‘I think we have a nice filly on our hands’
Fledgling trainer Dom Sutton bids to land maiden stakes winner with pair of promising juveniles after red-hot start
Taking the step from assistant trainer at a well-established yard to taking out your own licence is a pretty daunting task for most, but one that exciting trainer Dom Sutton seems to have handled with aplomb.
Having begun his career working with the likes of Andrew Balding in the UK, Sutton moved to Australia at the tender age of 19 where he worked and rode in champion trainer Chris Waller’s yard for a year and a half.
Sutton was then offered a role at Leon and Troy Corsten’s Malua Racing, working his way up to become head assistant trainer, a position he held for six years.
Announcing the decision to go solo last year, Sutton sent out his first runners last month and has not looked back, with results to date yielding three winners from just ten runners.
“I guess it has exceeded expectations to a certain degree,” Sutton told ANZ Bloodstock News of his fast start. “If somebody would’ve told me that I’d have had three winners from ten runners, and two of those being metro, I’d have taken that all day long.
“We know how hard it is to get winners anywhere, so it’s been nice to get off to a good start. It’s about maintaining that now and keeping the ball rolling.”
Keeping the ball rolling is exactly what Sutton hopes Khadime (Star Turn) can do when the promising once-raced filly tackles the Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
A daughter of Star Turn (Star Witness), Khadime was well found in the market for her debut over 1200 metres at Sandown-Lakeside just a fortnight ago and easily justified her $2.50 quote, being merely nursed to the finishing line by Daniel Stackhouse for a 2.5 lengths victory over Gellhorn (Omaha Beach).
“She couldn’t have been more impressive first-up really,” Sutton said of Khadime. “She’d shown plenty at home and at the trials beforehand, certainly above-average ability, but you never really know until they do it on the track.
“We were expecting her to be very competitive and she did it pretty soft. Daniel Stackhouse basically said he was hands and heels to the line and that if he’d have given her a slap, she’d have probably gone on to win by another couple of lengths.
“She’s still raw and putting it all together, but has a good mind. She seems to not let too much faze her, which is a big attribute for a two-year-old.”
Purchased by Sutton in conjunction with Johnny McKeever for $200,000 from the draft of Eion and Megan Kemp’s Kilgravin Lodge at last year’s NZB Ready To Run Sale, the filly, who is the only foal out of the winning Viscount (Quest For Fame) mare Countess Nan, had originally been purchased by McKeever and Kilgravin at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Highway Session the same year.
“The funny thing about the story is that Johnny actually bought her as a yearling for $75,000 before going full circle with her and putting her through the breeze-ups sale alongside Eion [Kemp] from Kilgravin,” Sutton said.
“She was a beautiful type of filly, big, strong, and built like a colt really. We were looking for horses that we thought could get to the races relatively quickly. Being a stable with relatively small numbers we couldn’t be hanging about for those late-maturing types so she looked like one that would do that.
“She breezed great and we also saw her on the farm and she had a really good mind on her.”
Regardless of the result in this weekend’s $150,000 contest, in which she will tackle the likes of Listed winners Growing Empire (Zoustar) and Pure Aqua (Headwater), as well as the stakes-placed pair Karavas (Alabama Express) and Flattered (Yes Yes Yes), Sutton revealed Khadime, a general $4.50 second-elect in the market, will head to the paddock before being aimed at some lucrative targets in the spring as a three-year-old.
“Win, lose or draw she’ll go for a break,” the trainer said. “She’s done a tremendous job this time in, and only had three weeks off after her breeze-up preparations so she deserves a break to let her recover and mature again.
“I think we have a nice filly on our hands and there’ll be plenty to aim at during the spring as a three-year-old.”
Khadime may be the yard’s main hope of gaining a first stakes winner this week, but Sutton will also have both Feroce (Super Seth) and Plastic Dreams (Mendelssohn) tackle the ANZAC Day Stakes (Listed, 1400m) and VRC St Leger Stakes (Listed, 2800m) at Flemington on Thursday.
The former is a $7.50 chance for the ANZAC Day Stakes after winning both of his outings to date, following up a 1200-metre maiden success at Pakenham on March 21 with a metro win at Caulfield over the same distance a fortnight later.
“He’s a very sentimental horse to me, being my first metro winner,” Sutton said of Feroce.
“For any trainer having their first winner they’ll never forget that, so he will always have a place in my heart and what he’s done for the stable so far has been amazing.”
Also purchased by his trainer and McKeever at last year’s NZB Ready To Run Sale for $160,000, Feroce, who is a half-brother to 2020 Karaka Classic (Listed, 1600m) winner Siracusa (Sebring) being out of the unraced O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Corinthia, has been a surprise package for the stable, seemingly lacking the readiness of his slightly higher-priced stablemate upon first look.
“He was bought from the same sale with the same idea as Khadime,” Sutton said. “However, he wasn’t as forward a type, so what he has done to date is a surprise really. What he is managing to do is just based on raw ability.”
That raw ability is clearly there in spades, with the gelded son of Waikato Stud’s freshman sire Super Seth (Dundeel) already racking up over $100,000 in prize-money, while the form of his most recent victory at Caulfield has been franked with the runner-up, Perspiration (Too Darn Hot), scoring in dominant style at Mornington last weekend.
“He’s definitely improved from that run at Caulfield I feel, which he will have to do now moving up to stakes class,” his trainer said.
“I think the seven furlongs [1400m] is right up his alley, but he’ll just have to harness himself in the opening stages as he can get on the bridle a little bit during the first furlong.
“He still has that ready to run in him that wants to just jump and get on with it. Billy [Egan] knows him well now and knows exactly how to ride him, while the big galloping track at Flemington should suit.
“I think if he can make that step then he’ll be right in the mix.”
Plastic Dreams is the outsider of 11 set to line up in the St Leger, fielding quotes of $126, and Sutton admitted hitting the prize-money would be a good result for the gelded son of Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy).
“He’s got to improve a hell of a lot but our thinking with him is that he’s fairly one-paced so the 2800 metres, which not many three-year-old’s stay, will suit,” Sutton said.
“He is only at this age once and can always come back for a maiden so we will ride him to suit and hope he can finish in some prize-money.”
Sutton’s other runner on Thursday’s Flemington card is Garachico (Ribchester), a five-year-old French import who will be having his fourth start for the stable in the $65,000 William Newton VC Handicap (2500m), having been formerly based with the Corstens where he was well-acquainted with his new trainer.
“Garachico was always under my care even at Leon and Troy’s so I have a good handle on the horse,” Sutton said.
“First two starts the 2000 metres was too short but we wanted to get the grounding into him before stepping him out to 2500 metres.
“He was good the other day over in Adelaide [second over 2500 metres], he was tough and I think now Daniel Stackhouse has had a ride on the horse will be a big positive.
“He’s not your typical sort of Australian horse that possesses a mad turn of foot, he’s more of a European stayer that grinds it out so if Stacky can utilise that he can be there or thereabouts.”