Expensive colt Media World impresses at Hawkesbury
Expensive Yulong colt Media World (Written Tycoon) on Saturday showed he could be set to follow some other turf stars who’ve used the Clarendon Stakes (1200m) as their launch pad to greater things, leading throughout for an impressive win in Hawkesbury’s two-year-old feature.
The first foal of dual Group-winning sprinter Meryl (Epaulette) fetched the equal-sixth highest price at Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last year, with the Mystery Downs-bred colt bought by Yulong from Fairview Park’s draft for $1.4 million.
But the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained juvenile might have been slower to hit the ground than connections would have liked.
He was among the top four in betting for his debut in Caulfield’s Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m) but was a well beaten fifth.
Sent out for more maturation, he resumed seeking a soft kill in a 1200-metre Newcastle maiden on March 21 but could manage only third of seven. Given another shot against just five rivals over 1400 metres in another maiden at Kembla Grange, he was taken to the front for the first time as a $2.25 favourite, but weakened into a one-length second.
Third-up on Saturday, however, Media World was taken to the front as a $4.60 favourite and this time didn’t disappoint, kicking clear at the 200 and, despite a little waywardness, holding on to win by a neck from the fast-finishing $7.50 chance Monte Veebee (Snitzel), with Canara (I Am Invincible) third more than two lengths away.
Media World provided Written Tycoon (Iglesia) his seventh two-year-old winner for the season, further fortifying the 21-year-old Yulong stallion’s lock on a remarkable second Australian two-year-old sires’ title, helped mostly by his daughter Lady Of Camelot having landed the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m). That title will come eight years after another Slipper winner, Capitalist, aided Written Tycoon to win his first.
Though not among the black-type races on Hawkesbury’s major stand-alone Saturday meeting, the Clarendon Stakes, has launched the careers of several outstanding performers.
Zoustar (Northern Meteor) won it at his second start, took Queensland’s Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1350m) at his third, and went on to win Rosehill’s Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) and Flemington’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) before he embarked on what would become a stellar career at stud.
Graff (Star Witness) won the Clarendon in 2018 before taking the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at his next start en route to a $1.3-million earning career.
And last year’s edition was taken out by Godolphin’s Zardozi (Kingman), who’s now won a VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) and placed second in the ATC Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
Saturday’s victory by Media World had Peter Snowden confident the race could also serve as the kick-off point for this colt, who may now seek his own richer targets in Brisbane including the Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) on June 1 and the JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m), also at Eagle Farm, two weeks later.
“He’ll get a mile, whether it’s this prep or next prep, I’m not sure,” Peter Snowden said. “We did have Brisbane in mind with him, but we will see how he comes through the run.
“He’s just a touch immature yet, but I like him, and I think he’s got a future.”
With rider Zac Lloyd admitting that leading on Saturday was essentially forced upon him, Snowden said Media World would show a better burst of acceleration if ridden off the pace.
“I think you’ll see a better version of him again if he switches right off,” Snowden said. “But he’s very tough. He has been a pleasure to work with all the way through.”
Meryl was bought as a yearling by Mystery Downs and Randwick Bloodstock for $150,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2017. After her racing career, her owners sent her to the Inglis Chairman’s Sale of 2020, but she was passed in.
Now eight, Meryl has had three foals for Mystery Downs. On a similar cross to that which produced Media World, her colt by Capitalist was bought from the Fairview Park draft by Mick Price and Roll The Dice Racing for $320,000 at last month’s Easter sale.
With her owners working backwards with another father-son sire pair, Meryl now has a weanling filly by Pierata and was covered by Pierata’s sire Pierro (Lonhro) last November.