Juvenile form stands strong as challengers fall short
Form deriving from last season’s premier juvenile races came to the fore in the feature three-year-old Group contests yesterday. However, it was two new stakes winners who stamped their mark this spring in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill and HDF McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield.
Sweet Ride (Deep Field), the most experienced runner in the San Domenico field with seven previous starts and an outside chance at $31, came home best to beat the formerly unbeaten up-and-comer Nettuno (I Am Invincible), while Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) runner-up and $1.90 favourite Best In Bordeaux (Snitzel) could only finish fifth, with the door slammed shut on the Coolmore-owned colt at the 200-metre mark.
Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Daumier (Epaulette) brought the best of the two-year-old form in Melbourne to the McNeil Stakes, but he finished down the field as it was the Blue Diamond Stakes’ third placegetter Jacquinot (Rubick) – sixth in the Golden Slipper – who triumphed over recent six-length maiden winner and evens favourite Aft Cabin (Astern) in a dominant display.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained colt was the $5.50 second elect in the market, and added further black-type polish to the exceptional start to the new season for his Swettenham Stud-based sire Rubick (Encosta De Lago), whose three-year-old daughter Bound For Home won the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) earlier this month.
Sweet Ride, a son of Newgate sire Deep Field (Northern Meteor), has put a future stallion career on track with the colt following in the path of an illustrious list of winners of the San Domenico, a race won in the past six years by Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) winner In The Congo (Snitzel), and stallions Anders (Not A Single Doubt), Exceedance (Exceed And Excel), Graff (Star Witness), Pariah (Redoute’s Choice) and Star Turn (Star Witness).
The Annabel Neasham-trained Sweet Ride showed the benefit of his experience, with a professional performance as more chaotic scenes ensued behind. The colt won by a length and a half from the Queenslander Nettuno, who was weaved from his inside passage to gain clear running. The winner’s stablemate Swiss Exile (Pariah), who bumped Sweet Ride at the 100-metre mark, a neck further back in third.
Godolphin colt Spacewalk (Exosphere), who finished fourth, laid in from his outside running line to collide with Best Of Bordeaux as he was making a challenge, the Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) colt’s margin of defeat was three and a half lengths at the line.
Sweet Ride, a colt who finished second in last season’s Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) to Rise Of The Masses (I Am Invincible) and 14th in the Golden Slipper, was well–beaten on his return this preparation in a two-year-old handicap at the end of July, but proved a worthy winner yesterday.
“First-up this preparation he was disappointing, but he has got better and better each time and we haven’t missed him at home, we’ve put a lot of work into him,” Neasham said.
“He was the fittest horse here today.
“I was amazed at his price to be honest. I thought his run the other day was very good, he [accidentally] took a towel around with him as well.”
Sweet Ride and his stablemate Swiss Exile both possess entries for next month’s Golden Rose and while that is the likely destination for the latter, Sweet Ride will be pointed towards October’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
“The other horse [Sweet Ride] is fit and has gone terrific but Swiss Exile, he has gone super. He has beaten a lot of very good colts there,” Neasham said.
Tony Gollan, trainer of the runner-up Nettuno, who races in the colours of Segenhoe Stud with Yarraman Park in the ownership, was heartened by his performance, despite the colt having tasted a first defeat.
“It is obviously his first time away from home, so it’s a pretty big week for him,” Gollan said.
“He settled well, he handled it well and ran like a horse that is going to improve going into a race like The Run To The Rose in a fortnight.”
Sweet Ride (3 c Deep Field – How Sweet It Is by Foxwedge) becomes the 16th individual stakes winner for Deep Field, who has sons Portland Sky and Cosmic Force at stud.
The colt, who was bred by Vieira, was purchased by trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou for $320,000 from the Widden Stud draft at last year’s Inglis Easter yearling sale, before coming back under the ownership of Vieira.
He is the first foal out of winning mare How Sweet It Is (Foxwedge), a daughter of the stakes placed Southern Venture (Zabeel), herself a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Metal Bender (Danasinga).
Sweet Ride becomes the first stakes winner in Australia as a broodmare sire for Woodside Park Stud’s Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock).
How Sweet It Is has a two-year-old colt by Divine Prophet (Choisir) and is due to foal to Vieira’s Widden-based stallion Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) this season.
Champion Hong Kong sire Deep Field stands the upcoming season for a fee of $88,000 (inc GST), with Sweet Ride – conceived from his final crop – at $22,000 (inc GST).
Meanwhile at Caulfield it was Jacquinot who likewise delivered an accomplished performance when winning yesterday’s HDF McNeil Stakes, to stamp $7 favouritism for October’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), while he is a $13 chance for the Golden Rose.
Racing in the second half of the 13-runner field, Jacquinot swung wide round the bend under Damian Lane and overhauled those ahead of him within the final 200 metres, coming home better than impressive last-start winner Aft Cabin to win by one and a half lengths at the line.
American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) colt Tijuana, a previously unbeaten winner of the Anzac Day Stakes (Listed, 1400m) in April, finished third, three and a quarter lengths from the winner.
In four starts at two, Jacquinot won on debut on Boxing Day before contesting Group races on a Blue Diamond path, finishing fifth in the Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) (Gr 3, 1100m) before his runs in the two juvenile Group 1s over 1200 metres.
Jacquinot had shown significant improvement since finishing third in the Blue Diamond in February, with this his first-up run returning at three.
“It worked out lovely. He is sticky out of the gates, this horse, and he takes a while to muster with that long stride, but it worked out beautifully,” he said.
“He was behind Aft Cabin, the race opened up nicely for him, and you’ve got to love the way he lengthened stride.
“He doesn’t quicken up, but he lengthens stride and covers the ground so beautifully, so I’m really keen to see this horse over a bit further next start.
“We’ll go to the Run To The Rose in Sydney, then hopefully the Golden Rose, then back for the Caulfield Guineas. It’s really exciting.
“In the Blue Diamond here last year against all those colts he was the most immature horse – scopey, leggy and yet to furnish – but in the yard today he’s really filled out and you could tell.”
Jacquinot passed in with a reserve of $120,000 as a yearling and is raced by his breeder Lindsay Maxted.
The colt continues the excellent start to the campaign for his sire Rubick, who stands for a fee of $22,000 (inc GST) at Swettenham, and is the first stallion to claim two stakes winners this season, Jacquinot adding to the Quezette Stakes win of Bound For Home at Caulfield on August 13.
Jacquinot also represents the first stakes winner as a broodmare sire for Coolmore stallion Pierro (Lonhro), who has three winners from seven runners in that capacity.
He is the first foal out of the unraced Ponterro, herself a sister to Dragon Leap and half-sister to Illation (So You Think), who finished fourth and last respectively in yesterday’s Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). She is also a half-sister to Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Inference (So You Think).
Ponterro is due to foal to Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) this season, having not produced a live foal since Jacquinot.
Drama at Up And Coming start sees Kibou profit
Conqueror (Churchill), the pre-race favourite for yesterday’s Up And Coming Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) at Rosehill, was dramatically scratched before the off after the colt had his leg stuck over the barriers, leaving Maurice (Screen Hero) son Kibou to assume pole position, an opportunity on which he duly delivered.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding led from start to finish to produce a commanding performance in the early-season Group 3, winning by two and a quarter lengths ahead of Godolphin’s Golden Mile (Astern) and the Coolmore-owned Basquiat (Snitzel), who was five and a half lengths behind the winner in third.
Kibou, who in unruly fashion finished ninth in the curtain-raising juvenile race, the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) in October last year, was then gelded and not seen until June, when he strung together back-to-back wins before returning in the Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) earlier this month, coming home fourth.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott won the Golden Rose last year with In The Congo, and will target the Group 1 with Kibou, who is now an $11 chance behind Slipper winner Fireburn (Rebel Dane).
“That was what we were hoping to see from him,” Bott said.
“The most likely path to the Golden Rose is through the Ming Dynasty Quality. We still want to take him to the Spring Champion Stakes. So, his two main targets are the Golden Rose and Spring Champion Stakes.
“Kibou did have a bit of a wander in the straight, but as soon as Regan corrected him, he was straight and true to the line. He got his mind back on the job and was focused to the finish.
“It is not easy having to stay wide off the fence and race out there by himself, but he is showing good improvement each time he races. If he can continue to do that each time, then he is going to be hard to beat in his races through the spring.”
Kibou (3 g Maurice – Fortiche by Any Given Saturday) is the ninth individual stakes winner and third in Australia for champion second season sire Maurice (Screen Hero), who will have Mazu chase Everest (1200m) riches this spring, while his winner of the VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) Hitotsu will likely not be seen until the autumn with injury.
Bred by Arrowfield, who stand his Japanese sire in Australia, Kibou was a $170,000 buy for his trainers and Kestrel Thoroughbreds out of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
He is the fourth foal out of Fortiche (Any Given Saturday), herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Mic Mac (Statue Of Liberty).
Fortiche has a two-year-old colt by Mikki Isle (Deep Impact) and a yearling filly by Showtime (Snitzel). She missed to Maurice last year.
Snapdancer holds on in Memsie
Brad Spicer’s Snapdancer (6 m Choisir – Snapdragon by Galileo) continued to give her owners the ride of a lifetime when the six-year-old won her second Group 1 in yesterday’s Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Caulfield.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Snapdancer, who won the Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in May before closing out last season with a second in the Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m), led from start to finish under Ethan Brown to deny the fast-finishing I’m Thunderstruck (Shocking) and win by half a length. Cascadian (New Approach) was two lengths from the winner in third.
She becomes the first mare since Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) nine years ago, to win the Memsie.
Maher floated the notion of an Everest berth for Snapdancer, but believes her best distance lies over further than 1200 metres.
“She ran so well at the 1400 metres in the Tiara, and as history would tell you, fitness counts for a lot in this race,” Maher said.
“Her work here on Tuesday was super, and all the team have done a fantastic job. This horse has basically been in work since October last year.
“Ethan Brown, is a great lad to have around the stable and provides a lot of feedback. This is just fantastic for him.
“Brad Spicer seems to keep finding them. She has a great group of owners, and she’s got a lot of options now.
“Maybe The Everest is an option for her, but she seems to be really dominant at that 1400 metres. She has a high cruising speed.
“If she did nothing else this preparation, this year has been phenomenal for her. She is just going from strength-to-strength, and I think she’ll get better again.
“I always thought she would be better at four and five, and I think she is still developing, so the sky is the limit.”
Snapdancer, one of 12 elite-level winners for Choisir (Danehill Dancer), was a $180,000 Magic Millions buy for Spicer, having been traded as a weanling for $60,000 when bought by Sheamus Mills.
She is a three-quarter sister to the stakes-placed Drago (Danehill Dancer) being out of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Snapdragon, who died in 2020. Her final foal is a three-year-old filly by The Mission (Choisir).