Good day for Newgate as stallions fire at Rosehill
Nepotism defied a notable betting drift to open his account in style and deliver a first Group win for his sire Brutal (O’Reilly) in the T L Baillieu Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m), while it signalled the beginning of a good day for Newgate Farm-based stallions, with barn companion Russian Revolution (Snitzel) adding a 12th individual stakes winner to his tally later on in the afternoon.
Racing in Neil Werrett’s green and yellow star silks, Nepotism pulled clear of Brad Widdup’s filly Savvy Hallie (Hellbent) in the closing stages to rocket into Champagne Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m) calculations for Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes, who trained Brutal to five victories including the 2019 Doncaster Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m).
Tony Ottobre’s filly Jenni’s Meadow secured a first stakes success for Brutal when she took out last year’s Taj Rossi Series Final (Listed, 1600m) at Flemington, but the manner of Nepotism’s 1.35-length win on an unsuitably heavy Rosehill track suggests he has the capacity to become the first horse to deliver Group 1 glory for Newgate Farm’s second-season sire.
Having kicked off his career with a highly creditable third in the Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), Nepotism relished the step up to 1400 metres at start number two with regular rider Tyler Schiller having the luxury of easing him down near the line to make a mockery of his $5 starting price.
Team Hawkes are now toying with the idea of backing him up in four days’ time in the Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), with connections set to accept for Saturday’s $1 million contest before making a final decision later in the week.
Bookmakers reacted by trimming Nepotism’s odds into $10 for the Sires’ Produce, but Michael Hawkes – who labelled him a “proper colt” – revealed that the Champagne Stakes at Randwick on 19 April remains the more likely option.
“Going up to 1400 metres probably wasn’t ideal today after not running the race on Saturday, but we just kept him ticking over and Tyler rode the right race,” he said.
“He was a little bit tardy away and he had to ride him for luck, but when he got out he put paid to them. We think he’s a proper colt, and it was always the plan to test him at the mile. Obviously the Sires’ is this Saturday, but we do have the mile race [Champagne Stakes] coming up and he looks like he’ll relish it.
“He’s still a baby, that was only his second start, but he’s obviously a group winner now so he’s a valuable colt going forward. It’s our first group win for these owners and their colts’ syndicate. He’s a lovely colt and it’s great to train a winner in those colours for the Werrett family and their partners, we hope they keep having success.”
Nepotism, whose dam Brigite [Casino Prince] never made it to the racetrack, was bred by Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson who retained a 25 per cent share after he was sold for $160,000 at last year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
The colt was sourced for his high-profile syndicate, which includes Black Caviar’s part-owner Colin Madden, as a future stallion prospect by International Thoroughbred Solutions supremo Mark Player and his fellow bloodstock agent Rob Roulston.
Player, Werrett and Madden combined to purchase Team Hawkes’ multiple Group 1 winner Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon), the Gilgai-bred colt who was subsequently acquired by Vinery Stud and has made a sizzling start to his embryonic stud career for the Hunter Valley operation.
Nepotism follows last year’s winner Linebacker (Super Seth), the recent Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) victor, onto the T L Baillieu Handicap honour roll. It marked a first win in the race for Nepotism’s pilot Schiller, who exuded confidence in the saddle when the pair hit the front at the 200-metre mark.
“I was mindful of exposing him too early,” said Schiller. “A few of the others were quite quick and sharp early, but I thought he was strong to the line and he still had plenty in hand.
“He’s definitely got some improvement too, but he’s done everything right today. He probably didn’t jump as sharply as I would’ve liked, but he followed them through well and we just had to get through. I was quite confident that we were going well enough, and that’s how it played out.”
Later in the day, Brutal’s daughter Harlem Queen added another black type placing to her pedigree page when she finished third behind Lekvarte (Reliable Man) in the Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m).
The filly ran second to Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) in last year’s Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), and she is likely to get another chance to test her credentials at racing’s highest level in the Queen of the Turf Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick on Saturday week.
Lekvarte, who completed the second leg of a quickfire stakes double for her trainer Joe Pride after Ceowulf just clung onto victory in the Neville Selwood Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m), will have her final run in the Queen of the Turf before she is sold as a breeding proposition at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
Meanwhile, in a coup for Newgate Farm, Russian Revolution looks to have a talented son among his four-year-old crop in the shape of the Gerald Ryan-trained General Salute, whose victory in the Star Kingdom Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) provided the son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) with his 12th individual stakes winner.
The gelding defeated Dragonstone (Mikki Isle) by 0.2 lengths with Ostraka (Pariah) finishing the same distance away in third.
Ryan said the gelding had always shown promise and talent, but has been plagued with feet issues.
“We had a lot of feet trouble and he used to get a lot of quarter cracks. After he ran in the Hawkesbury Guineas last year we cut his feet right away back to the bone and let him grow a new hoof,” said Ryan.
“The owners have been very patient. He’s always had the ability. Some of the races we ran him in, he was running well behind good horses and he has come back well. He’s got no feet problems now.”
General Salute is out of the stakes-placed winner Star Salute, making him a half-brother to Group 2 scorer Brutality (Shamus Award).
HP Thoroughbreds will offer General Salute’s The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) half-sister at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, which gets underway on Sunday. The filly is catalogued as Lot 188. Russian Revolution will stand for a reduced fee of $33,000 (inc GST) in 2025.