It’s often a tough decision to geld a high-priced yearling, especially when it is owned by a consortium of breeders, but it looks to have have done the trick for King Of Sparta.
Sent for a spell following fourths in the Group II Silver Slipper and Group III Kindergarten Stakes, the son of I Am Invincible returned to the track in July as a gelding. He promptly broke his maiden over 1150m on the Kensington track at Randwick before a troubled sixth behind Silent Impact at Rosehill at his most recent start.
The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained gelding faced off against a talented field of three and four year-olds over 1200m at Kembla Grange on Saturday and put them to the sword.
Appreciating a patient ride by James McDonald, King Of Sparta powered home to defeat the 4yo I Am Invincible mare Selburose by a widening three and a quarter lengths with the 3yo Exceed And Excel colt Bacchanalia a half-length back in third.
King Of Sparta clocked 1:07.89 to lower the track record set just two races earlier by Big Parade.
A $700,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Yarraman Park draft for China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/Starlight Racing is the third winner from four to race out of the Group III winning Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) mare Octavia.
A $42,000 yearling purchase by Paul Moroney Bloodstock, Octavia is a granddaughter of the to-class filly Paklani, a dual Group III winner who was second in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate and third in Canny Lad’s Golden slipper.
Octavia defeated A Time For Julia in the Group III Cockram Stakes and Member’s Joy in the Listed Kevin Hayes Stakes.
The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) has a yearling filly by Zoustar and revisited I Am Invincible last spring.
