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...
Promising Flemington Winner for El Roca
Progressive three-year-old Stop The Rock continued his climb through the grades when the Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained gelding ran out a solid winner of the Ken Cox Handicap (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Saturday June 21
Here is the full list of 101 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Second Time Lucky As Flash Ahh Wins Ipswich Cup
Having finished third in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) back in 2021, rising 10yo Lucas Cranach (GER) gelding Flash Aah was back for another attempt on Saturday, winning the staying feature as part of the Troy Pascoe yard.
Godolphin’s Kin Wins Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic
After recording her first black type victory during last year’s spring carnival, the James Cummings trained Kin has produced three quality black type efforts during the Queensland carnival, resulting in a thoroughly deserving victory in Saturday's $160,000 Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) at Ipswich.
Headley Grange Gives Exosphere 11th Stakes Winner
A model of consistency with 17 top four placed finishes from 18 starts, Joe Pride’s 4yo Exosphere gelding Headley Grange stepped up to black type race for the first time with instant success, winning the $200,000 Listed ATC Civic Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
Second Stakes Success For More Than Ready’s Oughton
The well-travelled Oughton (More Than Ready) added Saturday’s $200,000 Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) to his previous success in the Listed Tattersall's Recognition Stakes, off the back of a tendon injury which put an end to his stint in Hong Kong.
Cork Wins Tauranga Classic
After hard-luck stories in the Listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic (1400m) in both of the last two winters, Cork made amends in style on Saturday with a $22 upset in the fillies and mares’ feature.
Peltzer 2YO Impressive at Flemington
Twin Hills Stud’s young sire Peltzer has only had a handful of runners from his first crop so far, but he appears to have a winner that might be well above average in progressive gelding Buccleuch.
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.
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.