Unwanted
In one bold move, Belclare (Per Incanto) more than doubled her career earnings when she took out The Invitation (1400m), one of the races that has been granted Group 2 status by the NSW authorities but is yet to be ratified by the Asian Racing Conference. Nonetheless, the $1 million winner’s share bumps Per Incanto (Street Cry) 17 spots up the current Australian sire listings from 28th to 11th.
The mare’s bold move was taking over the pace at the 1000-metre mark. In her two Group 1 successes, back-to-back to editions of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), she sat second to the top of the straight, led, then burst clear. When she has control she is always hard to beat and at Randwick that pattern was repeated. It’s as if she has a second wind, finding more when the challengers emerge.
Unwanted in the betting The Invitation was Belclare’s 12th win at start 39 and took her bank account earnings to over $1.9 million. Unwanted in the sales ring, she could have been purchased as recently as May of 2024 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Salem but failed to reach her reserve of $700,000 when offered as a racing and/or breeding proposition.
Her first 11 wins were from Lisa Latta’s Awapuni stable. Not sold, from three starts out Bjorn Baker’s Sydney stable the mare had little to prove but as Baker stated: “She makes me look good.” Was Baker referring to Belclare or Lisa Latta?
Belclare’s granddam is a half-sister to Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Zareyev (Zabeel) and to the dam of VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Kirramosa (Alamosa). Her great-granddam is New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Olga’s Pal (Straight Strike).
Belclare is one of 31 stakes winners and one of six Group 1 winners by Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto (Street Cry) and at seven is probably in the twilight of her fine racing career. All that is left now is a Group 1 in Australia. Her best form is in the autumn so there is still an opportunity to do just that.
I’ve been everywhere, man
A 1960s Australian song by Lucky Starr and popularised in North America by country and western legend Hank Snow, I’ve Been Everywhere, could also be the theme song for Aljay (Rock ‘n’ Pop), the well-travelled winner of the Spring Classic (Listed, 2000m) at Riccarton on Saturday.
Well-travelled, yes, but not over-raced, seven-year-old Aljay has faced the starter on 43 occasions and has come up trumps ten times with an additional 15 placings. Since July he has scored four of his ten wins and his list of visited racetracks is impressive. He broke his maiden at Hastings at start three as a three-year-old and has proceeded to score at Awapuni, Riccarton, New Plymouth and Rotorua.
Along the way he has tripped to Trentham and as far away as Greymouth (twice) and only New Zealanders know just how long and arduous that float trip from Picton (after a ferry voyage) to Greymouth really is.
One of Aljay’s previous ten visits to Riccarton brought success in the 2022 New Zealand Cup (Gr 3, 3200m) and he has now firmed to favourite for next month’s running. Track conditions are of no concern as Aljay has won on a Good4 track as well as on a Heavy10 surface, which is what he encountered in Saturday’s Spring Stakes. Widest into the straight, Aljay, the clear top-weight, took over inside the 400 metres and the closer he was to the line the better he travelled. Despite giving away 5.5 kilograms to the field he was too big and too strong.
He is one of two stakes winners by Rock ‘n’ Pop (Fastnet Rock), the other being Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m) winner Surely Sacred, who also finished third in the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) before being exported to Hong Kong. A further ten stakes performers are by the stallion whose ratio of winners to starters stands at 62 per cent (94 from 151).
Aljay is another success story from the NZB Ready to Run Sale, purchased by his trainer Kevin Myers for NZ$39,000 at the 2019 sale and returning more than half a million in prize money earnings. His half-brother is the champion jumper Tallyho Twinkletoe (St Reims) and his dam is a sister to Don’t Ya Lovett (Lord Ballina), winner of Riccarton’s Winter Cup (Gr 3, 1600m) and 14 other races.
Another traveller?
From Book 2 of the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, Kevin Myers outlaid NZ$40,000 for He’s Lucid, a colt by Mapperley Stud’s Contributer (High Chaparral), who was tragically lost to the stud recently.
Myers waited until June this year before saddling up He’s Lucid for his sole race at two in the Castletown Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Wanganui, where he finished third. Two starts later he was back at Wanganui to run third in the Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1200m). He tuned up for Saturday’s War Decree Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) with a trial win followed by a solid fourth at Hawera where he raced three wide without cover the entire journey.
Cruising before they straightened for the run home, He’s Lucid lengthened stride when asked at the 300 metres and was simply too strong to the line to record his maiden victory. The one question is whether he will appreciate any firming of the track for the upcoming New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). Despite racing wide in a fair fourth on a Good4 at Hawera over 1200 metres, he did not stretch out until late. Perhaps the extra distance is another reason for his improved performance. We’ll find out in less than two weeks.
He is the first winner for his dam, Big Dreamer (No Excuse Needed) who won five races and twice achieved black-type including third in Trentham’s Thompson Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m).
High on high
Somewhat hidden among the stakes results from last weekend was a significant fact. The results of Randwick’s Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), Moonee Valley’s Vase (Gr 2, 2040m, Moonee Valley’s Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 1600m), Moonee Valley’s Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 2040m) and Riccarton’s War Decree Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) held a common denominator. Such results, however, are far from common.
The winners of the above five races were: El Castello (Castelvecchio), Red Aces (Dundeel), Double Market (Castelvecchio), Lady Jones (Toronado) and He’s Lucid (Contributer). Henlein (Dundeel) second in the Spring Champion Stakes and Opening Address (So You Think) and King of Thunder (Tivaci) filled the placings in the Moonee Valley Vase, while third in the War Decree Stakes was Kiwi Skyhawk (Contributer).
Every winner or placegetter mentioned above is either a grandson, granddaughter, great-grandson or great-granddaugter of the mighty High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells).
So You Think, Dundeel, Castelvecchio and Tivaci were foaled in the southern hemisphere. Toronado and Contributer were foaled in the Northern Hemisphere and between them they are making a major impression south of the equator.
The north has Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) while the south has his paternal half-brother High Chaparral. On the current Australian sires list, Dundeel, Toronado and So You Think sit in a tight group at 13th, 14th and 15th.
Individual stakes winners:
El Castello looks to have the best chance of taking his form to a Derby. Whether that is the Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) this coming Saturday remains to be seen. Trainer Anthony Cummings seems open to heading to Flemington depending on how the colt comes through Saturday’s race.
Even as a late two-year-old El Castello appeared as though a middle distance would suit as he was stakes placed in the Fernhill Handicap (Listed, 1600m) on his second start when still a maiden. This preparation he is unbeaten in four starts beginning with an early September Warwick Farm win over 1400 metres in which he looked beaten at the 100 metres but kept lifting to win gamely.
Win two, a Benchmark 72 (1600m) at Randwick later in September, was easier yet his determination was maintained. Gaining in confidence his step up to Group 3 class in the Gloaming Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m) saw him level up at the 200 metres, take over at the 100 metres then draw away to score convincingly.
Saturday’s Spring Champion Stakes was no walkover. Forming a line of three at the top of the straight he strode to the lead at the 300 metres yet from the 200 metres Henlein kept pressing him but the post arrived in time for another tenacious effort. The progression in distances from 1400 metres to 2000 metres would seem ideal if he were to head to Melbourne.
A graduate of the 2023 Magic Million Gold Coast Yearling Sales, El Castello was sold under the Cambridge Stud banner, fetching $220,000 when purchased by his trainer Anthony Cummings and represents a famous New Zealand family.
A 2012 Victoria Derby winner features close up in his top class family, namely Fiveandahalfstar (Hotel Grand), the son of Hotel Grand (Grand Lodge) also won the BMW Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m). His half-sister, Word Games (Fastnet Rock), is El Castello’s dam. There is yet more stout blood in this family in that Word Games’ granddam Cross Words (Grosvenor) is a sister to Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Cross Swords (Grosvenor).
El Castello is the tenth Group 1 winner directly descended from Richard Moore’s great Soliloquy (Sobig), herself a Group 1 winner, responsible for 38 stakes winners and 39 stakes performers in seven generations. The family was prolific even before Moore became involved, tracing to Green Gables (Vermeer), the first foal from Anne Acre (Acre), bred by none other than Seton Otway of Trelawney Stud.
Anne Acre later produced four stakes winners plus stakes-placed Broodmare of the Year Chubin (Nizami), dam of AJC Derby (Gr 1, 12f) winner Prince Grant (Alcimedes) and granddam of Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 2m) winner Silver Knight (Alcimedes).