Elleegant Tancred win for Waller’s star mare
The final Saturday of March at Rosehill seems to be a day on the calendar enjoyed by Verry Elleegant (Zed) and her connections as she returned to the same meeting of her maiden Group 1 victory 12 months ago to take out the Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) at Rosehill yesterday.
Winner of last year’s Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), the Chris Waller-trained mare was on the back-up after a fighting second to Addeyyb (Pivotal) in the Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) seven days earlier.
The quick turnaround proved to be no issue for the lightly-framed dual Group 1 winner as she circled the field around the home turn and hit the front with 300 metres to go, racing away to win by a dominant margin of four and a quarter lengths.
The Kris Lees-trained imported gelding Mustajeer (Medicean) was second with last year’s Tancred winner Avilius (Pivotal) a nose back in third.
Early in her career, Verry Elleegant was known to overace but her new–found maturity as a four-year-old has seen her reach her full potential.
“It might look easy but it has been a big effort for the whole stable to get a horse like her to settle as well as she is doing. She is quite a highly–revved horse,” Waller said.
“Full credit to James (McDonald, jockey). She is obviously a great horse. We haven’t had her over this distance very often but each time we have she has just been dominant. It is a very special win.
“She is only four and racing against the older horses basically. She is just a genuine athlete at a staying trip.”
Looking ahead, Waller said a tilt at the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) was well and truly on the cards for the mare and potentially even the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
“The Caulfield Cup would be high on our radar and even a Melbourne Cup,” he said.
“Let’s hope we get weighted as well as some of the other horses from around the world and they keep giving the Australian horses a chance.
“She’ll be there and she’ll be one of them.”
James McDonald has formed a strong partnership with Verry Elleegant and credited her adaptability for yesterday’s win after his original tactics failed to come to fruition.
“She was a star today,” he said.
“Obviously I thought I would probably be outside the lead but she felt better coming from off the speed to be honest.
“But that’s how adaptable she is and how she has grown as a mare. Hopefully we are only going to reap the rewards now and what she has already done is just a bonus.
“What I felt today was just extraordinary.”
As for whether Verry Elleegant will press on for the rest of the autumn, Waller said she could head to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), where she would face a rematch with Addeybb, but given the uncertainty around the future of the racing industry due to the coronavirus pandemic, that looks unlikely.
“If today’s race wasn’t among the circumstances we were in, I probably would have gone to the Queen Elizabeth,” he said.
“I think everybody here has been so responsible, as have the stable staff that are doing a fantastic job.
“We’re all worried about our safety and health as well as the rest of Australia, but we are showing we can put on a responsible show and keep everyone interested at home.”
Verry Elleegant (4 m Zed – Opulence by Danroad) has won eight races from 19 starts with five placings for prize-money of $2,749,718.
She is one of three winners out of Opulence, herself a winner of two races, including her six-time winning brother Verry Flash. Verry Elleegant’s second dam is Mulan Magic (King’s Theatre), who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Monards (Danehill) and Starnui (Brave Lad), the dam of Cranbourne Cup (Listed, 2025m) winner Starmon (Monolith).
Zed (Zabeel) is the sire of 12 stakes winners including last year’s Awapuni Gold Cup (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Jacksstar and New Zealand’s Challenge Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Survived.
Another Group 1 for Waterhouse and Bott in Vinery
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott continued their golden autumn as Shout The Bar (Not A Single Doubt) caused an upset to take out yesterday’s Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Rosehill, marking jockey Adam Hyeronimus’ maiden Group 1.
The build up to this year’s running of the three-year-old fillies feature was all about the fifth edition of Funstar (Adelaide) versus Probabeel (Savabeel), but Shout The Bar had other ideas as she lead the trip and held off a late charge from star New Zealand filly Probabeel to win by a neck.
Nudge (Fastnet Rock) was third with Funstar coming home a nose back in fourth.
Bott was on course to represent Tulloch Lodge and was full of praise for Hyeronimus who has partnered Shout The Bar in all four of her race starts.
“He (Hyeronimus) puts in a lot of hard yards and he’s done a fantastic job on this filly all the way through, particularly today,” the co-trainer said.
“He kept his cool and got the right run while everyone was sorting out their positions behind him.”
The New South Wales-based jockey narrowly missed out on landing his maiden elite-level victory last week when finishing second aboard Prince Fawaz (Fastnet Rock) in the Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m).
“It’s very rewarding, especially to ride it for Gai,” Hyeronimus said.
“Growing up as a kid I used to watch the races on Saturday and Gai used to just dominate the two-year-old races.
“That’s what I grew up with and to end up being her apprentice and finish my apprenticeship there, and to continue riding on for her and get my first Group 1 winner is just a huge thrill.”
Hyeronimus also admitted he was never confident the pair were going to win during the run.
“Not once at any stage did I think, ‘she’s going to win’. She’s probably not actually a leader, she probably led by default,” he said.
“Through the middle stages I was quite worried I was going too slow and that’s why I picked the tempo up at the half mile.
“I didn’t want it to turn into a sit and sprint. I know she’s tough and I know she can run a strong 2000. I said that all along, since her second trial I said, ‘Adrian this is our Oaks horse’ and she hasn’t let us down yet.”
Shout The Bar’s Vinery win was the third Group 1 in as many weeks for the Waterhouse and Bott stable after Farnan’s (Not A Single Doubt) victory in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and Con Te Partiro (Scat Daddy) taking out the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m).
“It has been fantastic,” Bott said. “I am so happy for everyone involved, the team behind us and the owners that have given us so much support.
Purchased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing for $200,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale out of the Newhaven Park draft, Shout The Bar (3 f Not A Single Doubt – Drinks All Round by O’Reilly) has now had four starts for three wins and a second, earning $378,825 in prize-money.
She is the first foal to race out of three-time winner Drinks All Round who herself is a three-quarter sister to multiple stakes runner-up Master Hunter (O’Reilly). Drinks All Round is out of Tattinger (Centaine), who is a half-sister to three-time Group 2 winner Satinka (Stravinsky) as well as She Wishes (Kenfair), dam of dual Group 1 winner Rangirangdoo (Pentire).
It was a timely victory for Segenhoe Stud who will offer Shout The Bar’s sister at the upcoming Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. She is catalogued as Lot 416.
Drinks All Round also has a two-year-old unraced sister to Shout The Bar named She’s A Survivor, who is to be trained by Craig Widdison in Wodonga. She was again covered by Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) last spring.
Shout The Bar becomes the 70th individual stakes winner and 13th individual Group 1 winner for Arrowfield Stud’s recently pensioned sire Not A Single Doubt.
Quick Thinker set for Derby back up after Tulloch win
He might be on lockdown in New Zealand but that hasn’t stopped Kiwi trainer Murray Baker, who now trains in partnership with Andrew Forsman, from his continued raid on Sydney’s autumn three-year-old features.
Quick Thinker’s (So You Think) victory in the Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) at Rosehill yesterday was the fifth time Baker has claimed the race and the colt looks set to back up in Saturday’s Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
Star rider James McDonald had the son of So You Think (High Chaparral) settled fourth in the run and moved up to challenge the front runners around the turn.
The pair hit the front with 300 metres to go before eventually scoring by a length and a quarter ahead of the Team Hawkes-trained Zebrowski (Savabeel) with Diasonic (Reset) a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
Quick Thinker had only contested 2000 metres once before in his career, finishing fifth in last year’s Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), and Baker admitted he had questioned whether the colt would handle the trip.
“He is out of an Al Maher mare so I thought the distance might get him, but that was a good tough effort,” Baker said.
“I was worried about the distance, not so much the (soft) track.
“He was pretty strong there, which is encouraging. It is onto the Derby now.
“It is always nice to win and that is my fifth win in the race.
“I won it with Our Palliser (1987), The Bill (1993), Harris Tweed (2009) and Jon Snow (2017), so it has been a good race to me.”
McDonald has already committed to the ride on Castelvecchio (Dundeel) in next week’s Derby but believes Quick Thinker has a strong chance in the race.
“He is a proven wet tracker. He is fit and he’ll be a force to be reckoned with come the Derby,” he said.
Now a three-time winner from ten starts with prize-money earnings of $292,413, Quick Thinker (3 c So You Think – Acouplamas by Al Maher) was purchased for $100,000 at the Australian Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by De Burgh Equine from the draft of Coolmore Stud.
He is one of four winners out of Acouplamas, making him a half-brother to HDF McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) runner-up The August (I Am Invincible). His second dam, Mahira (Canny Lad), is a half-sister to Kensington Gardens (Grosvenor) who produced Group 1 winner and leading Western Australian sire Blackfriars (Danehill).
Acouplamas was covered by new Widden Stud resident Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) last spring.
Quick Thinker is one of eight stakes winners this season, and 24 overall, for Coolmore Stud’s So You Think, who stood for a fee of $38,500 (inc GST) in 2019.
Holyfield lands Maher and Eustace another juvenile stakes win
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace continued their incredible season among the juvenile ranks at Rosehill yesterday when Holyfield (I Am Invincible) took out the Schweppervescence (Gr 3, 1400m).
Ridden by visiting English jockey Tom Marquand, the Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds-owned colt took a forward position in the run and kicked clear leading into the straight before being challenged by Untamed (Pierro) in the final stages of the race.
However, Marquand was too strong aboard Holyfield and the pair took out the race by three-quarters of a length ahead of Untamed, with Time Is Precious (Snitzel) a further three and a quarter lengths back in third.
“He put him in the race and left it out there and the horse was good and tough,” Maher said. “He was there to be beaten but he was just too strong.”
Marquand, who has enjoyed a stellar amount of success during his time in Sydney, said things worked out perfectly for Holyfield.
“As soon as the other horse joined him in the last 250 to 300 metres he battled the whole way to the line,” Marquand said.
“There was never a moment’s doubt.”
The two-year-old colt will now be set towards the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), a race in which the stable finished second in last year with star filly Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible).
“He travelled back up to Sydney where he’s spent most of his career and together with a good ride from Tom Marquand he is building a nice record,” Maher said.
“If he can knock off a big one he is a very valuable colt.”
Holyfield’s win was the 20th juvenile scorer for Maher and Eustace so far this season.
An $800,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase from the Segenhoe draft for Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Aquis, Holyfield (2 c I Am Invincible – Hurtle Myrtle by Dane Shadow) has had four starts for three wins, earning a total of $133,865 in prize-money.
So far, he is the best performed of three winners out of VRC Myer Classic (now Empire Rose Stakes) (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Hurtle Myrtle (Dane Shadow) and comes from the family of Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Star Watch (Bletchingley).
Hurtle Myrtle was bought by Segenhoe for $1 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2012. She has a weanling filly by Not a Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice) and was covered last spring by Deep Field (Northern Meteor).
Holyfield is the 55th individual stakes winner, and 11th this season, for Yarraman Park resident I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), who stood for a fee of $247,500 (inc GST) in 2019.