Ingratiating warms up winter with Bletchingly success
Godolphin’s stallion prospect adds another stakes win to CV
Godolphin’s plot to enhance the appeal of stallion prospect Ingratiating (Frosted), a talented stakes winner at two, three and four, gained traction in the Bletchingly Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) yesterday.
The high-class sprinter was touted as a potential stud retiree to Darley last year but trainer James Cummings and his team elected to race him on at four and have again chanced their arm heading into the spring in a bid to land an elusive Group 1 to his CV.
Yesterday’s victory in the $200,000 Bletchingly, his third win at Caulfield, could set the rising five-year-old entire for a tilt at higher honours in the new season.
Godolphin stable representative Tian Pozman said: “He is a lovely horse and he has got fine form. It’s fantastic to see him come here, put his best foot forward and show us what he’s made of.
“He jumped really well and Blake (Shinn, jockey) kept him comfortable and he went through the gears and finished off really well. He had a lovely turn of foot today.”
Ingratiating ($4) ran down another stallion prospect in General Beau (Brazen Beau) ($3.90 favourite) to score by a half–length, while It’sourtime (Time For War) ($4.40) was another three–quarters of a length away in third.
Ingratiating and General Beau also ran one-two in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) in October 2020 as early season two-year-olds and again ran the quinella in the Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at three.
The son of former Darley shuttler Frosted (Tapit) was runner-up in the 2021 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) – splitting recently retired Newgate Farm stallion Artorius (Flying Artie) and Godolphin’s nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe (Street Boss) – while he was narrowly denied by another stallion in Paulele (Dawn Approach) in last October’s Schillaci Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m).
Ingratiating, who ran fifth in the Sir John Monash Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) first-up at Caulfield on July 8, was fitted with a tongue tie second-up from a long spell.
“He does play with it (his tongue) a little bit going to the start and does make a bit of a noise, so I sense why the previous jockey did recommend it,” Shinn said.
“It could have been the difference, but I’m not sure. He’s a beautiful brute to ride. He’s obviously a stallion but is a real pleasure to ride. There doesn’t seem any complications about him and he’s a very genuine horse.”
Rising five-year-old Ingratiating is out of Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Obsequious (Lonhro), who was bought in 2020 for just $27,500 by Victorian businessman, owner and breeder Eddie Hirsch.
She produced a brother to Ingratiating, now named Elvis who has had two starts, while she has a rising two-year-old daughter of Russian Revolution (Snitzel) and another colt by Frosted. Obsequious is due to foal to Frosted in late October.
Stakes winner Windstorm (Redoute’s Choice), who has not raced since the 2020 Golden Eagle (1500m), was a late scratching from the Bletchingly after he was found to be mildly lame on arrival at Caulfield.
The Bob Peters-owned six-year-old is now trained at Pakenham by John Leek Jnr.
Stakes aims for Pierro’s Mollynickers
Peter Moody only has to cast his mind back 12 months to help him outline spring ambitions for Mollynickers (Pierro) after she maintained her unbeaten winter record yesterday at Caulfield.
The commanding win by the rising three-year-old, her second in as many starts this time in, came in the $175,000 VOBIS Gold Ingot (1400m) with the filly relishing the step up in distance, and her champion trainer predicts she will get over even further next preparation.
Mollynickers’ form in her two starts this campaign has given Moody pause for thought with how to achieve some valuable black type with the filly who possesses “scope”.
“[She is a] nice filly, progressive filly and she won quite comfortably,” Moody said.
“It looked like she won with a bit in hand with her ears pricked, so we are probably going to have to go home and sit down and have a bit of a think now. We won this race last year with Boogie Dancer and she ended up favourite in the Thousand Guineas, so we’ve got to start thinking black type and spring carnival, when, where and how and what sort of trip.
“She gives me the feel she’s got the scope to maybe get out and get a mile and a quarter (2000m). Is she an Oaks filly?
“That’s a long bow to draw, but it’s nice to have those options available after those three runs.”
Mollynickers’ year older stablemate Boogie Dancer (Sooboog) won the Tranquil Star (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield last September before finishing fourth in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), which was taken out by Madame Pommery (No Nay Never).
Runner-up to the subsequent stakes-placed filly Ana Jaahza (Better Than Ready) at Ballarat in February, Mollynickers resumed with an impressive win at Moe on July 6, prompting Moody to lift the bar to city grade for the daughter of Coolmore’s Pierro (Lonhro).
As for what’s next, Moody suggested the filly may not chase the Thousand Guineas, to be run for the first time in November this year instead of the traditional October timeslot.
“She might end up in something sooner and she might be a filly that if we can get some black type now, we could put her away and chase something in the autumn,” Moody said.
Apprentice Carleen Hefel has been in the saddle in both starts this preparation and was impressed with yesterday’s one and three-quarter length win over Gawnksi (Impending). Eugenius (Magnus), the brother to trainer Shane Nichols’ Group 1 winner Streets Of Avalon, was another length and a quarter back in third.
“I knew I had to be patient today with barrier one,” Hefel said.
“We were probably a pair further back than we wanted but luckily the gaps opened up nicely for her.”
Mollynickers was bought by Moody for $130,000 from the Blue Gum Farm draft at last year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and the filly, courtesy of $49,800 in Vobis bonuses, has now banked $173,425.
Bred by then Blue Gum Farm proprietors Phillip and Patti Campbell in a syndicate of investors, Mollynickers is a daughter of juvenile winner Just One Moment (More Than Ready), a half-sister to Blue Diamond Prelude (F) (Gr 3, 1100m) winner One Last Dance (Encosta De Lago) and Mefnoooda (Medaglia d’Oro), herself the dam of the exciting Listed-winning Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained sprinter I Am Me (I Am Invincible).
Moody said: “I trained mum and we didn’t see the best of her, so when you get a little bit of insight like that it’s always good.”
Just One Moment has a weanling colt by Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) and is in foal to Kitchwin Hills’ Dubious (Not A Single Doubt).
The Campbells sold the Euroa-based Blue Gum Farm to Trilogy Racing’s Jason and Mel Stenning and Sean and Cathy Dingwall last year.
Pierro, the sire of 34 stakes winners including VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Pinot, Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Levendi, Arcadia Queen, Shadow Hero, Regal Power and All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m)–winning stallion Pierata, will stand for a fee of $82,500 (inc GST) this year.
Winter Challenge breakthrough for Barbie Fox
JD Hayes’ first thought was “oh no, not again” and Zac Lloyd, in a battle for his maiden Sydney apprentices’ title, didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
Fortunately for the Lindsay Park co-trainer and the up-and-coming jockey, who has a one-win lead over fellow apprentice Dylan Gibbons after riding three winners at Rosehill, Barbie’s Fox (Foxwedge) got clear in the straight to take out the Winter Challenge (Listed, 1500m).
That wasn’t the case a fortnight earlier when the in-form six-year-old mare was a luckless fourth in the Winter Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick.
Hayes, who trains in partnership with his brother Ben at the helm of the family’s Lindsay Park, was relieved to see Barbie’s Fox score an overdue stakes win, the 26th for her Woodside Park Stud-based sire Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock).
“Luckily we got it today, otherwise it would have been a bit of a hard luck Sydney trip,” JD Hayes said in reference to the Winter Stakes trainwreck.
“Just very happy that the ball bounced our way today and she was good enough to pick herself up and come over the top.
“There were a few things we were saying at the 200 that can’t be repeated, but luckily she found clear air and she is absolutely airborne the mare.
“Now she’s had a pedigree update with a bit of black type, it’s a huge result.”
Barbie’s Fox ($5.50) defeated Hosier (Camelot) ($15) by a long neck with Steely (All Too Hard) ($11) another half-neck back in third.
“I was very nervous at the 300 metres,” Lloyd said.
“I thought, ‘please just don’t mess this up again’. I was able to get out and thought it might have been a touch too late.
“The horse got me out of trouble.
“I gave her one of my worst rides last start, thankfully I was able to stay on….I came here with a lot of confidence, trusted the horse, had that sit on her and felt that she has a turn of foot.”
Barbie’s Fox was a $70,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase, who was bred by Palya Bloodstock’s Ed and Clark McKeon, and she is the best-performed and last foal of seven winners out of So Barbie Says (Kenvain), a half-sister to Group 2 winner Yakama (Umatilla) and the stakes-placed Ascana (Scenic).
Mark Minervini, who trains the runner-up, rued the narrow defeat of Hosier, who he bought for $100,000 at an Inglis Digital Online Auction in May after being sold by owner Lloyd Williams.
He ran eighth first-up in the Winter Stakes for Newcastle-based Minervini.
“I thought we were home,” Minervini said.
“I thought he performed well for us first-up the other week on a good four and that gave me a bit of confidence.”
Foxwedge, who stands at Eddie Hirsch’s Woodside Park Stud in Victoria, remains at an unchanged fee of $11,000 (inc GST) in 2023.