Epaulette, I Am Invincible, Worthy Cause & Shooting To Win sire new Group One winners
New Group One winners
Three for Epaulette
Former Darley sire Epaulette (Commands) notched up his third Group One winner - first in Australia - when the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained and Godolphin owned Daumier (2 c ex Illustrate by Street Cry) captured Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Caulfield. The 20-1 shot beat Revolutionary Miss (Russian Revolution) by a nose, with favourite Jacquinot (Rubick) running on to finish third, a further a long neck away. Epaulette stood in Australia for seven seasons between 2014 and 2020 and was sold to Turkey in 2021.
11 for I Am Invincible
Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) sired his 11th Group One winner when the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Marabi (5 m ex Nakaaya by Tiger Hill) remained unbeaten in seven career starts and captured the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m). The mare held off the challenge of her stablemate Away Game (Snitzel) to beat her by a half length, with Oxley Road (Exceed And Excel) another length and a half away in third. I Am Invincible heads the Australian leading sires table by both earnings and winners, with progeny earnings of $13,705,175, almost $1 million clear of Nicconi (Bianconi), and he has sired 132 winners in Australia so far this season.
First for Worthy Cause
Placed second in last year’s Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), Hinged (3 f ex Tints by Tycoon Ruler) became the first stakes winner and Group One winner for Worthy Cause (Choisir) when she defeated Startantes (Star Turn) by a nose in Saturday’s Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). The Chris Waller-trained and Yes Bloodstock-raced filly has now won six times and placed in another three of her 12 career starts and is one of nine winners from 14 runners for the Clear Mountain Fairview-based Worthy Cause.
First Shooting To Win
Multiple Group One placed previously, Mascarpone (5 g ex Fromage by Flying Spur) won his first Group One victory in the WFA Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) at Otaki on Saturday, becoming the first Group One winner for Darley’s Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor). The Team Rogerson gelding, who was bought by his trainers for NZ$160,000 at Book 1 of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka Sale in 2018, beat Amarelinha (Savabeel) by two lengths and has now won eight of his 26 career starts. A half-sister to Mascarpone, by Reliable Man (Dalakhani), is catalogued as Lot 261 at the forthcoming Book 1 - Karaka 2022 sale. Shooting To Win is based at Darley’s Kelvinside farm in NSW.
New stakes winners
119 for Snitzel
Castlereagh Kid (3 g ex Absolute Joy by Zabeel) remained unbeaten in three starts this preparation and provided his Arrowfield Stud-based sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) with his 119th stakes winner when he took out Saturday’s Autumn Classic (Gr 2, 1800m) at Caulfeild. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Castlereagh Kid, who was passed in for $300,000 at the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when offered by Strawberry Hill Stud, beat the Peter Moody-trained Lucky Decision (Zacinto) by a length and a quarter and became the 15th stakes winner for his sire this season. The son of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) is the leading sire by stakes winners in Australia this season.
Three for Xtravagant
Lavish Girl (3 f ex Ends In Tears by Snitzel) became the third stakes winner for Newhaven Park’s young sire Xtravagant (Pentire) when she won Saturday’s Angus Armanasco Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield. Lavish Girl was a $110,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase by Ciaron Maher Racing from the draft of Newhaven Park and she was winning for the third time in nine starts, with her earnings now totalling just over $300,000. Xtravagant has two crops of racing age and is currently third in the leading second season sires table in Australia behind Capitalist (Written Tycoon) and Mauirce (Screen Hero). Lavish Girl also provided Snitzel with his 12th stakes winner as a broodmare sire with that list headed by Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Mossfun (Mossman).
Two for Divine Prophet
Aquis Farm’s Divine Prophet (Choisir) was represented by his second stakes winner when Promitto (2 c ex Lohgario by Lonhro) won Saturday’s Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m). Now unbeaten in two career starts, the David Atkins-trained Promotto scored a two length victory over Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution). See You In Heaven was Divine Prophet’s first stakes winner and the son of Choisir (Danehill Dancer) has two crops of racing age.
Two for Rebel Dane
Fireburn (2 f ex Mull Over by So You Think) became the second stakes winner for the Glen Eden Stud-based Rebel Dane (California Dane) when beating She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice) by three quarters of a length in Saturday’s Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick. Booking herself a start in the Golden Slipper Stakes, Fireburn is raced by Laurel Oak Bloodstock and the filly has now won three of her four career starts. The victory also provided Coolmore Stud’s So You Think (High Chaparral) with his first stakes winner as a broodmare sire.
20 for Canford Cliffs
Former shuttler Canford Cliffs (Tagula) sired his 20th stakes winner when the Ryan Balfour-trained Canford (7 g ex Sorenstamn by Encosta De Lago) took out Saturday’s Lord Reims Stakes (Gr 3, 2600m) at Morphettville. Canford defeated So Bene (Hinchinbrook) by a length and a quarter, recording his seventh win in a 44 start career. Canford Cliffs shuttled to Australia for five seasons between 2012 and 2016.
46 for Blackfriars
Constant Dreaming (3 f ex Aloha Miss by Hurricane Sky) recorded her second victory and first at stakes level in Saturday’s Ascot 1000 Guineas (Listed, 1800m) at Ascot, becoming the 46th stakes winner for Blackfriars (Danehill). The Adam Durrant-trained filly beat favourite Fine Romance (So You Think) by a length and three quarters, with Kia Ora Jewel (Turn Me Loose) another length and a half back in third. Formerly based at Scenic Lodge Thoroughbreds, Blackfiars died in 2017 when he broke a leg following colic surgery. His progeny includes three Group One winners in Black Heart Bart, Playing God and Come Play With Me.
Two for Turn Me Loose
Turn Me Loose (Iffraaj) recorded his second stakes winner when Alabama Gold (2 c ex Attalla by Volksraad) won Saturday's Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m). Trained by Stephen Autridge, Alabama Gold, who was bought by Autridge for NZ$85,000 at Karaka 2021 - Book 2 from the draft of Highline Thoroughbreds, beat Andalus (Almanzor) by three and three quarter lengths. Turn Me Loose, who has two crops of racing age, stands at Windsor Park Stud and he has 11 lots catalogued for the forthcoming Karaka 2022 - Book 1.
15 for Helmet
Langkawi (6 g ex Shortblackmini by Black Minnaloushe) provided Helmet (Exceed And Excel) with his 15th stakes winner when the gelding won Saturday’s Kaimai Stakes (Listed, 2000m) at Matamata. Helmet stood in Australia for six seasons between 2012 and 2017 and relocated to Gestut Fahrhof in 2019.
