A quartet of Easter Yearling Sale graduates will be given their chance at G1 glory this preparation following impressive Stakes wins on Saturday .
At Flemington Doubtland (G2 Danehill Stakes), Pretty Brazen (G2 Let’s Elope Stakes) and Zoutori (G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality) all proved they would be forces to be reckoned with in feature races in coming weeks by scoring strong wins while at Rosehill, Wild Planet showed he was on track for the G1 Epsom Handicap with a comfortable win in the G2 Theo Marks Stakes.
They were joined in Stakes wins today by lightly raced 3YO filly September Run (Premier Yearling Sale), who was victorious in the Listed Cap D’Antibes at Flemington for Chris Waller.
The four Easter stars will be out to secure their maiden G1 wins this campaign following today’s successes – the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Doubtland), the Rupert Clarke Stakes (Pretty Brazen), the Cantala Stakes (Zoutori) and Wild Planet in the Epsom.
Wild Planet (Animal Kingdom x Salutations) will be joined in the Epsom at Randwick on October 3 by second-place getter today Funstar, in what was an Inglis graduates Stakes quinella.
“He had no luck last start but he’s proven the victor today. He’s in the Epsom and that’s the way we’re going with him at his stage,’’ Wild Planet’s co-trainer Michael Hawkes said.
“He’s a real racehorse. He’s very happy within himself this preparation, he’s been unlucky in quite a few of his runs but he’s a lovely horse and he’s definitely going places.’’
Team Hawkes teamed up with Andrew Williams Bloodstock to purchase Wild Planet at the 2017 Easter Sale, paying $280,000 for him from Arrowfield Stud, who also bred the horse alongside Planette Thoroughbred.
It was a big day for Team Hawkes, with Doubtland’s win (pictured) at Flemington confirming the stable’s big opinion of the 3YO.
“He’s a serious colt this bloke,’’ Wayne Hawkes said.
“When he got out, he really put those ears back and he’s a smart horse. I thought he’d like the straight to it’s nice to see him do it. I said to Willie [Pike] ‘if he lets rip, he’ll blow them away’ and that’s what he did.
“He was never gone but you know what, he’s back and he’s up and about. He’s an expensive colt with a hell of a pedigree, he’s got two Golden Slippers in his pedigree and he’s the real deal this bloke.’’
Doubtland (Not A Single Doubt x Miss Sharapova) is a $1.1m Easter buy for Orbis Bloodstock, also sourced from Arrowfield, breeders of the star colt with GSA Bloodstock.
Earlier at Flemington, co-trainer of Pretty Brazen, Calvin McEvoy, said the stable would likely back the 4YO mare up in next weekend’s G1 Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield following her win in todays’ G2 Let’s Elope Stakes.
Owned by Graham and Linda Huddy and bred by Dr Denis O’Brien, Pretty Brazen (Brazen Beau x Pretty Penny) has now won two Stakes races, having previously been successful in last year’s G2 Sandown Guineas.
Pretty Brazen is a $700,000 Easter buy for McEvoy Mitchell Racing, from the Coolmore Stud draft.
For Zoutori (Zoustar x Atotori) it was back-to-back wins in the G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality with a narrow but tough first-up victory.
It’s the fourth time from seven attempts the fresh specialist has won when resuming.
The win has trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra dreaming of G1 glory, suggesting the Cantala Stakes over a mile at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week could be a potential target.
The Frank Meduri-bred Zoutori has been a great money-spinner for connections – his trainers paid $160,000 for him at the Easter Yearling Sale where Amarina Farm offered him and he’s now won more than $700,000.
And September Run (Exceed And Excel) took a liking to the Flemington straight course with a dominant win in the Listed Cap D’Antibes.
It was a third career win at just start No.6 for the talented Alpara Lodge-bred filly, a $380,000 Premier Yearling Sale purchase for Hermitage Thoroughbreds from the Blue Gum Farm draft.
In the feature race in Sydney, exciting colts Ole Kirk (2nd) and North Pacific (3rd) proved they’re both on target for their spring grand final of the G1 Golden Rose with impressive runs in their final lead-up, the G2 Run To The Rose.
The Premier Yearling Sale duo both firmed in betting for the big one, with North Pacific a $6 second favourite and Ole Kirk into $15.
The Golden Rose will be run at Rosehill on Saturday September 26.
Inglis Release
