One to Watch – Pakenham

Tara Madgwick - Monday August 8

Entered for the Caulfield Guineas, this promising son of I Am Invincible made a winning debut at Pakenham on Monday for the Peter Moody stable.

Merry Mac Boy wins by a space - image Scott Barbour / Racing Photos

Already gelded, Merry Mac Boy was backed as though unbeatable in the 1200m maiden and made light work of his first assignment, racing away from older rivals to win by more than three lengths to the delight of his supporters.

A $300,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Sledmere Stud draft for Peter Morgan, Merry Mac Boy runs for a syndicate of stable clients and looks to have a bright future.

“He’s a very professional horse. He began great and put himself in a nice position to control the race and then was able to finish it off so well,” said stable representative Katherine Coleman.

“He’s a big strong horse that has taken a while to furnish into himself, but this preparation we are seeing the best of him and I think he can improve.

Advertisement

“We’ll raise the bar a little bit next time and keep building him through his grades.”

Merry Mac Boy is the third winner from three foals to race from Group II winning Redoute’s Choice mare Vavasour, who was successful up to 2400m.

A half-sister to Group winners Catalonia and Celebrity Dream, Vavasour sadly died last year.

Given the quality and depth of his female family it will be no surprise to see Merry Mac Boy get a good 1600m as his career unfolds.

Advertisment

Race Result - Liberty Equipment Hire Mdn 1200m

Pakenham Synthetic Track: Synthetic Time: 1:11.15
1
Merry Mac Boy
- 3g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Vavasour (NZ) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: P G Moody Rdr: W Egan 57
2
3.5
Sabaid
- 5g Fighting Sun (AUS) x Madame De Here (AUS) (Dehere (USA))
Tnr: R W Harrison Rdr: J Mott 59.5
3
3.6
Mission Supreme
- 3g Zoustar (AUS) x The Good Wife (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: P Stokes Rdr: D Moor 57
4
3.8
Le Joke
- 4g Headwater (AUS) x Happy Laughing (AUS) (Starcraft (NZ))
Tnr: Matthew Smerdon Rdr: B Melham 59.5
5
4.2
Igotanidea
- 3g So You Think (NZ) x Melodramatic (AUS) (Al Samer (AUS))
Tnr: A & S Freedman Rdr: Damien Thornton 57
6
4.4
He's Handsome
- 3g Hellbent (AUS) x Guapa (USA) (Rock Hard Ten (USA))
Tnr: P G Moody Rdr: B Mc Dougall 57
7
4.5
Bill Boulder
- 3g Boulder City (AUS) x Feel Like Dancing (AUS) (Jeune (GB))
Tnr: Ben & J D Hayes Rdr: D W Stackhouse 57
8
5.5
Bemote
- 3f Headwater (AUS) x Earthsea (FR) (Machiavellian (USA))
Tnr: M Price & M Kent Jnr Rdr: C Newitt 55
9
6.2
The Black Panther
- 6g Better Than Ready (AUS) x Von Krum (AUS) (Snitzel (AUS))
Tnr: N J Harnett Rdr: B Park 59.5
10
7.5
Mystic Realm
- 4g Helmet (AUS) x Villa Albani (AUS) (Mossman (AUS))
Tnr: K L Corstens Rdr: Teodore Nugent 59.5
11
8.2
Coastal Strike
- 3g Palentino (AUS) x Delcosta Diamond (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: M Croston & G Gilmour Rdr: Thomas Stockdale 57
12
9.5
Listen To Me Jack
- 6g Toorak Toff (AUS) x Christchurch (AUS) (Caerleon (USA))
Tnr: J R Welsh Rdr: Carleen Hefel 59.5
More Reading...
2025 Japan Cup Winner - Aga Khan Gelding a World Beater
Aga Khan Studs don’t race a lot of geldings, but one that they do is Calandagan, who has taken giant strides in 2025 to become the Cartier European Horse of the Year and on Sunday he achieved the almost unthinkable with a history making win in the Group I Japan Cup (2400m).
Reliable Man Bargain Buy Wins Cromwell Cup
Peachy Keen capped a super-consistent spring campaign with a last-gasp victory in Sunday’s $50,000 Happy Hire Cromwell Cup (2030m).
Pedigree Watch – G1 and G1 Potential
Last Saturday provided Australian racing fans with a bewildering array of 15 Black Type events spread across four states, so with a newly minted Group I winner and a couple of other horses we see as having G1 potential, a closer look at the pedigrees got me thinking.
Yulong Winner at Otaki
Yulong has wasted little time in making a mark on New Zealand racing this spring, and those emerald green and white colours were carried to another feature-race win by Azeezle in Sunday’s Levin Truck Services Levin Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.
Karaka Million aim for Home Affairs Colt
The two-year-old race staged by the Levin Racing Club at Otaki every November has a proven record of unearthing top-level talent, and Te Akau Racing is hoping for more of the same with Sunday’s Levin Jumpouts 2YO (1100m) winner Kinnaird.
Stakes Double for Westbury Stud Sires
New stakes winners for resident stallions Redwood and Tarzino were celebrated by Westbury Stud at the weekend.
Savabeel Colt Wins G3 Wellington Stakes
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh won the Gr.3 Jennian Homes Wellington Stakes (1600m) for the fifth time at Otaki on Sunday with emerging talent Ammirati, but this was a win unlike any other.
Sires With Winners - Monday December 1
Here is the full list of 14 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
15 Saturday Stakes Races Out of Season
Last Saturday in Australia there were an astonishing 15 stakes races run in a time period most trainers see as being out of season, barring the Perth Summer Carnival, when we consider that our elite horses are programmed towards spring and autumn, so what is going on?
Savabeel Mare Primed for G1 on Saturday
Stephen Marsh has his sights set on further feature-race success, with his proven performer Provence confirmed for Saturday’s Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham.