There are two stakes races for the babies on Saturday, the Group III Lamaro's Hotel Chairman's Stakes at Sandown-Hillside and the Listed Darley Lonhro Plate at Randwick.
Bookmakers have the Chairman's down to a two-horse race, between the hugely impressive first-up winners, the Capitalist colt Veecee and the Snitzel filly Serasana..
Although Serasana won over the course and distance at her career debut, we will stick with the colt.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Veecee made his debut over 1100m down the Flemington straight on January 14.
After jumping in the air at the start, the son of Capitalist received some buffeting, but there was a lot to like about the way he extended in the final 200m.
Veecee races for a large syndicate headed by Ozzie Kheir, in whose colours the colt races.
Bred by Glenelg Park's Danny and Sarina Swain in partnership with Scott and Helen Cameron, the strikingly handsome chestnut was a sensation at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Bearing a striking resemblance to his Golden Slipper-winning sire, Veecee was a $750,000 purchase for Ciaron Maher Bloodstock from the Tyreel Stud draft.
That made him the highest-priced Capitalist yearling of 2022.
Veecee is the second foal of the unraced Poet's Voice mare Isabella.
The first foal, a filly by Invader, sold for just $4,000 at the COVID-hit 2020 Australian Weanling Sale.
A homebred for Godolphin, she never made it to the track after two barrier trials. The second was at Randwick in November 2017, where she earned the ire of stewards when fractious in the barrier. She was ordered to trial again, but a few later, Isabella was in the ring at the Inglis December Thoroughbred Sale, where Glenelg Park had the final say at $46,000.
While Veecee's yearling price was a delightful surprise to his breeders, high prices were not uncommon for the family.
Out of the imported Dayur mare Duelling Girl (USA), Isabella is a half-sister to the $1,200,000 Sunday Silence colt Keep The Faith and the $1,100,000 Dehere (USA) colt Pistols.
Keep The Faith proved an enigma for Tony McEvoy. After romping home at his debut at Cheltenham at his only start at two, the Sunday Silence colt opened his 3yo campaign with a third in the Listed Vain Stakes before disappointing in the Ascot Vale Stakes and Caulfield Guineas Prelude.
Back in Adelaide for the start of a new campaign, Keep The Faith won by nine lengths at Victoria Park and seven lengths at Morphettville before earning a hat trick in the Listed Schweppervescence Cup (1600m) at Caulfield, defeating Our Smoking Joe by almost four lengths.
Sent off a short-priced favourite for the Group 1 Canterbury Guineas, Keep The Faith found the 1900m beyond him and clocked in fourth behind Niello.
Dropped back to 1500m for his career finale, the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes, Keep The Faith finished 6th of seven behind the champion Lonhro.
Pistols also showed early promise. After breaking his maiden at Canterbury, Pistols finished third in the Group III Skyline Stakes before winning the Listed Baillieu Hcp. His form tapered off after that, and he was sold to Macau, where he won two Listed races as Golden Pistols.
Duelling Girl (USA) had to have a bit going for her to earn a visit to Sunday Silence.
The Gainsborough Farm-bred daughter of the champion sprinter Dayur won little more than a Yarmouth maiden in six starts for Sir Michael Stoute.
She is a three-quarter sister to Group III Coventry stakes winner Always Fair (Danzig) and Listed winner Asaasy (Danzig), and a half-sister to Faithful Son (Zilzal).
The winner of the Group III Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and runner-up in the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes and Group 1 York International, Faithful Son arrived in Australia with much fanfare for the 1998 Caulfield cup and Melbourne Cup.
Faithful Son, carrying a top weight of 58kgs, finished fourth in the Caulfield cup behind the Lady Herries-trained Taufan's Melody (GB).
With Frankie Dettori in the saddle, Faithful Son finished an honourable seventh in the Melbourne Cup won by Jezabeel.
While Duelling Girl (USA), Faithful Son, Always Fair and Asaasy have played their part in upgrading the pedigree, they have to bow to their half-sister Lailati.
Unable to break her maiden in five starts, the daughter of Mr Prospector is the dam of the champion Lailani (Unfuwain).
Lailani reeled off seven consecutive wins at three, including the Irish Oaks, Flower Bowl Stakes, and Nassau Stakes.
Isabella does not have a yearling this year, but she foaled a King's Legacy filly in August and is in foal to Farnan.
