First-season sires to the fore on both sides of Tasman
Newgate’s Brutal (O’Reilly) was not the only first–season sire to have a good day on Saturday, with a further three freshmen stallions racking up winners in both Australia and New Zealand.
Those successes were headed by Brave One (Exceedance), who became the seventh individual winner for Vinery Stud’s Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) when scoring in the opening contest at Randwick.
Lining up in the 1100-metre event as an $8 chance, having finished first and third in a pair of trials at Rosehill last month, the Team Hawkes-trained colt sat second on the turn for home.
Poised to challenge under a confident Zac Lloyd, Brave One hit the front with 200 metres left to run and gamely held off the persistent challenge of long-time leader and favourite Mayfair (Fastnet Rock) to score by 0.8 lengths.
Winning Proposal (Shalaa) finished a further 1.3 lengths back in third place.
“This bloke just oozes class, looks a picture, and has been trialling brilliantly,” Michael Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his brothers John and Wayne, said.
“This is the middle of winter and that was a class field as Gai’s horse [Mayfair] goes well and there were a couple of wet trackers in the race.
“He has been a slow maturer. He might have a freshen-up, and we will take things slowly. I have to give Zac credit, I thought it was a brilliant ride.”
Consigned by Vinery Stud to last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Brave One was a $300,000 purchase for Hawkes Racing.
“We paid a bit for him at Easter, being by first–season sire Exceedance, a breed we know well,” Hawkes continued.
“Anyone who listens to me knows I can’t get enough of them. I have been loving them since we bought them and they got in the stable. We have 11 or 12 of them.
“I spoke to [Vinery Stud’s] Peter Orton yesterday and said, ‘go and find me some more’. I rate them highly, and this bloke is up with the best of them.”
Brave One (2 c Exceedance – Runway Star by Northern Meteor) is the second winner from three to race out of the Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago) mare Runway Star, who carried the Vinery silks to six wins highlighted by a victory in the 2016 Proud Miss Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) having previously taken out back-to-back runnings of the Matrice Stakes (Listed, 1200m).
Exceedance, whose crop are highlighted by Group 3 scorers Dublin Down and Flyer, will stand the 2024 breeding season for a fee of $33,000 (inc GST), unchanged from 2023.
Kitchwin Hills’ Dubious (Not A Single Doubt) was the next to get in on the act as he chalked up his fifth winner when Indubitably got off the mark at the fourth time of asking at Beaudesert.
Having made her debut in the Magic Millions The Debut (1000m) at the Gold Coast on January 13, where she ran a promising sixth behind Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot), the filly had only managed fourth and tenth-placed finishes in two subsequent runs.
Ridden by Jace McMurray for Kurt Goldman in Saturday’s 1100-metre maiden, the filly was sent off the $3.40 favourite and defeated Sidled (Sidestep) by 0.8 lengths with a further length back to the third-placed Alpine Raider (Alpine Eagle).
Indubitably was a $20,000 purchase for her trainer out of the Grandview draft for at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale.
She is a half-sister to winners Award Knight (Shamus Award) and Palentiful (Palentino) being the fifth foal out of the stakes-placed winning Dane Shadow (Danehill) mare Lady Mary.
Dubious will stand the 2024 breeding season for a fee of $15,400 (inc GST), unchanged from his fee in 2023.
Westbury Stud’s first–season sire Ferrando (Fast ‘N’ Famous) also got on the board on Saturday, registering his first winner when Grove Street made it third time lucky at Hastings.
The Team Rogerson-trained colt ran fifth in his first two starts, over 950 metres at Tauranga and 1100 metres at Te Rapa, and was sent off a $26 chance on the back of those efforts.
Ridden by Leah Hemi, Grove Street made all under his rider and, having looked vulnerable with 100 metres left to run, rallied gamely to cross the line almost in tandem with Honey Badger (El Roca) before eventually getting the verdict by 0.1 lengths in a photo finish.
The front pair finished a further length ahead of the third-placed Rhythm ‘N’ Spice (Ardrossan).
“I watched his previous races and saw that he could ping out of the gates, so I was quite confident that he would be able to get to the front within a few strides,” the winning rider said.
“He’s very professional. The Rogerson team do a great job with their horses, and I was fortunate to get on this one today.”
Grove Street (2 c Ferrando – Dancing Song by Senor Pete) was bred and is co-owned by Graeme Rogerson, who also trained and co-owned Ferrando to a Group 3 and Listed win as well as two placings in the Telegraph (Gr 1, 1200m).
“Grove Street is learning all the time, and he’s a typical Ferrando – they’re not really two-year-old types,” Rogerson, who trains in partnership with his wife Debbie, said.
“They’re also looking more like stayers than sprinters, which I’ve found hard to believe. I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to with his progeny next season.
“We’ve got half a dozen of them that look really good. Zorro’s Revenge placed in the Champagne Stakes in the autumn, and he came back into the stable this week. We’re going to aim him at the [New Zealand] 2,000 Guineas, and then I think he’s a lovely prospect for the Derby.”
Grove Street is the eighth winner out of the multiple winning Senor Pete (Green Dancer) mare Dancing Song. Ferrando will stand the 2024 breeding season for a fee of $5,000 (plus GST).