Bennett’s ‘forgotten colt’ Southport Tycoon gallops to Guineas glory
Son of Written Tycoon becomes the stallion’s 13th Group 1 winner with his victory in the Flemington feature
Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) raised a first Group 1 success for syndicator Bennett Racing and set a marker for the All–Star Mile (1600m) in claiming yesterday’s Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington.
Ridden superbly by Jamie Kah – her 11th top-tier success and second in eight days after Hayasugi’s (Royal Meeting) Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) win – Southport Tycoon sat behind the well-fancied Veight (Grunt) midfield in the run, and peeled off the back of that colt to storm home in the straight and beat him by a length-and-a-quarter.
It was a result for bookmakers, with the Ciaron Maher-trained Southport Tycoon starting at $19 to second-favourite Veight’s $4.80, and with $2.50 popular elect Riff Rocket (American Pharoah) coming from further back in the field to take third.
But Southport Tycoon won’t have escaped the attention of all punters, after two runs this campaign for narrow seconds in Veight’s Australia Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Moonee Valley and Snow Patrol’s (Contributer) Autumn Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield.
The win was a breakthrough triumph for Nathan Bennett and his team, who bought Southport Tycoon for $300,000 from breeders Daandine Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2022.
Bennett Racing’s black, orange and white checks have been borne by several well-performed gallopers, most notably The Astrologist (Zoustar), who last season had three top-flight placings with seconds in Flemington’s Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) and Dubai’s Al Quoz Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m), and a third in Morphettville’s Goodwood (Gr 1, 1200m).
After those near-misses, yesterday’s victory will have been effusively celebrated by Bennett Racing and Southport Tycoon’s team of owners, particularly for the boost it brings to the colt’s future stud value.
“It’s fantastic. It’s just huge for Bennett Racing and what we’ve been trying to build on for the last five or six years,” Nathan Bennett told Racing.com.
“We’ve been thereabouts [in Group 1s], and we just kept getting nailed. If you keep turning up, I think one’s going to go your way eventually, and wow he’s a pretty good colt.
“It was a fair buzz. You were just waiting for him to kick, and he kicked. I’m just so happy for everyone who’s backed us. [Bloodstock consultant] Phil Wells does a tremendous job helping me pick the horses out. It’s pretty special to win this.
“Ciaron and his team have done a terrific job. They had us fairly excited about him.”
Maher, in return, said the win was well deserved for Bennett Racing and said the win set a good grounding for the All-Star Mile, with the Australian Guineas a ‘win and you’re in’ contest for the $4 million contest at Caulfield on March 16.
“Nathan [Bennett] and his whole business, they’ve put a lot in. There’s not a race you see go round that there’s not the Bennett Racing colours,” said Maher, adding that having a Group 1 on Southport Tycoon’s resume made the $3.6 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield on March 16 a more viable option than before.
“This colt has always promised so much. These are your Tatts Lotto tickets, colts in Group 1s. Being a three-year-old colt, maybe it [the All-Star Mile] is worth considering a little bit more.
“He was almost the forgotten colt today.
“I was very confident last start, and I almost doubted myself a little bit. Jamie had the barrier, I was confident she had the right barrier to bounce and land in the right spot. She couldn’t have ridden the horse any better. She followed Veight into the race, you know he’s a genuine, genuine horse and I was very confident coming down the straight.”
Bookmakers responded to Southport Tycoon’s win by shortening the three-year-old to $13 for the weight-for-age All Star Mile, on the fifth line of betting behind dominant $2 favourite Mr Brightside (Bullbars).
Southport Tycoon now has three wins and three seconds from seven starts, with earnings of $862,000.
Kah said the race had “worked out like a dream”.
“We got into a beautiful spot, the horse I wanted to follow was Veight and we were following him,” she said. “When I popped out at about the 400, I thought he’s going to run a really nice second, and then he just found and found and kept finding.”
Southport Tycoon is the best of two winners from as many runners for American mare Ready To Rule (More Than Ready), a sister to stakes-winner Grace And Power.
Grace And Power is the dam of 2015 VRC Darley Classic (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Delectation (Shamardal) and the unraced Gracie’s Lass (Redoute’s Choice), dam of dual Group 1 winner and now Newgate Farm-based sire Artorius (Flying Artie).
Ready To Rule has been hampered in her breeding career, bearing only two foals in eight years.
After missing in 2020 and slipping in 2021, she foaled a filly by Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) last spring and was covered by Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) in November.
Southport Tycoon is the 62nd stakes-winner and 13th Group 1 winner for Yulong Stud’s fee-on-arrangement stallion Written Tycoon (Iglesia).