A Group II carrying a prize of $1million, the Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick on Saturday has been the goal of many of the nation's most promising two-year-old fillies.
Godolphin has a strong hand with three runners. They are headed by the Group II Blue Diamond Prelude and Group III Magic Night Stakes winner Arcaded who is also an acceptor for the $1million Showdown at Caulfield. The filly looks to provide a second two-year-old feature for Street Boss (USA) in consecutive weeks following the staggering performance of Anamoe in the Group 1 ATC Inglis Sires' Produce Stakes.
A most interesting runner for the Godolphin is the I Am Invincible filly Trifaccia who sprouted wings over the final two hundred metres of the Group II Reisling Stakes to finish a close-up third.
We will be putting our faith in another daughter of I Am Invincible.
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Najmaty made an impressive career debut when defeating the subsequent Wellington Boot winner Sonnet Star (Star Turn) by a length and a quarter over a 1000m on the Kensington track at Randwick.
Taken down to Melbourne for the Listed Redoute's Choice Stakes at Caulfield, Najmaty stormed home to defeat He's The Ultimate (Fastnet Rock) and Hunnam (Shalaa). Hunnam franked the form with a dominant win at Caulfield last Saturday.
A homebred for Emirates Park, Najmaty is a half-sister to the talented Snitzel filly Najmah who had won two and finished second twice in four starts before her last start failure in last weeks Group III PJ Bell Stakes at Randwick
They are the first two live foals of the top-class Northern Meteor mare Najoom.
A $225,000 purchase out of Willow Park Stud draft at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Najoom won five and was runner-up in two of her seven career starts. She looked like a Group 1 winner in waiting when trouncing the field in the Group III Hawkesbury Guineas, run that year at Rosehill. It was a similar story at her next start, thrashing the Group III Fred Best Classic field at Doomben.
The daughter of Northern Meteor was elevated to favouritism for the Group 1 Stradbroke, but connections opted not to pay the late entry fee and aim for the Group 1 Tatts Tiara. Controversially, Najoom was made the second emergency and failed to gain a run.
Sadly, Najoom did not race again.
Injured in training, Najoom was covered by I Am Invincible in her first season, but tragedy struck again. Her colt foal died after birth.
Following Najmah and Najmaty, Najoom missed in 2018 before foaling an I Am Invincible filly last year. Najoom was one of the 137 mares to visit Tassort in his first season at Newgate Farm last spring.
Najoom hails from one of the most prolific families in the Stud Book, which originated in a couple of 'cheapies' imported by North America by the late Albert O'Cass.
They were the impeccably bred stallion Bite The Bullet (USA) and the mare Gainesville (CAN).
Their first mating resulted in Joleur, the dam of the stakes-winners Upon This Rock, Bhutane Dane and Gaze On, and the unraced Charlety Star, who is the dam of Najoom.
The second filly produced from the Bite The Bullet (USA) x Gainesville (CAN) mating was the stakes-placed Money Begets Money, the dam of Listed winner Moqueen.
Then followed the star of the show, the Group III Research Stakes winner Mica's Pride. The recently pensioned mare made it 11 winners from as many to race when My Delight opened his winning account at his second start at Canterbury on April 7.
There was a touch of irony in the result as My Delight edged out the Edinburgh Park colour-bearer Echo Point, but we will get back to that in a minute.
Mica's Pride has a sensational record at stud. She is the dam of four stake-winners led by one of the toughest horses to look through a bridle, the 4-time Group 1 winner Criterion. Mica's Pride has a second Group 1 winner in the Doomben Cup winner Comin' Through, then followed the Group II winner Varenna Miss and the Listed winner Silently.
The final foal of the Bite The Bullet (USA) x Gainesville (CAN) partnership was Rose Of Cimmaron, and this is where Ian Smith's Edinburgh Park re-enters the story.
Smith bred the first foal of Rose Of Cimmaron, the Fastnet Rock colt Bull Point. Edinburgh Park consigned Bull Point to the 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Demi O'Byne and James Bester Bloodstock purchased him for $960,000.
The son of Fastnet Rock won the MRC Manfred Stakes and now stands at Kingstar Farm.
Now in the ownership of Belinda Bateman, Rose Of Cimmaron had a brother to Bull Point named Siege Of Quebec, who made $1,2million to the bid of T Magnier / Gai Waterhouse Racing / Nordic Racing & Breeding / J Blaxland at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
He won the Group III ATC Bill Ritchie Handicap and placed in the ATC Group 1 All Aged Stakes and Group 1 MRC Toorak Hcp.
Edinburgh Park's association with the family goes way back to the days when Filipino businessman Sandy Javier boarded Gainesville (CAN) there.
Ian Smith went drilling where he struck oil before, importing three daughters of Gainesville's stakes-winning and Grade 1-performed half-sister Darling Alice.
They are Smokin' Alice (USA), the dam of Magic Millions 3yo Classic winner and $2million earner Eleven Eleven and stakes-placed War Memorial; Alice's Smart (USA), the dam of stakes-placed winners Miss Wonderland and Spencer; and Nothin But a Dream (USA), the dam of Group II MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes winner Glenfiddich who placed in the Group 1 ATC Champagne Stakes and Group 1 MRC Memsie Stakes.
All three imports have been big hits in the sales ring. Smokin' Alice (USA) had a $1million Exceed And Excel colt last year, Alice's Smart (USA) had a $350,000 Merchant Navy colt this year.
Edinburgh Park has retained an interest in Alice’s Smart’s 2yo Snitzel colt Wolfburn who will be out to complete a bid day for the family at Randwick when he attempts to break his maiden in the Listed The Agency Real Estate Mile (Fernhill Hcp) over 1600m.
The flashy chestnut was a $400,000 purchase by Bjorn Baker Racing / Clarke Bloodstock at the Easter Yearling Sale.
