Sunshine In Paris sizzles in Champions Sprint
Renowned breeder John Camilleri had plenty of reasons to be beaming when Sunshine In Paris (Invader) earned him a top tier dividend on his sizeable investment when she pulled a breathtaking win out of the bag in Saturday’s Champions Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington.
Ridden by who else but James McDonald, the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained mare was in dire trouble when sixth behind runners with 200 metres left to travel. But steered towards a narrow inside gap, she sliced through late on to edge out $31 longshot Right To Party (Zoustar) and score by 0.15 lengths.
The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai), who led at the 100 metres in a bold bid to slay her Flemington hoodoo on the quick back-up from her Winners Stakes (1300m) victory, was third, 0.3 lengths off the winner, meaning she has had 11 starts at headquarters without a victory.
Sunshine In Paris provided a first Group 1 for her stable since Neasham brought in Archibald as co-trainer on August 1.
And she provided Winx’s breeder Camilleri with the boost to her stud value he was craving, having paid out a handsome amount to bring the five-year-old under his Fairway Thoroughbreds banner last year.
Late off the mark, Sunshine In Paris was first offered for sale at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale of 2022 – two months before turning three – by Blue Sky Premium Consignment.
Bought by Champagne Bloodstock for $90,000, she soon richly rewarded her new connections, winning three of her first five starts culminating in a victory in Randwick’s Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) in February 2023.
Her owners decided on a quick cash-out, and they didn’t miss. Taken to the same broodmare sale where she’d started, Sunshine In Paris was acquired by Camilleri, via agent James Harron, for $3.9 million from Newgate’s draft, making her the second top lot of the auction.
Leaving her in Neasham’s care, Camilleri also had an instant reward with victory in Rosehill’s Sheraco Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in September last year. But, while that was repeated in this spring’s edition, another top level win proved elusive from four attempts – before Saturday.
Now with a pair of Group 1s to sit alongside her two Group 2s, Sunshine In Paris’s value as a sprinting broodmare is assured, and immense.
“She’s been a great horse,” Neasham told Racing.com. “She’s obviously already won that Group 1, but not in the new ownership with John Camilleri. So, I’m just delighted for him. He’s put so much into the sport, and he paid a hefty price for her, but she’s looking cheap now.
“She’s been there or thereabouts. She’s probably been a little far back in a few of her runs from awkward draws.”
Commenting on the first Group 1 for Archibald, Neasham said: “I feel bad, I wish Rob was standing here, I did ask him if he wanted to do it but he said, ‘no, I’ll do Sydney’.
“But he was the first person I rang as soon as she crossed the line and I know what that’ll be feeling like for him.”
Neasham said the win atoned in part for the mare’s fifth in The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m), when she made ground from ninth at the 400 metres to finish 1.54 lengths adrift of the winner.
“I went home from The Everest disappointed that we didn’t win. I really felt like she could have won The Everest. That’s how much we think of her,” she said.
“But there’s not a lot between all these sprinters. There’s a lot of good sprinters around at the moment, so for her to beat that field, obviously a very valuable race and to win on this day – it’s been a good day to me, the last day of the carnival and I’m glad it’s continued to be.”
The Warwick Farm trainer admitted to some anxious moments as McDonald looked for a way through.
“It was painful. I actually thought mid-race she had come off the bridle a little, but she was still there and then she looked like she bridled up again and there was no room,” she said.
“But when you’ve got James on, I suppose you sweat less because he just makes good decisions, and the split came at the right time and it was her day today.”
McDonald, who would finish with 11 winners for the four-day Flemington carnival, breaking his own old record of ten, paid tribute to his mount.
“It was just lucky. I had the right mare to do it and she was a very willing partner, and took the gap,” he said. “I was probably lucky I didn’t really get too itchy and go for a gap I was anticipating to open. It could have ended in tears, that’s for sure. I won’t take much credit for it.”
Bred by Aquis Farm, who stand Invader for $8,800 (inc GST), Sunshine In Paris is the third of four named foals from the Sir Patrick Hogan-bred Zenaida (Zabeel), a winner at 1600 metres and a half-sister to triple New Zealand Group 1 winner Vosne Romanee (Electronic Zone).
The mare’s first foal, Macroura (Snitzel) won at Group 3 and Listed level.
Along with Sunshine In Paris, Zenaida and Macroura were also put through the 2023 Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale and were both bought by Yulong for $1.4 million and $1.5 million respectively.
Zenaida now has a yearling colt by Maurice (Screen Hero), and recently produced a filly by Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice).
Remarkably, Sunshine In Paris remains the sole stakes winner for Invader (Snitzel), who has 75 winners from 139 runners worldwide.
Sunshine In Paris was well supported on Saturday as an equal second favourite at $5 behind Bella Nipotina at $4.40. Fellow $5 chance Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) was disappointing in seventh, as was $6.50 shot Overpass (Vancouver) in eighth, while $12 hope Baraquiel (Snitzel) led at the 400 metres but weakened into sixth.
Private Life (Written Tycoon) backed up his Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) win in fine style by running a 1.22 length fifth.
After the race Bella Nipotina’s breeder and part-owner Michael Christian revealed the Ciaron Maher-trained mare would now head for a well-earned break.
“If she was to go to a breeding barn, it’s too late now so she’ll have a break and then come back, I’d imagine, for the autumn,” he told Racing.com.
“It’s entirely up to Ciaron in terms of where she goes, there’s a few options open next year for her, so we’ll wait and discuss that down the track, but it’ll be up to him.
“She had four starts, won two Group 1s, got narrowly beaten in two other Group 1s and was desperately unlucky in the Concorde and Premiere and then to win The Everest and the Russell Balding, it’s just amazing, it really is unbelievable.
“I’ve been involved in breeding and racing for a long time, but it’s a dream come true.”
Meanwhile, Clayton Douglas said Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) would also be heading for a spell and would return for an autumn campaign.
“He was probably travelling a little bit well early and just kept poking up into spots, Mark (Zahra) said,” the trainer said.
“Those inside horses were off and gone and he got shuffled a bit back, the last part of his race was quite good. We’ll give him a break now and get him ready for the autumn, he’s done a good job this preparation.
“He’s healthy and well and we’ll have a bit of fun with him.
“I think we’ll target up at the T.J. [Smith Stakes], then the All Aged Stakes again, which he won last year.
“He’s so good over 1400 metres, maybe a little bit further once he gets into his preparation, but the money races are always the first and second-up runs – they’re hard to go past!”