Bennett pops the cork on Guineas-bound Tycoon
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt a battling winner at Sandown yesterday with big targets to come
Exciting three-year-old colt Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) will be aimed towards next month’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), a pathway connections believe he was destined long before he battled bravely to remain unbeaten in his second career start at Sandown yesterday.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained colt showed a tenacity to match his obvious talent as he prevailed in the final strides of a head-bobbing finish in the 1300-metre Benchmark 64 handicap, pushing through on the rails to defeat impressive debut winner Akicita (Grunt), with the front two putting a gap of three lengths back to their remaining rivals in the five-runner field.
Southport Tycoon, who himself made a convincing winning debut at Geelong last month, was Bennett Racing’s record-priced yearling purchase when the Torquay-based syndicator went to $300,000 to buy the well-related son of champion sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia) from the Daandine Stud draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. While principal Nathan Bennett had the colt earmarked as a Guineas type on the sales ground, those initial thoughts were affirmed in the weeks leading up to yesterday’s midweek contest.
“We’ve thought he was a Guineas horse for a little while and we’ve just had him on ice,” Bennett told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He’d shown signs in some trials last season, but just hadn’t been ready to continue on in the preparation. We always knew he’d take a little bit of time, but this time he’s stood up and shown he’s a chance for those types of races.
“He did that better than what I expected him to today [yesterday]. He’s still pretty green and the [Robbie Griffiths and Mat de Kock-trained] horse clearly goes pretty good, they have a big opinion of him.
“The way he fought it out today and wanted to do it was great to see. Had he skipped clear and won by three [lengths] you don’t really learn that much, but under pressure he responded really well and fought for the win, so it was a good performance.”
Southport Tycoon will bid to emulate the feats of Ole Kirk, a fellow son of Yulong Stud’s flagbearer Written Tycoon, who claimed victory in the 2020 Caulfield Guineas, while the colt’s pedigree page features the third place finisher from the following year in dual Group 1 winner Artorius (Flying Artie). Now standing at Newgate Farm, Artorius is out of Gracie’s Lass (Redoute’s Choice), who is a daughter of Listed winner Grace And Power (More Than Ready), herself a sister to Southport Tycoon’s dam Ready To Rule.
Such credentials ensured Bennett had to fork out more than he ever had previously for a yearling, having secured backing from several of the syndicator’s prominent owners before taking the plunge on the Lot 421-catalogued colt, who will next be seen in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Gr 3, 1400m) on September 23.
“We loved him at the sale and I rang a few of our clients beforehand to tell them as much, and they backed me to go ahead and purchase him,” Bennett said.
“We probably had $500,000 we could go to on him, but it was a relief the hammer came down at $300,000 instead. He was one of the best colts I’d seen at the sale. He’s a big, scopey individual and bred to get the mile, so I don’t think that will pose a problem for him heading towards the Guineas.”
Southport Tycoon is the second named foal out of Ready To Rule, who placed twice in the US before she was exported to Australia and subsequently purchased by Daandine Stud and Boomer Bloodstock for $260,000 at the 2015 Inglis Weanling and Broodmare Sale.
The mare missed on her 2021 cover, before slipping to Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) last year, but she was covered again by the Kia Ora Stud-based Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner last September.
While Bennett is hopeful his orange and black-checked silks are represented in the thick of the spring carnival, the syndicator believes three-year-old filly Beauty Rising (Deep Field) can also stake her claim for bigger targets and win a first black-type race in Saturday’s Atlantic Jewel Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Moonee Valley.
The filly is an outside $26 chance for the race, which is headed in the market by dual Group 3 winner Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) at $3.40, however Bennett believes Beauty Rising’s collateral form with the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained filly is closer than it appears.
On her return this preparation at Moonee Valley last month, the Phillip Stokes-trained Beauty Rising, a $160,000 yearling buy from the Kingstar Farm draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, finished ninth, but her race was over barely after it had begun.
“She’s come through the run well. She was a little unlucky at the barriers when she knuckled as she came out and lost her footing. It was all a bit of a disaster,” Bennett said.
“She worked really well on Tuesday. The favourite is a worthy one, but in the Blue Diamond Prelude they ran alongside each other and our filly and she was a little bit unlucky, she could have finished a few lengths closer that day.
“If she gets luck on her side hopefully she can be in the finish and we can get some black type on her page.”