Feroce out to follow in his father’s footsteps
Three-year-old son of Super Seth bidding to emulate sire in Caulfield Guineas
Five years on from Super Seth’s (Dundeel) memorable win in the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), Feroce will bid to emulate the feats of his famous father when he becomes young trainer Dom Sutton’s first Group 1 runner in Saturday’s time-honoured contest.
With a barely believable burst of acceleration, Super Seth snatched victory from Alligator Blood’s (All Too Hard) jaws in a scene which Sutton – and Feroce’s high-profile ownership group – hopes can be repeated at Caulfield this weekend.
Feroce, who is part-owned by newly-elected Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga and AFL Premiership-winning coach Craig McRae, delivered a first metropolitan success in Sutton’s fledgling training career when he beat subsequent stakes winner Perspiration (Too Darn Hot) at Caulfield in early April.
Since then, the three-year-old has run into some precocious colts in the shape of Epimeles (Dundeel) and Growing Empire (Zoustar), the respective winners of the ANZAC Day Stakes (Listed, 1400m) and the McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
But Feroce bounced back to something like his best last time in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (Gr 3, 1400m), finishing half-a-length behind Clinton McDonald’s smart colt Angel Capital (Harry Angel), who is currently the third favourite for the Guineas behind Godolphin’s banner horse Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot).
With even luck, Sutton readily concedes that Broadsiding – who is chasing a sixth–straight stakes success on Saturday – might prove too classy for his rivals but outside the dominant favourite, the English expat believes Feroce can match motors with anyone.
“Broadsiding is potentially a superstar so if he turns up, then realistically we might all be running for second place,” admitted Sutton, who served his training apprenticeship as Leon and Troy Corstens’ stable foreman for the best part of a decade before branching out on his own at the back-end of last year.
“But if you take Broadsiding away, it’s probably a fairly even group of horses so Feroce has to be right in the race. It was a luckless run in the McNeil two starts back, he had no room whatsoever in the straight so it was almost like a track gallop for him that day. Then his performance in the Prelude was very good and he took plenty of benefit from it, so I think he will improve even further stepping up to the mile on Saturday.
“Funnily enough, when the Guineas first came onto the radar after Feroce won at Caulfield, I went back through Super Seth’s campaign leading into the Guineas and we have basically replicated his prep step by step.
“I’m not necessarily expecting the same result in the Guineas, but it’s obviously very exciting to have our first Group 1 runner. I haven’t allowed myself to think about it too much just yet, because I just want to get through the next few days first and ensure everything goes right in the build-up. Then come Saturday, my work is done and it’s over to the horse and Billy [Egan] to try to execute the plan.”
A son of the unraced O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Corinthia and a half-brother to the Karaka Classic (Listed, 1600m) winner Siracusa (Sebring), Feroce was purchased in partnership with McKeever Bloodstock at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Ready To Run Sale.
For many years Sutton’s father Nick, who owns a number of jumps horses in the United Kingdom, has been close friends with Johnny McKeever, a respected dual hemisphere bloodstock agent.
Believing that early success was essential in order to raise his profile and attract new clients into the stable, Sutton Jnr was keen to source some quality stock – at the right price – that were capable of hitting ground running for him.
Lot 379 from the Kilgravin Lodge draft appeared to fit the bill and when the bidding stopped at $160,000, Sutton and McKeever were both quietly confident they had made an astute purchase. That confidence was solidified when Feroce made a dynamic debut at Pakenham in March, before taking the rise to metropolitan grade in his considerable stride at start number two.
“He was my first ever winner and my first city winner, so he’s been a real pin-up horse for the stable,” said Sutton, who also has filly Khadime (Star Turn) – another purchase at the 2023 NZB Ready To Run Sale – on a potential Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) path.
“He put us on the map and not too many trainers would’ve had a Group 1 runner within their first 12 months, especially in such a big race like the Caulfield Guineas, so I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made in a fairly short period of time. Those first few weeks were definitely daunting, but we’ve hit our stride over the last few months and I’ve got some great supporters who have backed me, which you really need when you first start out.
“John [Kanga] has been part of my team from the start, he helped me set up the stables so he’s much more than just one of my owners. He’s been a big help for my business and now that he’s the chairman of the MRC, I’m sure he’s looking forward to having a runner in one of Caulfield’s biggest races.
“He also got Craig [McRae] involved in the horse, so it’s great for the profile of the stable to have someone like him investing in us. I’m not sure yet whether ‘Fly’ will be at Caulfield on Saturday but if he is, hopefully Feroce can give him something to shout about.”
Racing Australia announces new ‘Australian Black Type Guidelines’
Racing Australia have announced that, after review, the Australian Pattern will be replaced by new ‘Australian Black Type Guidelines’.
After Group 1 status was granted for both The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) and the All Star Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) on Tuesday, it was revealed that as many as 50 other races would be given black type upgrades, a move that was described by Aushorse chairman and Widden Stud owner Antony Thompson as ‘alarming’, and as ‘something of a hijack’ by Arrowfield owner John Messara.
In a statement released on Friday, Racing Australia stated: “Racing Australia is pleased to announce that the Australian Pattern has been reviewed to form the new ‘Australian Black Type Guidelines’.
“The introduction of the Australian Black Type Guidelines represents an important step by Racing Australia and the state and territory based Principal Racing Authorities (PRAs) in the restoration of an active, contemporary and fit for purpose framework to appropriately recognise and monitor premier races within Australia.
“The adoption of the new Australian Black Type Guidelines follows lengthy engagement between all PRAs and unanimous approval by the Racing Australia Board. The guidelines form the foundation to assess and protect the consistent quality of national black type races both now and in the future.
“Endorsed by all PRAs, the Australian Black Type Guidelines are built on largely objective criteria for assessing the status of a race. This seeks to provide a modern approach that will cater to Australia’s unique racing environment, whilst also recognising Australia’s federated model for the regulation and administration of racing, and any potential implications from an Australian competition law perspective.
“All PRAs operate within a national market and compete to secure the best racing product possible. Racing Australia has considered the competition issues to ensure the Black Type Guidelines overcome concerns regarding anti-competitive elements that were identified in the prior Pattern guidelines.
“In terms of the process, individual horse ratings are assessed on an ongoing basis by the Australian Classifications Committee (ACC). These horse ratings form the basis of the race rating. If a race achieves and sustains the appropriate race rating over time to be classed as a Group or Listed race, then it is recognised as such. The ACC comprises representation from every PRA, usually the chief handicapper. The Committee meets fortnightly to review and resolve horse ratings.
“A review of all black type races continues to be undertaken by the PRAs based on the race ratings as agreed by the ACC. Following the review by the PRAs, submissions for upgrades, warning notices and downgrades based on the Black Type Guidelines agreed criteria will be made to Racing Australia who will action the request after confirming the ratings information.
“The review process will consider the potential upgrading of existing black type races, the creation of new black type races, and the downgrading of black type races subject to a notifications process, all in accordance with the new Australian Black Type Guidelines.
“The process as set out is underway for the prior racing seasons. The Black Type Guidelines will be reviewed after consideration of and input from racing industry participants.”