First season stallions to the fore at official two-year-old trials
Yesterday’s official two-year-old barrier trials in Sydney did not reveal all the answers but for young stallions with maiden crop juveniles facing their first public moment of truth, the traditional September session provided some encouraging signs for owners, trainers and studmasters.
Highly touted first crop stallions Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) and Coolmore’s US Triple Crown champion Justify (Scat Daddy) sired two of the ten heat winners, while Newgate Farm’s recently minted champion first season stallion Russian Revolution (Snitzel) sired the winner of the fastest 850-metre Randwick heat of the morning.
Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m)-winning trainer Michael Freedman had a strong hand at Randwick via the support of colts groups Newgate Farm and China Horse Club and the James Harron Bloodstock operation, but Justify filly Just Gisella, in winning heat eight, also made onlookers take notice.
“For a two-year-old filly having her first official trial, she showed a lot of tenacity, I thought, when she got held up there and Tommy (Berry) had to keep angling out to get a run on her and she hit the line well,” Freedman said.
“All in all, it’s a pretty good morning out. She’s such a laidback filly, she’s really docile around the yard and only does what she has to, so that’s probably the first time we’ve seen her even semi light up. It was very encouraging.”
The Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) will come under consideration from Freedman after the filly ran 52.2 seconds in her heat, defeating the Peter Robl-trained trial leader Sky Artist (Trapeze Artist) while Zelta (Snitzel) was close up in third.
Chad Schofield rode the runner-up and he suggested the Trapeze Artist filly would improve from the public experience.
“She’s a very fast filly and Peter Robl has a nice opinion of her. She was lost in front by herself,” Schofield said.
Earlier in the session, Gary Portelli pulled the covers off talented colt Flying Trapeze (Trapeze Artist), an $85,000 Magic Millions purchase by the trainer from the Widden Stud draft, who overcame a wide barrier to win heat five over the closing Empire Of Japan (Snitzel).
The trainer used last year’s session to unveil Sejardan (Sebring) – a contender for Saturday’s Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) who won the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) and the Golden Gift (1100m) as an early two-year-old – but said the similarities between the pair ended there.
“They’re different types of horses. This bloke’s a jump-and-run horse, you could see they were going three-quarter pace for the first half of the trial, which is why they ran such slow time (52.38 seconds), he was going half-pace around the corner,” Portelli said.
“He wasn’t wound right up for the trial, so I’m sure there’s improvement left in him. It’s his first time away from home and it’s the first time he’s galloped on a track other than Warwick Farm, so you’ve got to give credence to that.
“I saw the second horse come at him and I thought, ‘this will be interesting to see if he’s got some tenacity as he’s always shown that at home’. It was good to see him pick himself up, he got a bit tired late, but he’ll definitely be in the Breeders’ Plate. If he draws a gate, he’ll be a good chance.”
With co-trainer Gai Waterhouse in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Adrian Bott was left to oversee the Randwick stable’s representatives and the partnership made its presence felt ahead of the Gimcrack Stakes and Breeders’ Plate, preparing four of the ten barrier trial winners.
Heat two winner Perfect Proposal (Russian Revolution), a $420,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase, won by two and a quarter lengths in 51.06 seconds on the Soft 6 surface, the fastest time of the day.
Bott and jockey Tim Clark suggested Perfect Proposal is entitled to be considered a leading hope in Saturday week’s Gimcrack Stakes for the fillies.
“She’s a filly who has done everything right and improved every step up of the way and she improved quite quickly to be here, so I thought she’d trial up quite sharply and it’s very satisfying to see her do it,” Bott said.
“I think she’s a real Gimcrack type. She’s got good gate speed, even off that, once she balanced up it was good to see her be strong late and really quicken up when asked.”
Clark said: “She’s put her hand up all the way and she’s been really nice from day one,” he said
“She’s put the time on the board and probably done it in the best style, I felt, so she’s maybe the leading contender at the moment.”
Bott and Waterhouse also sent out Sicilian (I Am Invincible), a $650,000 Magic Millions graduate, to win heat four over Learning To Fly (Justify), herself a $900,000 Inglis Easter purchase who is raced by Kia Ora Stud and Coolmore.
“Physically, she’s a lovely type. She was purchased by a group who targeted some well-bred fillies who would hopefully go early and win races and she’s certainly one of the pin-ups for them,” Bott said of Sicilian.
“She showed that great tactical speed. She’s very professional and very forward.”
Rob Archibald, racing manager to Learning To Fly’s trainer Annabel Neasham, said: “She has been very natural all the way along. Every time we’ve asked her to do a bit more, she’s done it and been able to get here.
“She is a scopey filly, but she’s sharp enough at home, so whatever she’s doing now she’ll only be better later on. She’s a lovely type of filly, she’s got a very nice pedigree and hopefully there’s plenty more to come.
“Her temperament watching her walk around the parade ring was amazing. You always hope they handle it like that and she couldn’t have handled it better.”
Bott and Waterhouse also had colt Tarabeau, a late addition to heat ten, win his trial in a style which suggests he could tackle the Breeders’ Plate next week.
Jockey Regan Bayliss has been riding the Milburn Creek-sold Tarabeau in trackwork and is taken by what he’s seen from the son of Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible).
“Adrian asked me if it’d be worth putting in a late nom for the trials today and it was definitely worth it,” Bayliss said.
“That will do him the world of good today. He will keep improving and he had a good blow this morning … and hopefully we see him back in a couple of weeks.”
Waterhouse and Bott also won heat six with filly Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar), while in the next heat Bjorn Baker’s Zoustar colt Ozzmosis lived up to pre-trial hype to win his hit-out over owner-breeder Bert Vieira’s Snatchreilly (Trapeze Artist).
“He hasn’t done too much at home apart from one very soft jump-out … I thought it was a good effort to sit outside the leader,” Baker said.
“We’ll make sure he comes through it well, he’s very well bred and we’d love to get him to the first race (Breeders’ Plate) if we can.
“He’s shown he’s got really good ability, there’s no doubt about that, but he’ll be better on top of the ground and it’s a demanding enough track for their first time trialling away from home … he showed a bit of courage late.”
Heat 1 – colts and geldings
1st – Don Corleone (c Extreme Choice – Snpizu by Snippetson) – $650,000 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale
Trainer: Peter and Paul Snowden
Henry Field, Newgate Farm, owner: “He’s a horse we bought off Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm for a whopping $650,000 as a weanling last year. He has always shown good ability and it was nice to see him trial well today. There was a lovely Russian Revolution of John O’Shea’s who led the trial up (Physical Graffiti) and gave them something to chase and he did a good job to pick him up and go past him. I know the guys (Peter and Paul Snowden) have a good opinion of and it was good to see him do it today.”
Heat 3 – colts and geldings
1st – Mach Ten (c Exceed And Excel – Devious Rumor by Street Boss) – $1.2 million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Trainer: Michael Freedman
2nd – Godfather (c I Am Invincible – Meliora by Ad Valorem) – $1.1 million Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Trainer: Peter and Paul Snowden
James Harron, owner: “Mach Ten’s quite an alert horse, he was on his toes a little bit, that’s just the way he is, he’s always been like that, but he’s very manageable and as you saw today it was really nice to see him fight back and win his trial. For babies, every day’s like a month, so fingers crossed they come through it.”
3rd – Kintyre (c Hallowed Crown – Mull Over by So You Think
Trainer: Gary Portelli
Laurel Oak Bloodstock homebred Kintyre, the half-brother to last season’s champion two-year-old Fireburn (Rebel Dane), ran on strongly for third in heat three. However, connections’ hopes of Kintyre being a leading contender in Saturday week’s ATC Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) were dashed when stewards ordered the colt to retrial after rearing in the barriers.
Heat 9 – colts and geldings
Fameux (c Exceed And Excel – Daysee Doom by Domesday)
Trainer: Annabel Neasham
Chad Schofield, rider: “I’ve ridden him quite a few times at home and he’s never done that before (run off the track near the winning post), but it’s obviously a lot for them to take in at their first trial away from their home track. He was having a really big look at the TV screen and hung off the track. He impressed me, he gave me a good feel up until that point and he’s a nice horse. I’ve liked him from the first time I rode him, I jumped him out last week. He handled everything really well up until what he did in the straight.”