Darby Racing-owned gelding sparkles at Hawkesbury

The Mark Newnham-trained Scarzel  (Snitzel) put in an impressive performance when he landed a 800 metre barrier trial at Hawkesbury on Monday. 

The Darby Racing-owned gelding was smartly away from the barriers and raced on the fence, before being urged by Tom Sherry in the final stages to post a length and three-quarter length victory over Depiction (Exceed And Excel), posting a time of 46.75 seconds. 

Purchased by Darby and De Burgh Equine for $220,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Newgate Farm draft, the gelding is the first foal out of 2016 Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Scarlet Rain (Manhattan Rain). 

Scarlet Rain is a half-sister to winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Double Ranga and she is herself a half-sister to Listed-winning duo Hesitates (Commands) and Super Lacuna (Grand Lodge). 

The gelding also hails from the same family as Group 2 scorer Blixen (Mighty Avalanche) - the grandam of 2010 Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Toorak Toff (Show A Heart), while she is also the dam of Listed winner Avilde (Grand Lodge). 

Godolphin trainer James Cummings was represented by a pair of impressive juvenile winners at the Hawkesbury trials on Monday, headed by well-bred colt Kallos (Medaglia d’Oro).

Racing at the front of affairs under Hugh Bowman, the colt looked comfortable round the bend and as the field bunched up towards the finish, Bowman encouraged the colt and he held his position to post a head victory over Paddy Shane (Headwater) - who ran eye-catchingly well for second. The winning time was 48.45 seconds. 

The colt is the first foal out of Godolphin’s 2016 Magic Night Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Calliope (Exceed And Excel) and she is herself a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Aquitaine (Exceed And Excel). 

The colt’s third dam is Bulla Borghese (Belong To Me), who landed the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) in 2002 and she is the dam of six winners, headed by 2013 Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Bound For Earth (Northern Meteor). 

A few heats later, Kallos’ stablemate Character  (Teofilo) produced an impressive performance to land his 800 metre heat. 

After racing keenly in the early stages, the son of Teofilo (Galileo) settled round the bend and managed to pull away from the field in comfortable fashion to post a length victory over Fenton - who is by Newgate Farm first-season sire Capitalist (Written Tycoon). The time was a slick 47.46 seconds. 

The colt is out of five time-winning Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado) mare Monogram and she is half-sister to Tarquin (Hard Spun) - who won the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in 2015. 

Further afield this is the same family as multiple elite level winner Fantastic Light (Rahy) and Listed scorer Hi Dubai (Rahy).