry-bred horse, Darley Classic (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Delectation (Shamardal).
The brown colt brought up Flying Artie’s first Group 1 winner in Australia and continued the exceptional run of success recently set by his young barnmates at Newgate Farm – Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) and Deep Field (Northern Meteor).
Two-year-old racing was also a major focus at Rosehill yesterday with Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) hopefuls all taking their next important steps in the Silver Slipper (Gr 2, 1100m).
Carrying the Coolmore silks, Home Affairs (2 c I am Invincible – Miss Interiors by Flying Spur) gave champion trainer Chris Waller his first success in the race, as he built on his debut second in last month’s Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and provided his sire with his 63rd individual stakes winner.
After sitting just off the race leader Direct (Siyouni), Home Affairs kicked clear for an impressive performance that placed him in serious contention for next month’s $3.5 million showdown on March 20.
“He’s got a great attitude and he’s doing everything right,” Waller said. “We had to use him up a bit early which was not ideal but it’s an important stepping stone for a horse like him with his pedigree.”
Waller was non-committal about whether the $875,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale graduate and half brother to Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) runner-up Aysar (Deep Field) would have one more run before the Slipper.
“He’s a great athlete but at the same time he does well between runs,” he continued. “He’s the perfect racehorse for a trainer as you need to work them and prepare them properly so we will see how he comes through it and talk to the owners and see what they want to do.”
After being snookered most of the way down the straight, the Scott Spackman–trained Rocket Tiger (Cluster) managed to bullock his way out of trouble and ran on well to finish second in the race, a length and a quarter in front of third-placed Direct. The runner-up could now be aimed at Canberra’s Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) on March 7.
Portland Sky and Celebrity Queen dead heat in Oakleigh Plate
The judge could not split Portland Sky (Deep Field) and Celebrity Queen (Redoute’s Choice) in yesterday’s Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) at Caulfield, with the pair dead-heating in the handicap sprint feature.
Judge Paul Egan deliberated over the photo finish for close to five minutes, with both horses returning to the mounting yard well before the result was officially declared and conveyed to the crowd by on-course broadcaster Matt Hill.
It was the first Group 1 win for apprentice jockey Teo Nugent who was aboard the Matt Laurie-trained Portland Sky (3 c ex Sky Rumba by Shrewd Rhythm), while William Pike combined with Grant and Alana Williams for their ninth elite-level success with Celebrity Queen (4 m ex Celebrity Miss by More Than Ready). Both horses were winning at elite level for the first time.
“It was a long way to the post about 50 metres out with ‘The Wizard’ blowing down my neck,” Nugent said.
“My horse took me a long way into it. Full credit to Matt Laurie and the team today. We’ll share a dead heat but it’s the first Group 1 and a big thank you to the team.”
Laurie said he considered running Portland Sky, last-start winner of the Manfred Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), in the Zeditave Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) earlier on the card instead of the Oakleigh Plate in search of ‘easy money’.
“In the end we thought if he doesn’t perform, we won’t have lost too much, it just wasn’t his time, but if it comes off, there’s a lot of reward. I’m glad we took the punt,” Laurie said.
Portland Sky, an $85,000 purchase from the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, was winning for the fourth time in seven starts, as he provided Newgate Farm’s Deep Field with his first Group 1 winner.
Now a three-time stakes winner, he has won more than $440,000 in prize-money. He is the first winner from two to race out of Sky Rumba (Shrewd Rhythm), who herself is a half-sister to multiple Listed winner London Line (Blackfriars) out of a half-sister to three-time Group 1 winner Scenic Shot (Scenic).
Sky Rumba has a yearling filly by Sessions (Lonhro), who failed to make her $60,000 reserve at last week’s Perth Magic Millions sale.
After foaling a colt by Universal Ruler (Scenic) last spring, Portland Sky was bred back to the Scenic Lodge stallion.
Yesterday’s meeting was William Pike’s first back in Melbourne since returning to Perth following last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival and he was pleased to land in the Group 1 winner’s circle on Celebrity Queen after having gone so close in earlier features.
“It was a good effort. I was trying to steer away from the inside, but I couldn’t find the way out in the middle of the track so I just went where I had to,” Pike said. “She was very brave right through the line and attacked every bit of it.”
A homebred for Bob and Sandra Peters, Celebrity Queen has now won seven of her 13 starts, with two of those victories coming in stakes company to earn connections $826,780 in prize-money. She became the 39th individual Group 1 winner for the late Redoute’s Choice (Danehill).
Celebrity Queen is the only foal to race out of Celebrity Miss (More Than Ready), who herself won eight of her 20 starts.
Celebrity Miss has a yearling colt by Xtravagant (Pentire) named Celebrity Prince. She has a filly foal by the same stallion and was bred back to the Newhaven Park Stud resident last spring.
Probabeel leads home mares Quinella Group 1 Futurity Stakes
Top New Zealand–trained mare Probabeel (Savabeel) staked her claims on the rich All-Star Mile (1600m) with a rousing win in the Futurity Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) that thrilled her connections who, under Covid-19 restrictions, had to watch from across the Tasman.
Cambridge Stud owners Jo and Brendan Lindsay, whose black and gold colours she wears, said they became frantic in front of the TV at their home as she surged to victory and further established her reputation as one of the best female racehorses currently competing in the southern hemisphere.
“We were screaming and yelling at the TV, we are so excited about this girl, she’s amazing,” said Jo Lindsay.
“This horse has taken us on such a journey. She just tries her best,” she added.
Usually a man of measured words, her trainer Jamie Richards, who watched the race whilst attending a close friend’s wedding, was also gushing about the performance.
“I don’t often get too excited about things but today is really special.
“She was caught wide from an awkward draw and she sat deep and when she quickened she really let go,” said Richards.
In doing so, Probabeel became the 40th Group 1 winner of Richards’ career.
Damian Lane, who steered her to victory said after the race: “She is just so classy and a pleasure to ride. She is really tough as well and they’ve done a great job with her.”
The first four horses across the line in yesterday’s Futurity are all set to line up in the $5 million All–Star Mile to be run at Moonee Valley on March 13.
The West Australian–owned and trained Arcadia Queen (Pierro) completed a mare’s quinella, finishing half a length behind the winner, with Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) running a fast-finishing third, a further two lengths away. After being slow away, boom colt Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) did not run up to expectations, and beat just one of his eight rivals home.