International quests for Aethero and Nature Strip…and perhaps a 2020 Everest clash

However, the $575,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Tyreel Stud draft for George Moore Bloodstock, will be entering virtually unchartered waters – as a southern hemisphere bred three-year-old – when he proceeds to the Group 1 Hong Kong International Sprint over 1200 metres, at Sha Tin on 8 December. Only two southern hemisphere breds of that age have previously contested Hong Kong’s sprint grand final and both competed before the race was switched to 1200 metres in 2006. The first was King Of Danes, trained by Tony Cruz, who finished three quarters of a lengths third behind Falvelon in 2000 when the race was a Group 3 at 1000 metres. He was having his eighth start after beating Fairy King Prawn in the equivalent to the Jockey Club Sprint (then also 1000m) at his Hong Kong debut after having won three from six in Australia and finishing eighth in Belle Du Jour’s Group 1 Golden Slipper. The second was Anabatik, trained by Moore and ridden by Australian Michael Cahill, who finished three and three quarter lengths seventh behind the David Hayes trained All Thrills Too in the 2002 version which had been elevated to Group 1 status but was still run at 1000 metres. Anabatik finished alongside Australia’s Mistegic and a length and a half behind third placed Falvelon who’d won the race the two previous years for Danny Bougoure. Anabatik had recorded five wins and three placings from eight starts in Hong Kong and also contested the Jockey Club Sprint equivalent, finishing third behind All Thrills Too. Aethero progresses to this year’s race with five wins banked from six starts and the manner of last Sunday’s win and the exceptional time recorded say he is better credentialled than either Anabatik or King Of Danes. He has a weight concession given his age and origin and will carry 53 kilograms in the Hong Kong Sprint but will remain disadvantaged at the relative weights against many of those who ran last Sunday. That is a challenge as Moore conceded after last weekend’s race. “We’ll go to the Hong Kong Sprint now and it’s an international Group 1 so his work will be cut out….” Aethero, a half-brother to Classique Legend, ran the 1200 metres of the JC Sprint in 1:7.58 seconds, just eight hundredths of a second outside Sacred Kingdom’s mark set on the same day 12 years ago. At his previous start he bettered Sacred Kingdom’s 1000 metre track record when recording 54.69 down the straight course. Aethero has already been mentioned in dispatches for next year’s Everest which, pending his owners’ inclinations, might not be entirely implausible given Moore’s Hong Kong training tenure expires at the end of this season. The first five home in the Jockey Club Sprint were Australian bred, headed by placegetters Hot King Prawn, sold by Torryburn Stud for $90,000 at the 2016 Inglis Sydney Classic Every Wednesday & Saturday in ANZ Bloodstock Wednesday, November 20, 2019 Follow us @anz_news: click here | 11 | Brought to you by International quests for Aethero and Nature Strip… and perhaps a 2020 Everest clash Aethero HKJC | 12 | Yearling Sale and third-placed Beat The Clock, sold by Yarraman Park Stud for Jilly Henderson, at $70,000 at the 2015 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. Hong Kong will not be the only international destination the Widden team will be monitoring after the son of Nicconi, Nature Strip scored a career defining win – which underlined his straight course prowess and genuine Group 1 ability – in the Darley Sprint Classic at Flemington on the previous weekend. Next year’s Royal Ascot meeting has been pencilled in for Nature Strip. His dual Group 1 winning sire Nicconi, who now has 17 stakeswinners, ventured there in 2010 and finished fourth in the King’s Stand Stakes. Aethero is the 56th stakes-winner for Sebring, who also sired high class Group 1 Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Bubbles. Both Sebring and Nicconi will be very well represented at next year’s yearling sales. “Nicconi has 152 yearlings likely for 2020,” said Ryan McEvoy, Widden’s marketing and stallion nominations manager. “Wth 175 twoyear-olds, he’s equal in numbers with Written Tycoon, which is a measure of just how popular a stallion he is and it was great – through the spring – to see Nature Strip deliver on the promise he’s always shown, confirming that Nicconi can get a legitimate top-liner. “Sebring has 162 yearlings so there will also be very good numbers of his stock on offer. He has a horse of untapped brilliance in Aethero. His win in Hong Kong was spectacular and interestingly they’re physically similar horses, Aethero and Nature Strip. “All in all, we were pleased with the spring. Nature Strip really was a “wow” winner at Flemington. Zoustar had six Group winners including the sisters Sunlight and Sisstar in whom we have an interest; Sebring’s son Supido has really developed physically and was well supported again in his second season while the newcomers Trapeze Artist and Written By were remarkably popular with full books and with requests well beyond that closed book level.” As to a mooted Everest run for Aethero – in a race you’d imagine would again draw Nature Strip, McEvoy said: “Who knows we may even get to see them clash in a race like The Everest next year which could effectively determine the fastest sprinter in the world. Either way it would be a fascinating contest given they both have similar racing styles.” Baster bows out a winner Jockey Stephen Baster began his new life as a real estate agent, with McEwing and Partners Mornington, on Monday morning after winning on Gold Fields at his final ride at Sandown on Saturday. Regular correspondent Robert Hallowell reminded me that Melbourne Cup winning rider Frank Reys was also able to bow out a winner on 15 May 1976. The Sydney Morning Herald reported: – “Jockey Frank Reys, 44, was given a standing ovation as he rode Gala Choice back to the winner’s stall after the Koorlong Handicap, 1800 metres, at Flemington today.” Baster is also 44 and his final victory also brought the crowd to their feet. He celebrates his 45th birthday on Friday. Gala Choice was trained by Ray Hutchins who, of course, prepared Reys’ 1973 Melbourne Cup winner Gala Supreme. The report noted that Reys had also won on the first ride of his career. Either feat, let alone both, would be noteworthy given that many celebrated jockeys have had very slow starts to their careers. They include Dwayne Dunn, who had more than 70 rides before he landed his first winner; and Frankie Dettori who began his apprenticeship with Luca Cumani in 1985 but returned to Italy in less than a year without having ridden a winner. As to how many have finished on a winning note, well – I might just need a bit more time to work that out!