Lunar Fox causes a 300-1 boilover in Australian Guineas
Foxwedge colt upstages stud-bound rivals in Flemington upset
Two high-profile stud-bound three-year-olds could be set for immediate racetrack retirement after another colt, the Horsham-trained Lunar Fox (Foxwedge), caused a massive upset in the $1 million Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington yesterday.
On a day where there was Group 1 racing in Sydney, Melbourne and at Otaki in New Zealand, Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) ($7.50) and Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) ($3.50) were favoured to fight out the finish at Flemington but came up short for various reasons, leading to questions over their respective futures.
Elsewhere, Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) also scored her first victory at the highest level in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), continuing her consistent three-year-old season, while Verry Elleegant (Zed) demonstrated her customary toughness in a thrilling Chipping Norton Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) victory at Randwick.
Te Akau Racing-owned five-year-old mare Avantage (Fastnet Rock) made it eight Group 1 victories in the WFA Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) at Otaki to arguably be the country’s second-best horse behind stablemate Melody Belle (Commands).
But the major talking point to emerge is whether dual Group 1 winner Ole Kirk, his generation’s dominant three-year-old in the spring, will have time called on his career ahead of his maiden season at Vinery Stud in September, while Tagaloa may be given the chance to improve his CV prior to his retirement.
Ole Kirk, who underwent a pre-race veterinary inspection and was passed fit to start, settled back in the field from a wide barrier after bounding in the air at the start of the Guineas. He eventually finished tenth, while Yulong’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa ran a brave third in the Group 1 after setting a solid tempo.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Tagaloa was swamped in the final stages by Lunar Fox, who started at $301 after being beaten more than 13 lengths first-up in the CS Hayes Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), and Cherry Tortoni (Night Of Thunder).
On this occasion, CS Hayes winner Tagaloa finished three quarters of a length behind the Paul Preusker-trained Lunar Fox. Ole Kirk was five lengths behind the Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock) colt.
It was Horsham-based Preusker’s first Group 1 winner but he was not on course for the milestone, leaving partner Holly McKechnie to saddle up Lunar Fox.
“It’s a bit surreal at this stage,” McKechnie said. “I can’t believe it.
“He’s always had a lot of ability, this horse. Obviously last start he ran below par and we couldn’t really find any issue. We’ve done the old trick with the blinkers and it seems to have done the job.
“Last time was just out of character. He’s always trying this horse.”
Jockey Michael Dee was the nemesis of the majority of punters who had discarded Lunar Fox’s winning chances prior to the race.
“I can’t believe it. It hasn’t sunk in. To be honest, I didn’t give him much hope. No one else really did either,” Dee said.
“All I could do today was do my job and do it to the best of my ability. Hopefully the horse ran well in doing so. Having the blinkers on today and just a massive improvement. They drilled it into me before the race to stay off the fence. From the gate we were able to get the perfect run three-wide and work into it.
“It’s obviously a massive thrill and I can’t believe it has just happened.”
Lunar Fox (3 c Foxwedge – Grant’s Moon by Malibu Moon), who won the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at two as a $26 chance, is the fifth Group 1 winner for Foxwedge and, interestingly, the first male Group winner for his sire.
Foxwedge, the foundation Newgate Farm stallion, relocated to Woodside Park Stud in 2019 after a deal was struck by Victorian owner-breeder Eddie Hirsch to buy the stallion. He covered 114 mares in 2020.
Lunar Fox, a $40,000 purchase at the Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale in 2019 by former trainers Terry and Karina O’Sullivan, is out of US Listed-winning mare Grant’s Moon (Malibu Moon), who died last September.
She has a two-year-old unnamed filly by Holler (Commands) and a Frosted (Tapit) yearling filly.
Lunar Fox was bred by the Sale-based Travis and Rebecca Kelly, who are this year offering three yearlings at the Inglis Melbourne Premier sale, which starts today.
“We bought him to Premier but things didn’t quite work out as planned and in the time between that sale and Gold, he really furnished again,’’ Travis Kelly said.
“We’ve been breeding for eight or nine years, Rebecca trains a small team at Sale and we realised years ago that we couldn’t afford to buy top level yearlings, so we thought we’d try breeding a few ourselves.
“We keep some, we sell some, that’s how it goes, but to have bred a Group 1 winner now, it’s unbelievable, it really is.’’
The Kellys’ will offer fillies at Premier by Impending (Lonhro) (Lot 446) and Palentino (Teofilo) (Lot 647) and a colt by Holler (Commands) (Lot 653).
Connections to weigh up colts’ future
While retirement is being considered for Tagaloa, who will be Yulong’s highest-profile stallion to stand at owner Yuesheng Zhang’s Nagambie property, the more likely scenario is that he heads to Sydney for the autumn before the curtain is closed on his racetrack career.
Tagaloa’s jockey Luke Currie believes the 1600-metre Guineas distance was the upper limit the colt could handle.
“It was a good effort. He just had to do a bit of work to get over but he stuck to his guns well. The mile…. Just,” Currie said.
Ole Kirk’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy was not as expansive in his comments, describing the well-bred colt’s performance as “just fair”.
That assessment has Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes and Vinery Stud considering whether to call time Ole Kirk.
Vinery Stud general manager Peter Orton last night said connections would discuss Ole Kirk’s future in the coming days, with the Hawkes’ having the final call.
“We are going to avoid making the call on the day, but it was a disappointing run. He jumped in the air and missed the start,” Orton told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He has done all he needs to do, as everyone keeps saying, but we weren’t frightened to race him on but he is a colt who has raced pretty hard for the past couple of years.
“He had a hard run last week (in the Futurity Stakes) and then he was stepping up to the mile.
“It was a tough call to make (to run) today but we had a plan in place and he kept going forward. He just wasn’t up to it today and he certainly wasn’t himself.”
All Too Hard’s Forbidden Love breaks through in Surround
The Surround Stakes in Sydney was better news for Vinery Stud when Forbidden Love, a daughter of its stallion All Too Hard (Casino Prince), won the three-year-old fillies Group 1 race.
Trained by Richard and Michael Freedman, Forbidden Love (3 f All Too Hard – Juliet’s Princess by More Than Ready) won the Reginald Allen (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick in October before a brave third in the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington later that month.
She also won the Gosford Guineas (Listed, 1200m) in December as a pipe-opener for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m), where she finished ninth, before being freshened up for a tilt at the Surround Stakes.
Forbidden Love ($10), who was ridden by Nash Rawiller, burst clear to score by three lengths over Vangelic (Vancouver) ($31) with a short-neck back to Elizabeel (Power) ($26) in third.
“I was a little bit despondent after her run in the Magic Millions, I thought she’d run better and she just didn’t cope with the trip at all,” Michael Freedman said.
“But she had a couple of weeks off at Julian Blaxland’s (Newington) farm up in Queensland and he rang me and said she’s doing that well you should bring her home and get her ready for something. It’s just a big thrill. ”
Freedman is now weighing up whether to continue the filly’s campaign by taking on the mares in the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) on Saturday week.
“It was less than twelve months ago she was going around in midweeks at Canterbury I think,” Freedman said.
“She’s just kept improving and maturing which is a bit typical of the breed. Not that I was confident coming into today, but Wajid, full credit to him he does a lot of work with her and he knows her very well and he galloped her Tuesday and said ‘Boss, if she’s going to win a Group 1 it’ll be this Saturday’.”
Rawller, who had Forbidden Love midfield on the fence, said: “I wasn’t under any pressure to be anywhere. I thought we were two lengths closer in the run. It was more about getting her to travel comfortably and not complicating the race following Tommy Berry’s mount (Dame Giselle).
“I had the feeling turning for home that I just needed to keep her out of dead ends.”
A $150,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase by Richard Freedman from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft, Forbidden Love is the best of two winners to race out of the Listed-placed mare Juliet’s Princess (More Than Ready).
Forbidden Love has an unraced two-year-old half-brother, Royal Fox (Foxwedge), in training with Matthew Williams at Warrnambool. Juliet’s Princess also has an Epaulette (Commands) colt at foot and she is back in foal to All Too Hard.
“It was good to see the Freedmans get up with a Group 1 pretty early into their partnership and it’s great for All Too Hard as well,” Vinery Stud general manager Peter Orton said.
“When she first came out and won, she looked like a filly who was well above average and, from our perspective, she’s out of a More Than Ready mare as well, which is a bit special.”
Forbidden Love joins Behemoth and Alligator Blood as Group 1 winners for All Too Hard who covered 191 mares last year, the most in his eight years at Vinery Stud.
“(The All Too Hards) were good all-round horses but they are really hitting their straps,” Orton said.
“They have been trained the right way and now we’re seeing the results.”
Verry Elleegant back in winning form
One race earlier at Randwick, tough, high-class mare Verry Elleegant staged an enthralling battle with Colette (Hallowed Crown), herself a Group 1 winner who is arguably still underrated, to win the Chipping Norton Stakes which saw three quarters of a length between the first five across the line.
After being challenged, the Chris Waller-trained Verry Elleegant, under riding from James McDonald, prevailed by a half-neck over Colette, with Avilius (Pivotal) a head away in third. Funstar (Adelaide) ran fourth with another stablemate of the winner, Kolding (Ocean Park), in fifth.
Running third behind Colette and Kolding first-up in the Apollo Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) a fortnight earlier, yesterday’s win was the five-year-old mare’s seventh Group 1 success.
“She looked amazing in the parade ring today and I don’t think I’ve ever said that before,” Waller said post-race.
“She’s just an unassuming girl that just fights like a tiger and I think it was fitting to be fought out that way because that really is the quality of Verry Elleegant.”
Waller highlighted the fact that the New Zealand-bred Verry Ellegant was in rare territory, having won Group 1s from 1400 metres to 2400 metres.
“She’s competitive in whatever you run in and obviously every race is important. The next stage is the Ranvet in three weeks’ time and she’ll probably back up the week later in the Tancred like she did last (autumn),” he said.
“That’s what we’d be thinking based on what she did last year or maybe we have a bit more confidence and go three weeks into the Queen Elizabeth. But she’s the right horse to make decisions when you need to.”
Despite appearing to have been beaten. McDonald did not give up on the mare when Colette headed her.
“I’ve been in those scenarios before with her,” the winning jockey said.
“She seems to come out on top more times than not. I knew once she was on, that last 100 metres the tough would get going.
“I have a soft spot for her. I just hope, well I know as the distances get further, she will get better.”
Rachel King rode Colette, who said the four-year-old mare’s run was “massive”, while Nash Rawiller was delighted with Avilius’ performance after giving him a quiet ride.
Glen Boss was also happy with Funstar.
“She has raced great second up in the past, but I feel there is a bit more condition on her this preparation,” Boss said.
“She feels stronger so there might be a length, half length improvement in her. Looks like she is going to have a great prep.”
With prize-money earnings now north of $7.4 million, Verry Elleegant is one of three winners for Opulence (Danroad), who has a two-year-old colt by Zed (Zabeel) who was bought by leviathan Western Australian owner Bob Peters at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale. Named Affluential, he is being trained by Grant and Alana Williams but is currently spelling. She also has a yearling colt by Zed.
Avantage makes it eight with tough Group 1 win at Otaki
In New Zealand, the Australian-bred five-year-old mare Avantage made if four Group 1 wins in succession to start the calendar year and her eighth overall when taking out the El Cheapo Cars WFA Classic (1600m) at Otaki.
Winning trainer Jamie Richards has plans for Avantage to return to Australia during the autumn, but not before the mare tackles the Bonecrusher Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at Ellerslie on March 13.
Yesterday, Avantage held off a gallant Callsign Mav (Atlante) by three quarters of a length, with Travelling Light (El Roca) another two and a half lengths away in third.
Avantage, who was ridden by Opie Bosson, had already won the BCD Group Sprint (Gr 1, 1400m), the Telegraph (Gr 1, 1200m) and Railway (Gr 1, 1200m) at her previous three starts.
“The plan was to go forward and ride her positively early,” Bosson said.
“We got into a little bit of trouble when Deerfield came across us, but she came back off him, relaxed nicely and did everything right.
“I could see him (Callsign Mav) out of the corner of my eye, but once I gave her a few backhanders she put her head out and had a crack.
“That just shows you how good a racehorse she is, she just loves it.”
The 41st Group 1 training triumph for Richards, he watched the race from Matamata where Te Akau also won the Waikato Stud Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) with Sword Of State (Snitzel).
“It was a brilliant win to overcome some pretty competitive riding in the early part of the race,” said Richards of Avantage’s victory.
“She had to use a bit of petrol to get outside Deerfield, but to her credit she found a good kick on the corner and when Callsign Mav came at her she kept finding more. It was a really good race and the second horse is obviously racing very well.
“I’m proud to have won eight Group 1s with her and it was another polished ride from Opie. She really is a champion mare and we couldn’t ask for much more.”
Avantage, who is a half-sister to New Zealand Listed-placed Asathought (So You Think), was a NZ$210,000 purchase at the 2017 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
The winner of 15 races, Avantage’s dam is the New Zealand Listed winner Asavant (Zabeel) while her second dam Pins ‘N’ Needles (Pins) was also a stakes winner.
Asavant, who is owned by Go Bloodstock, has an unraced two-year-old sister to Avantage in training with Chris Waller wearing Sir Owen Glenn’s colours, while she has a colt sibling at foot and returned to the champion Coolmore stallion Fastnet Rock (Danehill) last October.
“She’s an amazing mare and I’m thrilled for her owners who are enjoying a hell of a summer,” Te Akau principal David Ellis said.
“We sent her south as a two-year-old to our base at Riccarton, where she won on debut and during the campaign she won the Karaka Million and Sires’ Produce Stakes to be named champion two-year-old, and she hasn’t stopped performing at the elite level ever since.
“She really defines the type of horse I’m trying to buy. A horse that doesn’t take an indefinite period to get the owners to the races, but they must have the scope to train on and hopefully keep improving as three, four, and five–year–olds.”