Parlophone lands Lightning Stakes for Price and Kent
First black-type win for regally bred filly caps off sensational season for I Am Invincible
Regally bred filly Parlophone (I Am Invincible) landed her first stakes success at Morphettville yesterday, showcasing a blistering turn of foot to take out the Lightning Stakes (Listed, 1050m).
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, Parlophone raced midfield under Jessica Eaton and was widest on the turn before flying home to win by three lengths ahead of Streetcar Stranger (Stratum), with Just Zerene (Zoustar) a neck away in third.
It was the first stakes win for Eaton, who began her career under the guidance of Price and recently relocated to Adelaide in search of more opportunities.
“The main objective today was getting her out of the gates smoothly and fortunately that happened and then she got a great run in transit,” said Eaton.
“She was just too good. She still does things wrong, so there is a lot to improve on. She’s going to be a classy mare for sure.
“I started my apprenticeship for Mick Price and I never rode a winner for him so to get the opportunity today and ride a Listed winner for him is massive for me.”
Bred and raced by Geoff Walsh, in conjunction with long-term partners Lindsay Maxsted and Simon Tuxen, Parlophone (2 f I Am Invincible – Roulettes by Flying Spur) has had four starts, for two wins and a placing, amassing $111,550 in prize-money.
She is the fourth named foal out of St Albans Stakes (Listed, 1000m) winner Roulettes, making her a sister to Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) runner-up Spin and a half-sister to Telemon Stud’s first-season sire Sun City (Zoustar).
Roulettes herself is a half-sister to two-time Group 3 scorer and All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) placegetter Royal Discretion (Royal Academy) and a full-sister to the dam of Vezalay (Shamardal), who was purchased by Widden Stud and David Redvers Bloodstock for $1 million at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
The daughter of Flying Spur (Danehiil) has a Deep Field (Northern Meteor) yearling colt who was purchased by Alan Bell for $800,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, while she is currently in foal to Dundeel (High Chaparral).
Parlophone becomes the 56th individual stakes winner for Yarraman Park Stud’s leading sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), while she is his 29th two-year-old stakes winner, joining the likes of Loving Gaby, Invincible Star and Catch Me.
With less than a week left of the 2019/20 season, I Am Invincible sits at the top of the leading sires by winners list while he is second behind Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) on the leading sires by earnings table.
The son of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) stands at Yarraman Park Stud for a fee of $209,000 (inc GST) in 2020.
Viridine brings up a million in Bletchingly
Godolphin gelding Viridine (Poet’s Voice) made up for his last start defeat in the Sir John Monash Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) with a win in the yesterday’s Bletchingly Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield, and in the process, hit the million dollar mark in prize-money.
Given a brilliant ride from Damien Oliver, Viridine settled midfield on the rails and the champion jockey bided his time in the straight before sneaking through on the inside of Great Again (Viscount) to win by three-quarters of a length.
Futurity Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Streets Of Avalon (Magnus) ran on well to finish second with Great Again holding on to finish a neck away in third.
“He wasn’t brilliant away so I wanted to work on getting him relaxed and let the rest of the race unfold,” Oliver said.
“He quickened better today when he spat the bit out. I was kind of surveying my options when we came to the turn. I could see them opening up a little bit. One of them was going to the fence and got a bit neat. The horse was going well enough to push through.
“I think he’s well placed around this mark just below the better ones. The short distances are the key, too. James (Cummings) has got him going really well and is placing him well.”
A multiple stakes winner and a Group 1 placegetter, Viridine (5 g Poet’s Voice – Patina by Anabaa) has taken his overall record to eight wins from 29 starts while his career earnings now sit at $1,021,210.
He is the fifth foal out of winning mare Patina (Anabaa), making him a half-brother to Listed placegetter St Edward’s Crown (Epaulette) and two other winners.
Patina herself is a half-sister to Jerezana (Lonhro), who is the dam of multiple Group 1 placegetter Osborne Bulls (Street Cry) and the stakes–placed Badajoz (Commands).
Viridine is one of 19 stakes winners for former Darley shuttler Poet’s Voice (Dubawi), who stood in Australia for five seasons and covered 504 mares, resulting in 335 foals.
The son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) died at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud in 2018 aged 11 after suffering a heart attack.
Mugatoo back with impressive Winter Challenge win
If his win in the Winter Challenge (Listed, 1500m) at Rosehill yesterday is anything to go by, European import Mugatoo (Henrythenavigator) could be in for a fruitful spring.
First-up since finishing sixth in the Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) in March, the Kris Lees-trained Mugatoo settled at the rear of the field under champion jockey Hugh Bowman.
The five-year-old veered out around the bend and rocketed past his rivals to score by three quarters of a length. Sambro (Fastnet Rock) was second with Taikomochi (Snitzel) a further length and a quarter away in third.
Lees had been unsure if Mugatoo would be sharp enough to win the Winter Challenge and said a genuine pace helped his cause.
“We probably got a better tempo than what it looked on paper but he picked up some nice horses there and he was pretty strong through the line, which is what we wanted to see,” Lees said.
Next month’s Premier’s Cup (Gr 3, 1900m) at Rosehill is likely to be Mugatoo’s next stop but beyond that, Lees is keeping an open mind.
“He will be entered for everything. He’s the type who could go to an Epsom or a Metropolitan,” Lees said.
“He was a little bit fresh today but I shouldn’t judge him on that because he was first-up.
“I’m in no rush to get him to weight-for-age but this could be the season to try him at that level because he has the acceleration.”
Riding for the first time in over a month following a winter break, Bowman brought up a treble on Mugatoo following earlier wins aboard Smart Image (Smart Missile) and Dancing Gidget (Al Maher).
He tracked Sam Clipperton on equal favourite Order Again into the race and said Mugatoo’s victory augured well for his future.
“He’s certainly a class horse and showed that in the final stages,” Bowman said. “I think he is still very ‘wintry’ in the coat and has improvement in him.
“He put the writing on the wall last preparation and I think he has an exciting future.”
Raced by Australian Bloodstock, Mugatoo (5 g Henrythenavigator – Elopa by Tiger Hill) has had 12 starts for six wins and 2 placings, earning $365,545 in prize-money.
He is the sixth foal out of multiple stakes winner and Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) third Elopa (Tiger Hill), making him a half-brother to the Group 1 performed Wedding March (Dalakhani) and Ribblesdale Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 4f) placegetter Elik (Dalakhani).
Elopa is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Epalo (Lando) and Evening Breeze (Surumu), who is the dam of stakes scorers Eagle Rise (Danehill), Eye Of The Tiger (Tiger Hill), Evensong (Waky Nao) and Echoes Rock (Tiger Hill).
Mugatoo is one of 23 stakes winners for former Coolmore stallion Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo).