McEvoy looks forward to Arabian Summer and Blue Stratum
Exciting three-year-olds ready to step up to their respective stakes targets this weekend
Trainer Tony McEvoy is confident Saturday’s Caulfield launch of three-year-old stakes racing will herald a powerful spring for two of his runners – both budding stable stars who go into the day off starkly different backstories.
Blue Stratum (Blue Point) is surging towards the Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) after his first two wins, from two starts, this preparation.
Arabian Summer (Too Darn Hot) was a star performer early, winning three of her first six, but heads towards the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) seeking redemption after a face plant at her last “start”, when her intended first-up run in Adelaide was curtailed by her breaking through the gates and being scratched.
Blue Stratum is by a Darley shuttler of whom huge things were expected – Blue Point (Shamardal) – but who was relatively slow to find his stride through his debut season, finishing sixth on the first-season sires’ standings in contrast to his blistering start in Europe.
Arabian Summer’s sire Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) shuttled here somewhat in the shadow of his Darley barnmate, but became an instant sensation in taking the first season sires’ title and running a superb second on the two-year-old standings.
But while their journeys to this point may have been different, McEvoy feels it’s not too much to hope that they’ll end up in the same spot at the end of their races on Saturday – leading home the field.
First Light Racing’s Blue Stratum took a while to find his feet, but perhaps it was not his fault he couldn’t put Blue Point’s name in lights early on.
After some scintillating jump-out form he was favourite for the Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m) on Cox Plate Day. Alas, he was also second emergency, and failed to gain a run.
He detoured to the Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) on Cup Day, and while he looked to have the race in his keeping he became wayward late on – in his first look at the Flemington straight – and ran an 0.2 length second to stablemate Dublin Down (Exceedance), who had raced there once before. That colt also later franked the form, winning Rosehill’s Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), before a trapped epiglottis scuppered his chances in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
Blue Stratum was ostensibly disappointing when fourth as favourite in the Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) at Randwick and sixth in Caulfield’s Blue Diamond Preview (Listed, 1000m), but McEvoy later revealed the colt had suffered the thumps both times.
Sent for a spell, he resumed with the soft kill of a 1000-metre maiden on the Pakenham synthetic, winning by two lengths, then stepped out at Moonee Valley last Saturday to claim a narrow but gritty win in a 1000-metre three-year-old handicap, by 0.02 lengths.
While those victories seemed overdue, McEvoy says it wouldn’t be right to suggest the penny has finally dropped for the colt.
“He’s always been around this level, he’s just had a few things go against him,” McEvoy told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I’m pretty comfortable with him. He’s a pretty nice colt. He’s always suggested that to us and I haven’t changed my mind at all about him.
“He’s been in great order since Saturday’s win. He hasn’t left one oat. I’m very happy with him.”
Blue Stratum’s effort to just hold on last Saturday might suggest he could be suspect over 100 metres further this weekend. But while McEvoy concedes he might not be a valid prospect for the stallion-making Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), he believes last Saturday may have been misleading, and 1100 metres should be within his grasp.
“Based on last Saturday, you’d say he didn’t want an inch past the 1000 metres,” McEvoy said. “But it was a bit tactical early, and he had to do a bit of work early to take up a forward position. The second horse [Last Druid] flew home from last, and our boy not only won but was the last man standing from the on-pacers.
“I think that was quite significant. If we can ride him a little bit quieter in the first bit in the Vain, and not have to worry about chasing up early, he should be stronger late.”
Faced with fewer options compared with more proven 1200-metre horses, McEvoy said Blue Stratum – who’ll be ridden again by Beau Mertens this week – would likely aim for the Poseidon Stakes (Listed, 1100m) up the Flemington straight on September 14, with some 1000 metres races also in the reckoning for the spring.
“He’s a short-coupled, short-running horse, and I’ll be keeping him away from 1200 metres for as long as I can,” said McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin.
If he runs in the Poseidon, the Yulong-bred Blue Stratum would likely again clash with Dublin Down, who McEvoy said had “come back super” and would be aimed towards the Coolmore.
Blue Stratum’s July 15 win at Pakenham helped Blue Point finish equal fourth by winners among first season sires, with nine, while Too Darn Hot also finished first by that criteria, with 12.
Blue Point was slower off the mark than former shuttler Too Darn Hot, and unlike his studmate, is still awaiting his first Australian stakes-winner. Too Darn Hot has only had one, mind you, but what a one that is, in Godolphin’s hugely exciting dual Group 1-winner Broadsiding.
Still, McEvoy came out in defence of Blue Point, saying the Australian market could be about to see more of the glories he’s enjoyed so far in Europe. The quadruple Group 1-winning ten-year-old was Great Britain’s champion first season and two-year-old sire in 2023 – while Too Darn Hot finished second and fifth – and currently tops the second-season table for 2024, with Too Darn Hot second.
“Everyone was a bit flat about Blue Point early on, saying his stock were ‘morning glory’, that they weren’t running to their trials,” McEvoy said. “But he did have seven second-placings through that period.
“We’re very quick to judge, but now he’s come out of that and he’s going very well at the moment, the Blue Points are really starting to take that step. I think he’s a very good stallion.”
Asked if he felt Blue Point’s stock were comparatively slow to develop, McEvoy said: “Yes, I think they are.”
“But when they can gallop up and trial up, it means they’ve got the ability; they just couldn’t transfer it under raceday conditions, they just weren’t tough enough at that moment and needed a bit more time,” he said.
“I think they’ll get better as they get older as well. And I think we’ll see a big three-year-old season from Blue Stratum.”
Arabian Summer’s value may have already been boosted involuntarily – by the fact that so successful has Too Darn Hot been, his owners have opted not to shuttle him to Australia in the foreseeable future.
But, Adelaide gate-crashing aside, the filly has also proven herself to be a star performer. Two stakes seconds last spring were followed by wins in Magic Millions lead-ups at Ballarat and the Gold Coast. While she could manage only fifth in the main event, she then returned from a brief let-up to win the inaugural $1m Magic Millions Classic (1050m) at Doomben on May 25.
“The Quezette will be a step up for her. She’s been running in restricted Magic Millions races, but she’s a nice filly and she’s going very well and I think she’s up to this level for sure,” the experienced trainer said.
McEvoy is still wincing over what might have been had Arabian Summer not jumped the gun ahead of Morphettville’s Lightning Stakes (Listed, 1050m) on July 27, sustaining a minor cut to a foreleg which precipitated her scratching.
“She’d been stakes-placed twice, but I wanted to make her a stakes winner and I thought a race like that, in July in Adelaide, would be the best opportunity,” he said.
“But she’s a real power-packed, speedy filly, and she’s got a lot of fast twitch about her, and she just wanted to get on with it. I’m not sure why, because she had barrier 13, but she was the second horse loaded into the gates, and she got sick of waiting, got all pent up and wanted to get out of there.
“At least she’s right to go now and she should run well.
“I think she’ll get 1200 metres and may even get 1400 metres. We may go to the Coolmore with her. She hasn’t done much wrong, she’s a nice filly, and she’s come back really well, so we’ll let her tell us.
“But even if we don’t go to that level, there’s plenty of other races for her.”
Harry Coffey has been aboard for all six starts and will make it seven on Saturday.