Phobetor answers Costa’s call with Missile Stakes win
Son of Dream Ahead wins first black type race of new season to land in-form trainer maiden Group 2 victory
Emerging talent Phobetor (Dream Ahead) brought up the biggest win of young gun Gold Coast trainer Michael Costa’s career with a notable victory over some big names in the Missile Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick yesterday.
Phobetor (6 b ex Oneforall by Dubai Destination), who was a luckless second on his previous start behind Southern Lad (Ocean Park) in the Ramornie Handicap (Listed, 1200m) at Grafton, had the benefit of fitness on his side and broke through for a well earned first stakes win, and his seventh success in 12 starts.
Tommy Berry settled the six-year-old just behind the speed set by Fasika (So You Think), who bled in the race, and shouldered him into the clear once they straightened surging through a narrow opening to defeat Chat (Deep Field) by a half length.
Fasika was a half-neck away third with Viridine (Poet’s Voice) and the well-backed Kolding (Ocean Park) running fourth and fifth respectively.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Phobetor’s emerging trainer was unable to be on course at Randwick to witness the milestone win but he told ANZ Bloodstock News he was thrilled with the result.
Costa watched the Missile Stakes from Doomben racecourse where he also trained a winner, She Can Sing (Your Song), who landed the sixth race on the card.
“There was a bit of anxiety that goes with it because you are not with your baby but he’s the perfect horse to do it all with,” said Costa.
“He’s a big friendly giant and he stepped up to the main stage and Tommy couldn’t have ridden him any better.
“It was a pretty dominant win and he ran pretty strong figures.”
Costa and a member of his staff watched the race together at what was a very quiet Doomben racecourse.
“We were in the betting ring with nobody else there and we cheered so hard the jockeys came out of the room and gave us high fives.
“Even though we were the only two there it sounded like there was a crowd of 10,000.”
While it was a maiden Group 2 win for Costa, it was Tommy Berry’s second victory in the Missile Stakes, having won the 2014 edition on the Gai Waterhouse–trained Sweet Idea (Snitzel).
Berry commended Costa on Phobetor’s strong performance.
“He was really confident coming into today. He was under no illusion we were up against some pretty smart individuals, but we had the fitness edge on them,” Berry said.
“Michael has placed this horse really well. He has taken him through his grades, let him get plenty of confidence and his run in the Ramornie (when) he was slow away and three-wide the whole way and still only got beaten by a horse who has been well-performed, it was a good effort.”
Berry admitted he was sweating on a gap to appear between Fasika and Kolding at the top of the straight, but once it came he was confident that Phobetor would have the upper hand over them.
“At the half-mile I was off the bridle a little bit and I gave him a bit of a squeeze and he got over-travelling, so I knew I was there ready to pounce.
“I was just hoping Fasika kicked enough and Kolding, we know he’s best performed once he gets to 1400 metres and a mile, so once again I was hoping he left a bit of an opening for me.
“My bloke, as soon as he burst through, he was the winner. He’s a beautiful big horse, he’s a lovely type and he’s in at the right time of year,” he said.
Phobetor will travel back to his Gold Coast stable tomorrow and Costa will consider what lies ahead for his headline horse.
“We will get him home on Monday and look at his recovery and give him a slight freshen up.
“At this stage we are pencilling in plans for the Magic Millions Sprint but we are open to all options and see where we go from here there’s nothing concrete with him yet,” said Costa.
Paulele impresses in Rosebud
Dawn Approach (New Approach) colt Paulele launched himself as a serious member of Godolphin’s three-year-old ranks with an explosive win in the Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) at Randwick yesterday.
The flashy chestnut is now considered one of the major players of his age group heading into the spring after carrying 59 kilograms in a stunning first-up win.
Winning jockey James McDonald, who rode him in a recent trial win at Hawkesbury, was in awe of his return.
“Anamoe who? He’s going to have to be on his A-game.
“That was super. He gave me an awesome feel in the trial the other day, albeit a quiet trial.
“I’ll tell you what, James (Cummings) was so confident before the race, he said he’d really come on. You could just tell he was very excited about producing him today.
“I thought 59 (kilograms) here today was going to be a bit of a stumbling block for him and credit to him, he produced an electric turn of foot and put a good field away,” said McDonald.
The winner of the Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) during the autumn, the James Cummings-trained Paulele (3 c ex Chatoyant by Flying Spur) is now likely to be kept to sprinting distances this campaign with the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) on August 28 his most probable next target.
“We think he’s a fast colt so I wouldn’t be getting carried away about expecting him to run a mile,” Cummings said.
“We’ve talked about various targets we might have. The thing for this colt is picking off the right races on the way through and I think the San Domenico is looming large as a very suitable target second-up for him.
“Paulele has developed a beautiful record and he’s got a little bit of upside too because he came here off what was a relatively light preliminary,” said Cummings.
Following yesterday’s two-and-a-half-length victory over In The Congo (Snitzel), the exciting colt’s record now stands at four wins from six starts with the $1 million Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) on September 25 now firmly in his sights.
Paulele is one of 15 stakes winners globally for the former Darley shuttler Dawn Approach, who has enjoyed a resurgence this year through the deeds of Poetic Flare, winner of the English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) and Royal Ascot’s St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m).