Taygeta (AUS) 3 g Duke Of Marmalade – Sky Alert, by Hurricane Sky

After showing promise in two recent Rosehill barrier trials, the Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old gelding Taygeta (Duke Of Marmalade) made an impressive winning debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. Slow away from the stalls, Taygeta recovered quickly and soon took the lead. He then steadied the pace, grabbed a break on turning for home and then went on to win well, covering the last 600 metres in 34 seconds. He was almost two lengths clear of his nearest pursuer crossing the line, which suggests he should have the potential to go on to bigger and better things.

Bred and raced by the Seldon family, Taygeta is the fourth winner from five runners out of winning sprinter Sky Alert (Hurricane Sky), who was purchased by Supreme Thoroughbreds for the bargain sum of $6,000 in foal to Adelaide (Galileo) at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Sky Alert is also responsible for Orionids (Dylan Thomas), who took out three prestigious sprint handicaps in Hong Kong this season, and talented sprinter-miler Speckie (Aussie Rules).

Taygeta has a rather light pedigree, with no black-type winners unders his first three dams, though his great-granddam Kurri Kurri (Vague Image) is also the granddam of Il Don (At Talaq), who was third to Gold Guru (Geiger Counter) in the 1998 Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m).

Sky Alert also has a rising two-year-old colt by Toronado (High Chaparral) and a colt foal by Adelaide who was purchased for $15,000 by Alderson Racing from Supreme Thoroughbreds at the Inglis Great Southern Sale last month.

She was last covered on November 26 by Spendthrift Australia’s first-crop sire Swear (Redoute’s Choice).