Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday January 27

If it thrills you to see the progeny of top-class mares taking their formative steps, then you are in for a treat with the runnings of the Group III Canonbury Stakes and Group III Widden Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

In the Canonbury, four of the six acceptors are out of stakes-winners, and another, The Little Pumper, is a son of a Group 1 Flight Stakes runner-up.

Claiming a good deal of attention in the Widden Stakes are a pair of $900,000 Justify (USA) fillies.

Just Glamourous, a daughter of the dual Group 1 winner Global Glamour, went into everyone's black book when a slashing fourth on debut at Warwick Farm.

Advertisement

Owned in similar interests is Annabel Neasham's highly-regarded debutant Learning To Fly. The daughter of Justify is a daughter of Fastnet Rock's Group III MRC Chairman's Stakes-winning daughter Ennis Hill.

The Widden is a nightmare to work out, so we will get back to the Canonbury Stakes.

The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Golden Slipper favourite King's Gambit makes his eagerly awaited reappearance since demolishing a field of upwards of five lengths in the Listed  Debutant Stakes at Caulfield last October.

Bred by Gooree Stud and owned by some of the biggest names in the game, the striking son of I Am Invincible is out of Group III ATC Birthday Card Stakes and Group III ATC Triscay Stakes winner Sultry Feeling (Encosta de Lago).

Sultry Feeling bowed out of racing with a third in the Group 1 Tattersalls Tiara at Eagle Farm.

A Group 1 also eluded Sultry Feeling's triple Group III-winning half-brother Swift Alliance. The son of don Eduardo fell just short of Group 1 glory when edged out by Shellscrape in the Group 1 Galaxy at Randwick when conceding the winner 3.5kgs.

King's Gambit had everyone talking after this debut (image Grant Courtney)

King's Gambit is the fourth foal of Sultry Feeling and the best to date.

The daughter of Encosta de Lago has been a reliable producer with four fillies and two colts in her first six seasons.

They include a Snitzel colt catalogued for the Inglis Easter Australian Yearling Sale (Lot 392) and a precious Extreme Choice filly foaled on October 16.

Sultry Feeling revisited I Am Invincible last spring.

Another future Newgate stallion? (image Grant Courtney)

 The Russian Revolution colt Red Resistance is expected to offer stiff resistance to King's Gambit.

A fighting winner on debut over the highly regarded Merchant Navy filly Steel City at Rosehill, Red Resistance is the second foal of Lonhro's magnificent daughter Heatherly winner of the Group II MRC Rubiton Stakes and placed at the highest level in the Moir Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.

The Chris Waller-trained Snitzel colt Shinzo makes his career debut in the Canonbury.

Sporting the all-navy silks of Coolmore, Shinzo has looked the part in three barrier trials.

He is a brother to the Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Exhilarates out of the dual Group 1 winner Samaready.

While Sultry Feeling has been a joy in six seasons, Samaready's first seven seasons have often been heartbreaking. Shinzo is just her second live foal, and the daughter of More Than Ready was exported to Ireland in February last year.

We can't leave the Canonbury without mentioning the Annabel Neasham-trained Fameux.

Like King's Gambit, Red Resistance, and Shinzo, Fameux did not see a sale ring.

The son of Exceed And Excel was not far from the winner when a well-supported fifth on a heavy track at Canterbury on January 6.

Fameux is the first foal of the Group 1 Coolmore Classic heroine Daysee Doom (Domesday), a $1.1million purchase for Widden Stud / David Redvers Bloodstock at the 2022 Inglis Chairman's Sale.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Kings Gambit Wins G2 Roman Consul
Super talented I Am Invincible colt King’s Gambit delivered on potential at Rosehill on Saturday zooming up the fence to win the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) from a wall of pursuers.
Embellish Filly Wins G2 Lowland Stakes
Robbie Patterson looks to have another serious Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) contender on his hands following Ultimate Habit’s victory at Trentham on Saturday and as her names suggests, she is from the family of the great champion Rough Habit.
Cambridge Stud Homebred 2YO Wins G3 Colin Jillings Classic
Exciting filly Liguria opened her winning account in fine style with a courageous victory at stakes level when she claimed the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie.
New SW Staphanos - Special Sakura Wins Listed
Taranaki visitor Special Sakura upset the applecart when she led from go to whoa to bring up just her third career victory, and first at black-type level, when winning the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie.
Juvenile Trial Watch - Randwick
The barrier trials at Randwick on Tuesday morning held plenty of interest with G1 winners Lion’s Roar and In the Congo both winning heats as well as star sprinters Lost and Running and Shades of Rose, but we’re interested in the juveniles and in particular King’s Gambit.
Blue Diamond Equal Favouritism For Big Sky – Half Sister At Inglis Classic
Even more impressive than his debut victory, Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr’s 2yo Bivouac colt Big Sky further highlighted his claim on the $2m G1 MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) with an emphatic three length victory in the G3 MRC Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield to remain unbeaten.
G3 JRA Plate Goes To Willaidow
Having been a great money earner for connections, the Marc and Mitchell Conners trained Shamus Award gelding Willaidow recorded consecutive wins in the Group 3 sprint, taking out this year’s $250,000 ATC G3 JRA Plate (1200m) at Rosehill.
Sires With Winners - Saturday January 31
Here is the full list of 103 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Trapeze Artist Filly Wins G3 Widden
It only seems fitting that a filly bred at Widden Stud should win the Group III ATC Widden Stakes (1100m) with victory at Rosehill on Saturday going to Trapeze Artist filly Chilly Girl.
Wrote Mare Turns Back the Clock for Second G3 Bellmaine
Seven-year-old mare Wrote To Arataki landed her second Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) three years after her first, with a strong front-running success under Dean Yendall at Caulfield on Saturday.