Dragonet roars to Cox Plate victory
Ozzie’s European import provides milestone moment for Maher and Eustace
Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Sir Dragonet (Camelot) had been on the radar of Mathew Becker for more than 12 months before he was able to convince Coolmore to part with the well-bred and highly talented colt who provided the ultimate return to his new owners at Moonee Valley yesterday.
The five-year-old, a one-time Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) favourite who won the Chester Vase (Gr 3, 1m 4.5f) led home a European-bred first four in the 100th running of the prestigious $5 million race and cemented Ciaron Maher and David Eustace as a likely force in Australian training ranks in the years to come.
Becker is the agent for Sir Dragonet’s principal owner Ozzie Kheir and the pair orchestrated a late Friday night deal with Coolmore’s Tom Magnier to buy the entire from the international racing and breeding empire.
Speaking to ANZ Bloodstock Bloodstock News after the momentous occasion, Group 1 Bloodstock’s Becker was well aware of the downfalls of buying Sir Dragonet for a significant seven-figure sum.
“It’s one of those things buying these horses from overseas is good in theory, but it is fraught with pitfalls and they don’t always come off, but we’ve got a system in place that we have had for a little while and Ozzie and I worked pretty closely hand-and-glove on it,” Becker said.
“I was confident that he was the right horse, but you are never too sure until you see them have their first run in Australia to see how they are going to adapt and all that sort of stuff, so it was just so good to see him find the line the way he did. It is quite amazing really.”
Sir Dragonet defeated Armory (Galileo) by one and a quarter lengths, with Russian Camelot (Camelot) another three quarters of a length away in third. Mugatoo (Henrythenavigator) was fourth while Arcadia Queen (Pierro), the first Australian-bred, ran fifth.
Jockey Glen Boss won last year’s Everest (1200m) for similar connections.
“It’s unbelievable. I used to wear out my VCR watching the Kingston Town and Manikato video. It’s ingrained in my psyche,” Boss said.
Maher was also elated at the result of his new stable addition.
“It’s something else. You dream of having a runner in it, let alone winning the race,” Maher said.
“Ozzie bought him for the Melbourne Cup and he’ll be even better in that race,”
Becker praised the “ten out of ten” ride Sir Dragonet received from Boss but also credited the recently retired hoop James Winks for his input in the success of the entire.
“One thing that Ozzie and John O’Neill did was engage James Winks to ride the horse and I think it was a masterstroke because, one, getting a quality rider like that with feedback directly every day was so important for us and, two, to be honest, we became confident when the horse got to Newmarket because the Maher-Eustace stable put him in work with David’s brother Harry,” he said.
“Harry remarked when he got the horse there that he was a really lovely horse with plenty more to give. He was thriving there with no problems and when he got to Werribee he just loved it.
“James (Winks) just said he felt so good and he had so much quality. He was also fit, which was another major thing, as we didn’t have to worry about his fitness. We could just take time with him.”
He added: “He had a couple of key gallops which was all he took. He had a gallop last Saturday and he went to Moonee Valley for breakfast with the stars but he’s been going to the beach and he’s thrived on that sort of training that Ciaron can offer them here as opposed to the style of training that he’s been used to in Ireland. I think he is just brilliant with those horses and Ciaron was just so confident today. It was amazing, really.”
A deal for Sir Dragonet to end up in Australia was only signed off three months ago after months of inquiries.
Caught up in the euphoria of a clutch goal by Carlton’s Jack Newnes on August 15, which saw the Blues victorious over Fremantle in the Australian Football League, Kheir upped the ante in his negotiations to secure the subsequent Cox Plate winner.
“That was that night I said that he could be bought and there was a little bit of negotiation going on and Ozzie took control of that. He knows Tom Magnier. He was involved in Yes Yes Yes deal together, so he had a personal relationship,” Becker recalled.
“They did the deal on the phone that night after Carlton won the footy. It was quite amazing how it all transpired and it’s worked out in the end.”
Sir Dragonet (5 h Camelot – Sparrow by Oasis Dream) hails from a potent European family, being a son of the stakes-placed, juvenile winner Sparrow (Oasis Dream), who is a half-sister to Italian Listed winner Victory Song (Dansili), Cheshire Oaks (Listed, 1m3.5f) winner Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo), while his third dam is Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Urban Sea (Miswaki).
She, of course, is the dam of European champion Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) and phenomenal Coolmore Group 1-winning stallion Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). The blue hen mare is also the dam of champion Italy three-year-old Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler’s Wells), Urban Ocean (Bering), Born To Sea (Invincible Spirit) and Melikah (Lammtarra), among others.
Sparrow has a stakes-performed juvenile brother to Sir Dragonet in Sir Lucan and a yearling colt by Caravaggio (Scat Daddy).
Becker reiterated Maher’s view that Sir Dragonet was a legitimate Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) contender on Tuesday week and that there was unlikely to be any thought of protecting his value as a potential stallion.
“The Melbourne Cup was the primary race and it was our belief at the time (of buying him) that he can stay,” he said.
“He’s got a stallion’s pedigree, but these guys are here to win major races, and if he’s sound and well I am sure they will be running him.
“I think it will be having a conversation about (his stallion value), but these guys are in it for the sport. They have got other horses that they race. Ozzie had Tagaloa, Brae (Sokolski) and Ozzie had Yes Yes Yes, those sort of horses as stallion prospects, but these horses we buy are here to win the major races.
“I would be very surprised if they didn’t want to run him (in the Cup) because he is here to do that job.”
Danny O’Brien said Russian Camelot produced the best run of his career to finish third and that the entire was likely to press on to the Melbourne Cup..
“I was really proud of him. He went forward from a hot tempo and Damien Oliver gave him a superb ride,” O’Brien said.
“He was left a sitting shot but kept on fighting.”
Currently in lockdown, Becker chose to watch the race from his Melbourne office as he was too nervous to stay at home with the family.
“I had to get out of the house as I was driving the family crazy,” he said.
“Ozzie and I were texting each other backwards and forwards still at 2am sitting in our lounge rooms looking out our windows waiting for the race.
“There wasn’t much sleep last night and we felt a lot better when the rain came.”
Cherry Tortoni back on track after Vase win
Trainer Patrick Payne was cursing himself after a trip to Sydney for leading Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) contender Cherry Tortoni (Night Of Thunder) proved fruitless, but the promising three-year-old gelding confirmed he was back to his best with victory in the Moonee Valley Vase (Gr 2, 2040m) yesterday.
It was Payne’s intention to use the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) as a lead-up run for the talented son of Darley’s former shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) but the Victorian trainer instead sent the gelding north for the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
He finished seventh and left Payne rueing his decision, but yesterday Cherry Tortoni firmed into $6 second favourite behind Young Werther (Tavistock) ($4.50).
“It’s amazing how things can turn around, I was dirty on myself after the Sydney run but today was much better,” Payne told Racing,com.
“From a trainer’s point-of-view, I didn’t think he had a hard run. We’ll never know but I still think he had something left in the tank.
“He looked like he wanted to stargaze when he got to the front but, still, it was good to see him back winning like that.”
Jockey Billy Egan was able to circle the field on Cherry Tortoni to defeat Khoekhoe (Turffontein) by a short neck with Johnny Get Angry (Tavistock) seven lengths away in third.
“Once we got down the side, I just gave him breathing room and let him build his momentum and swoop on them over the top,” Egan said.
“I know he’s won a couple of races, but he’s got the on-and-off ability without knowing what he is doing.
“He’s got a lot of learning to do. To see what he’s doing now, all natural ability, is really nice.”
Morning line favourite Young Werther, who was runner-up in the Super Impose Stakes (Listed, 1800m), was scratched from the Vase by trainer Danny O’Brien after the track was downgraded to a Soft 7 earlier in the day. The Derby remains on the agenda.
Keeping in mind what Payne considers as an error of judgment by sending the horse to Sydney earlier this month, Payne was circumspect about not wanting to overtax Cherry Tortoni in Saturday’s Derby.
“We’re really mindful that, I think, he’ll be a nice four, five and six-year-old,” Payne said.
“It was a good tune-up for the Derby but if he shows us any signs that he doesn’t want to go there then we won’t.”
From seven starts, which includes a victory in the Gibson Carmichael Stakes (Listed, 1600m) at Flemington in July, Cherry Tortoni has won four races and recouped $392,125 in prize-money.
Cherry Tortoni (3 g Night Of Thunder – Tortoni by Strategic), a homebred for Sandy Tait, is a grandson of Group 1-winning mare Whisked (Whiskey Road) who, of course, is the dam of champion Tie The Knot (Nassipour), and stakes winners Hood (Shamardal) and Dream Ballad (Singspiel).
Tortoni, Cherry Tortoni’s mother, won a Wagga maiden in 2013 shortly before being retired. She has a yearling filly by Coolmore shuttler Churchill (Galileo) and was covered by Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) last year.
Tough Dissident filly lands Fillies Classic
Troy Corstens has praised Yes Baby Yes’ (Dissident) constitution after the three-year-old filly broke through for her first stakes victory in the Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) at her ninth start in a preparation that started ten months ago.
Runner-up to Incredulous Dream (Press Statement) at her previous start at Caulfield on October 17, jockey Craig Williams was able to dictate the pace of the $300,000 Group 2 three-year-old fillies race.
She had a margin of three and three-quarter lengths over Ecumenical (Zebedee), who ran fourth in the MRC Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), with another two lengths back to Miss Inbetween (Fighting Sun).
“She’s as tough as nails,” trainer Corstens said. “You wouldn’t believe it, but she’s been up since January this girl.
“Raced as a two-year-old, right into her three-year-old year. Nine runs for this prep.”
Corstens acquired a farm near Benalla and he credited the property for being able to keep Yes Baby Yes in work for so long.
“She goes (to the farm) on a Monday morning and she’ll go out in the paddock for three or four days – she still works while she’s up there,” said Corstens who trains in partnership with his father Leon.
“(It) just keeps them happy. Some like going to the beach, some like going to the paddock and she likes going to the paddock.
“I just love her. She’s so tough. Things haven’t always gone her way, but she puts herself out in front and she held on today.”
It was a red-letter day for Hunter Valley operation Newgate Farm with resident stallions Dissident (Sebring) and Deep Field (Northern Meteor) siring winners and first season sire Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) providing two juvenile winners.
Yes Baby Yes (3 f Dissident – Exabelle by Exceed And Excel), a $120,000 purchase by Flemington Bloodstock and Malua Racing from the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Sledmere Stud draft, has now earned $247,488 in prize-money after winning $180,000 yesterday.
Bought by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock for NZ13,000 out of the 2014 NZB National Broodmare Sale, Exabeel is now the dam of three foals to race, all of whom have won, and the two-year-old half-sister No Baby No (Shooting To Win) is also in training with the Corstens at Flemington.
Exabeel also has a yearling filly by Spieth (Thorn Park) and was due to foal to Dissident this year.
Yes Baby Yes joins Pancho as a stakes winner for Dissident who stands at Newgate Farm for $11,000 (inc GST).
Melbourne Cup next for Miami Bound
The Melbourne Cup dream is alive for VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Miami Bound (Reliable Man) after relishing a strong tempo and a wet track in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup (Gr 2, 2500m).
Trainer Danny O’Brien never lost faith in the four-year-old mare despite being unplaced in her first four starts this campaign, most recently when sixth in the Herbert Power Stakes (Gr 2, 2400m), at Caulfield on October 10.
“She’s a much better horse when she gets out in distance, a mile and a half at least, and she grows another leg on the Soft (tracks),” he said.
“There were a few things in our favour, but we are thrilled to see her win today.
“She gave us a great thrill last spring in the Oaks and it’s still a big effort to come back here and beat the boys in the Moonee Valley Cup.”
Miami Bound ($26) defeated Shared Ambition (Born To Sea) ($4.20 fav) by two and a half lengths with Oceanex (Ocean Park) ($10) a half-length away third.
“We have been very happy with her all spring but she has been running on firm tracks and probably unsuitable distances. She was OK the other day in the Herbert Power, but that was on a Good 3,” O’Brien said.
“It was a Soft 7 today and she grew another leg. She was never going to get beaten.”
Jamie Kah, who rode four winners on the ten-race Moonee Valley card, said of Miami Bound: “She always travelled like the winner. Danny gets his horses so fit and Daniel Moor told me how well she had been working.”
Miami Bound will now head to the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 3 where she will carry 51 kilograms.
“She will definitely be an acceptor (for the Melbourne Cup) now,” O’Brien said.
“She has won that impressively and when you are that close to her it is pretty hard not to run.
“It has been difficult for those fillies who have won an Oaks to come back and win a Melbourne Cup, I don’t think it has happened for 30 or 40 years, but we will be there on the first Tuesday (of November) and giving it a crack.”
Miami Bound (4 m Reliable Man – Arapaho Miss by Danehill Dancer) is a half-sister to O’Brien’s Listed winner De Little Engine (Encosta De Lago) and three other winners. A NZ$120,000 purchase from the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, Miami Bound has had 14 starts for five wins and the prize-money earnings of $1.228 million.
She is the daughter of VRC Oaks winner Arapaho Miss, who is a half-sister to the Group 1-placed Heartsareforlove (Hussonet) and Cardiac (Encosta De Lago), the dam of Group 3 winner Declarationofheart (Declaration Of War).
Arapaho Miss has a two-year-old named Gabriellagrace (Swiss Ace) and a yearling brother to Miami Bound by Reliable Man.