Enthaar electrifies Caulfield in Chairman’s Stakes
Gimcrack winner makes it two from two and heads markets for Blue Diamond, Golden Slipper
Enthaar (2 f Written Tycoon – Final Agreement by Not A Single Doubt) is set to start the shortest-priced Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) favourite in a decade when she lines up in the $2 million feature on February 20 after the unbeaten filly cantered home in the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Caulfield yesterday.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Enthaar has held down favouritism for both the Blue Diamond Stakes and the $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) since markets opened, having created quite the impression with an emphatic debut victory in the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Randwick in October.
She tightened her grip at the head of the market before she had even step foot onto the hallowed Heath surface yesterday after Mallory (2 f Not A Single Doubt – Panorama Ridge by Empire Maker), a distant second in the Gimcrack, returned to take the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) earlier at Rosehill.
Mallory’s one-length win at her second start was both quicker and more impressive to the eye than Zethus (2 c Exceed And Excel – Melpomene by Elusive Quality) achieved in the boys’ equivalent, the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), a race later.
However, Enthaar’s return was the main attraction as she took on Ingratiating (Frosted), who won the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Flemington on the same day that she took the Gimcrack.
Sent out the $1.24 favourite, there were few – if any – moments of concern as Enthaar was allowed by Mark Zahra to lope along on the lead in the five-runner field with her head firmly on her chest.
While Ingratiating, three-quarters of a length off Enthaar, was ridden up by Damien Oliver approaching the 600 metres, the favourite was simply cruising along. Handling the notoriously tricky Caulfield home turn with aplomb, Zahra only rode the filly along hands and heels, not needing to test her in the slightest as she ambled home an easy two and a quarter length victor.
Ingratiating held down second, with debutant Fortunate Kiss (Divine Prophet) picking up black type in third, three and a half lengths from the winner.
The victory saw Enthaar shorten into $2.10 favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes and $4.50 for the Golden Slipper Stakes. Should she start that price in the Caulfield feature, she would be the shortest-priced favourite since Sepoy (Elusive Quality) scored by four and a quarter lengths as a $1.40 chance in 2011.
Zahra, who partnered the Darley-owned Sepoy at his first three starts before Kerrin McEvoy jumped aboard for the Blue Diamond Stakes and beyond, said: “She’s built like a five-year-old. She’s fully furnished and ready to go. Sepoy, he had a really good turn of foot and I think this filly has more speed, I reckon. They’re both very good horses and at least this one I’ll be able to stay on for grand final day.
“That was very impressive. Credit to Dave and Ciaron because I trialled her at Werribee and I said she’s going to have to calm down a bit heading towards the Blue Diamond. I think she was a bit keen then and a bit keen in her work, but it’s easy to say that’s how the horse won and leave it at that, but they listened.
“They put the ear muffs on, crossover and a tongue tie, she was perfect today.
“I said to Oli pulling up that I had harder work pulling her up than I did in the race. She’s a horse that does her best. I didn’t know if she could have gone much quicker than I was riding her out. She does her best without much encouragement, but I definitely think there was a bit there. I could feel about the 300 metres, she changed stride and if I really asked for it I probably could have gotten away with it.
“The grand final is in a couple of weeks and I think there’s a bit there. As long as she can behave like she did today I think she’ll get the 1200 metres.”
The Blue Diamond Stakes has been something of a bogey race for Maher and his training partner Eustace.
Maher was set to saddle up leading contender Jukebox (Snitzel) in the 2017 Blue Diamond but the colt was ruled out by Racing Victoria stewards due to a foot issue.
Two years later, Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) was sent out as equal favourite after winning the Chairman’s Stakes at start one. She was another under a fitness cloud, but she was passed fit to start; in the end, a luckless trip saw her finish sixth.
She would go on to finish fourth in the Golden Slipper and second in both the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), before winning two Group 1 races at three, with a further three placings at the highest level.
Last year, Maher and Eustace had six of the 16 runners, with the stakes-placed Muntaseera (I Am Invincible) rated their best chance ahead of Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner Away Game (Snitzel).
In the end, they finished fifth and fourth respectively, with Away Game arguably unlucky not to have won after taking a wide course throughout.
“It’s a race that has been eluding us,” Maher said. “Jukebox was the one. I’ll get over that one day. She’s very exciting. God, all those horses, I suppose the natural precocity of her at such a young age is probably the most obvious and exciting thing and she has such a big frame and can obviously use it.
“She was very impressive. She’s always been very obvious. It’s great that she did that first-up and great to have her back with a nice run like that. It looked like she did it pretty easy heading into what is one of her targets, the Blue Diamond.
“I’d just like to thank the team at Emirates Park for sending us the horse and the team both in Sydney and here have done a great job with her. She’s presented well and she’s very exciting.”
An Emirates Park homebred, Enthaar is the second foal to race out of Final Agreement (Not A Single Doubt), a sister to Group 1 winner Secret Agenda and Group 2-placed Stellar Pauline.
A member of the prolific Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar) family, Enthaar counts the blue hen as her fifth dam. She traces back to the Joy And Fun (Showdown) line, which features Group 1 winners like Sterling City (Nadeem), Kementari (Lonhro), Bentley Biscuit (Peintre Celebre), Thorn Park (Spinning World) and Enthaar’s third dam Euphoria (Marauding).
Final Agreement produced an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt in 2019, who will be offered as Lot 305 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, while she missed to the Yarraman Park sire in 2020. She was served by Newgate Farm freshman Tassort (Brazen Beau) in September.
Mallory, Zethus take Sydney juvenile features
While Enthaar was the belle of the ball, yesterday marked the unofficial start of the road to the Golden Slipper with two key lead-ups at Rosehill – both won by homebreds.
The Golden Slipper may still be seven weeks away, but the race for a berth in the $3.5 million feature clicked up another gear yesterday with the running of the Canonbury Stakes for the colts and geldings and the Widden Stakes for the fillies.
With the Widden honour roll featuring the likes of Away Game, Mossfun (Mossman) and Overreach (Exceed And Excel) in recent years and the Canonbury being taken by Vancouver (Medaglia d’Oro), Hinchinbrook (Fastnet Rock) and Sebring (More Than Ready), it often throws up a contender for the two-year-old features.
The fillies were first to take to the track and it was Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Mallory who took the spoils in the Widden. The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained filly was the beneficiary of a terrific ride by Jason Collett, who saved ground into the straight before bringing his mount across heels for her to challenge.
While the Arrowfield Stud-owned Mallory took time to wind up as she set after the front-running Total Babe (I Am Invincible) – third in that Gimcrack – the baldy-faced filly comfortably had the leader’s measure, pulling away to win by a length.
Godolphin’s Vianello (Teofilo) finished third, a length and a half from the winner. Sent out the favourite, she found the line late; it was a promising effort from a filly who on pedigree should get over plenty of ground.
Mallory’s win saw the filly tighten marginally for the Golden Slipper, for which she is now a $26 chance. However, Alexiou suggested that the feature may not be her target with the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes or the Percy Sykes Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) also potential options.
“We just have to get over the weekend first,” he said. “We will speak to the ownership group and let her plot the best path. Whether we end up in a Slipper or Sires or sit back for the Percy Sykes, she will make a nice filly in time.
“She is well schooled. Jason got her into a nice rhythm. She held her spot on the fence and that big flashy white face looked good levelling out.
“They went along quick enough, they didn’t go slow or overly fast. I was more impressed knowing how much improvement she has in her. She will derive great benefit fitness wise from that. When she steps up to 1200 or 1400 metres you will see the best of her.”
Mallory is the sixth foal to race, and the second stakes winner, out of American mare Panorama Ridge (Empire Maker), following Sassy ‘n’ Smart (Smart Missile).
Brought to Australia having been purchased by Jon Freyer for US$160,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November Breeding Sale, Panorama Ridge is herself a daughter of two-time French Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), while it is also the family of Anothertwistafate (Scat Daddy) – who this month became that rare commodity to win stakes races on turf, dirt and synthetic – and Lexus Stakes (Gr 3, 2500m) winner Excess Knowledge (Monsun).
Panorama Ridge has a yearling colt by Pariah (Redoute’s Choice), who will be offered as Lot 233 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, while she was served by Dundeel (High Chaparral) in early September.
The Arrowfield Stud colours, carried by Mallory, were not on display in the Canonbury Stakes 35 minutes later, but the race may have enhanced the reputation of another juvenile to sport the yellow and black diamonds in Remarque (Snitzel).
Remarque was ever so impressive at Rosehill two weeks ago and the form behind him stood up yesterday as his closest pursuer, Godolphin’s Zethus, took out the Canonbury Stakes under Rachel King. He had a nose to spare over Coolmore’s heavily backed favourite Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), while Sing A Love Song (Your Song) – third to Remarque – filled that same spot yesterday.
The boys were 0.59 seconds slower than the fillies – 1:06.62 to 1:06.03 – while the half-length separating the first four doesn’t read well either. However, during Slipper season, horses can jump out of the ground and trainer James Cummings believes Zethus is capable of doing that.
“It’s only the end of January. There are quite a few steps to take before we get to the really big races,” he said. “He is doing everything right so far. He’s got lots of upside, he’s got the best attitude to improve as a two-year-old.
“We say it every year that attitude is the most important ingredient you can have in a good colt like him. To keep improving every time you raise the bar. You love to see them show so much bottom, knuckling down so strongly on the line. He’s going to have absolutely no trouble as he steps out in distance and when the pressure goes into these races.
“He had plenty of improvement in him before his debut where he ran beautifully first up behind Remarque and I think he has backed it up by improving a bit today. He knuckled down so strongly against a very classy colt. I’d say he’s looking every bit for 1200 metres next time.”
Zethus is the fifth foal to race out of Melpomene (Elusive Quality), a stakes-placed filly out of VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Bulla Borghese (Belong To Me). Melpomene has also produced Magic Night Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Calliope (Exceed And Excel) as well as the stakes-placed Thalia (Medaglia d’Oro), who has herself produced stakes winner Aquitaine (Exceed And Excel).
Melpomene has a yearling filly by Astern (Medaglia d’Oro), while she was served by shuttler Harry Angel (Dark Angel) in September.
Five-star Savatiano excels in Expressway
The Godolphin blue was back in the Rosehill winners’ circle a few races later when Savatiano (6 m Street Cry – Retsina by Redoute’s Choice) – who debuted in the Widden Stakes in 2017 – kept her strong first-up record intact by taking out the Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), her fifth Group 2 win.
In comfortably taking the Expressway over Kolding (Ocean Park) and Emeralds (Sebring), Savatiano showed just how lethal she can be fresh, with six first-up wins from nine attempts. It is a weapon that Cummings intends to employ with the six-year-old as she searches for that elusive Group 1 win.
“I think she is well and truly in the right form to have a crack at a Group 1 at her next start,” he said. “The Canterbury Stakes is in March so I will probably put her on ice until then so she will be coming into that race fresh.
“She’s a pretty good mare. Her record speaks for itself. She is more mature now and she is a pleasure to train. Credit has to go to the Godolphin boys who had confidence in her to keep her going for another season and I think she might be capable of repaying the faith.”
Only six runners went to post for the Expressway, with top three-year-old Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) and defending champion Standout (Exceed And Excel) both withdrawn yesterday morning, along with honest sprinter Southern Lad (Ocean Park).
That saw Savatiano sent off as the $2.10 favourite and she did not disappoint, stretching clear for an easy two-length victory under Hugh Bowman after leading throughout.
“It was a very good race for her,” Cummings said. “The wet track probably took some of the class out of the race with the scratching of the three-year-old, but he would have needed to be pretty good today to beat Savatiano.
Added Bowman: “Even though I had it as easily as I did in the first quarter, I made her switch on at the 600-metre mark because I thought I’d take the race by the scruff of the horns instead of waiting for the pressure to come.
“Once I switched her on and got her up onto the bridle she just picked up. From the 350 metres I asked her to stretch out and stretch out she did.”
Savatiano is one of two stakes winners out of the Listed-performed mare Retsina (Redoute’s Choice); she has also produced another flying filly in Athiri (Lonhro). Retsina herself is out of Group 1 winner Star Shiraz (Sequalo).
She has a yearling colt by Lonhro (Octagonal) and a colt foal by Street Boss (Street Cry), while she was served by history-making sprinter Blue Point (Shamardal) in November.