Spring clues galore for Glentree in both Melbourne and Sydney
Emerging Victorian farm set for busy day with trio of first-up three-year-olds and an exciting import in action
Glentree Farm launches potentially their most rewarding spring yet with key first-up runners in Melbourne and Sydney today – three well credentialed three-year-olds and an exciting import starting his second Australian campaign.
The emerging Victorian farm is a stakeholder in Peter Moody’s million-dollar colt Millane (Zoustar), who resumes in Caulfield’s Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) having impressively won his only start by a length and a quarter in Flemington’s Festival Stakes (Listed, 1000m) in March.
Glentree is the outright owner of the Team Hawkes-trained Lomandra (Not A Single Doubt), a $900,000 half-sister to Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) who debuts one race later in the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) after noteworthy barrier trial form.
Sebonack (Capitalist), an early favourite for last autumn’s two-year-old highlights after a Caulfield Group 3 win on debut, begins his spring in Rosehill’s Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) for Glentree and three other owners. He’s had a change of colours – to the lime with purple and gold braces of David Moodie’s Hesket Thoroughbreds – after the winding up of Spendthrift Australia, who bought the colt for $260,000 at Easter last year.
And Glentree, now in its ninth year, will also be keenly eyeing highly-rated former Irish entire Sinawann (Kingman) as he begins his second Australian preparation in Caulfield’s Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m).
Both of Melbourne’s events for new three-year-olds look particularly tantalising. The Vain Stakes contained only seven colts and geldings last night but five were rated around the $7.50 mark or shorter.
Team Snowden’s sizzling Alpha One (Super One) headed the market at around $3.20, ahead of Clayton Douglas’s unbeaten Giga Kick (Scissor Kick), with Millane and Semillion (Shalaa) at $5.50 and Thron Bone (Thronum) also single figures after winning three straight.
Millane was a $1,150,000 Easter purchase for a team headed by the Rosemont Victorian Alliance, whose dozen or so members include Glentree. The colt has been brought along patiently by Moody. One barrier trial last September was followed by his racing debut in March, and while he was an acceptor for Randwick’s Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Moody opted to scratch and spell rather than tackle a Heavy 9 track, after reporting the colt hadn’t eaten well that week.
Millane, a $51 shot for both the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) who’s younger half-brother eclipsed his price when sold to James Harron for $1.35m at Easter this year, goes into today without a barrier trial.
“He’s had a couple of jump-outs and Peter said his gallop on Tuesday showed him the right signs to take his place in the Vain,” Glentree’s bloodstock manager Luke Simpson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He was very impressive in that debut win and by all reports he’s come back very well. The Zoustars are hot commodities and with Millane being a colt, hopefully we can get a big score on the board with him at some stage.”
A powerful field of fillies, standing at 14 last night, will contest the Quezette, with the Snowdens also saddling the favourite in Ebhaar (I Am Invincible). Several first-uppers who showed early toe are in the market including Miss Roseiano (Exceed And Excel), Lady Laguna (Overshare), I’mlovin’ya (Capitalist) and Waltz On By (I Am Invincible). And Brisbane trainers Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted will attempt another Melbourne raid with She’sgottheboom (Spirit Of Boom).
Lomandra is the second foal out of Japanese broodmare Vasilissa (Heart’s Cry), who won over 1800 metres in Japan and whose Irish-bred dam Penkenna Princess (Pivotal) was second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m).
The chestnut tuned up for today by winning a 740-metre Warwick Farm barrier trial over Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) placegetter Snitcat (Snitzel) before a second to Lady Laguna over 900 metres at Rosehill. While Glentree has high hopes for her future, and an eventual place in their 25-strong broodmare band, they recognise the size of her challenge today. Significantly, though, she will be ridden by Melbourne’s premier jockey and Team Hawkes’ southern favourite Jye McNeil.
“She’s shown good ability so far, but she’s obviously in the deep end for her debut, up against some really well credentialed fillies with good race experience,” Simpson said. “So she’s an unknown quantity, but Jye had a spin on her on Tuesday morning, and he’s sticking with the ship going forward, so that’s good.
“We spotted her at Sydney Easter and we’ve liked her from day one. She was a beautiful filly physically, with a great action, and with a pretty big pedigree behind her, being a half-sister to a Blue Diamond winner. It’s a bit of an unusual mix, being out of a Japanese mare who’s out of an Irish-bred Pivotal mare, but we saw a good mixture of stout bloodlines and the speed from Not A Single Doubt.”
In Sydney, Sebonack was last night second favourite in the Rosebud behind Maurice’s (Screen Hero) latest exciting sprinting progeny, Kibou, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding who has won his second and third starts since resuming.
Sebonack impressed by winning Caulfield’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on debut in February and was a fast-finishing and unlucky fourth in the Blue Diamond, before failing on a Heavy 9 in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
“There’s some sharp horses in the Rosebud, but judging by the way he’s trialled and his profile from the two-year-old season, he’s right in the game,” Simpson said.
“He was very unlucky in the Blue Diamond, couldn’t get through the heavy in the Slipper, but all reports from Team Hawkes say he’s really grown into a nice looking colt now and hopefully he’s in for a good prep.”
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Sinawann was last night among the fancies for his resumption, in a Regal Roller market dominated by another O’Dea/Hoysted raider Uncommon James (Cable Bay), winner of his past four of five career runs in Queensland.
A rare commodity as a non-staying Irish import with a preference for dry tracks, Sinawann won his second Australian start in a 1400-metre Group 3 at Caulfield before an eye-catching second in the Australia Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Moonee Valley behind the exceptional Marabi (I Am Invincible) in January. The colt then disappointed with an eighth in the CF Orr Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) but, following his spell, big things are expected this campaign.
“He’s trialled really nicely going into this race,” Simpson said. “The only question is whether they’re a fraction sharp for him over 1200 metres, but he’ll be getting back and hopefully hitting the line hard.
“He’s certainly more acclimatised now and the Freedman camp are very happy with the way he’s come up, so hopefully he’s in for a good spring.
“He’s a very well-bred horse by Kingman, so a bit of speed has come through there in the Invincible Spirit line. And from what we’ve seen so far he’s got a turn of foot, so that’s going to hold him in good stead here. He may get 2000 metres later, but 1400 to a mile is his go down here I think.”
Meanwhile, Peter Snowden is hopeful a new rubber cross-over nose band will help Ebhaar settle and show her best today.
The Emirates Park-bred filly, from the rich Legally Bay (Snippets) family via her dam, the city-winning Maroon Bay (Exceed And Excel), won on debut in Caulfield’s Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m) last November. That put her among the early favourites for the Golden Slipper, but two abject failures, after over-racing over 1100 metres at Rosehill, resulted in a spell.
Wins in two barrier trials, with James McDonald riding her in both, has Snowden hoping for a vast improvement today.
“She’s always had ability but she’s done too much too early in her races, and over-raced badly,” Snowden told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“We’ve worked on that. James has been able to settle her really well in her trials, and she’s been relaxing.
“We’ve changed her to a rubber crossed nose band. With the normal leather ones, she’d fight them and go harder, but with the rubber one, it goes above her head and there’s a bit of give in it. She seems more respectful of that and it’s worked quite well.”
Snowden is hopeful Alpha One will see out the 1100 metres of the Vain. The son of the super fast Super One (I Am Invincible) has shown blistering speed this campaign by winning all three starts – a 900-metre Newcastle maiden, a 1000-metre Hawkesbury Benchmark 64, and a 955-metre Moonee Valley two-year-old handicap on July 30.
“There’s some good colts resuming, and probably 1100 metres is a bit of a test for him, but hopefully he’s got a fitness edge on them and that will be enough to see him home,” Snowden said. “He’s very strong and has great gate speed. This will be a good test for him. If he knocks these over, I’d say he’s got a good bit going for him.”