There were four Group I races in Australasia on Saturday, two in Australia and two in New Zealand with three of them won by horses having their first success at the elite level, so let’s take a look at the pedigrees, plus a couple of maidens that have won their way into the Golden Slipper.
The G1 VRC Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington was won by outstanding three year-old filly In Secret, who is now a two time G1 winner, read about this fabulous filly here.
She is one of 16 Australian stakes-winners this season for Yarrama Park’s champion sire I Am Invincible and to put this in context, no other stallion has more than eight (Australian) stakes-winners barring Snitzel, who has 13.
She is also bred on a magic nick - I Am Invincible over daughters of Choisir has a 100% success rate with 12 winners from 12 runners and In Secret is the first Group I winner and third stakes-winner joining Group I placed Group III winner Eckstein and stakes-winner I Am Eloquent.
The G1 ATC Coolmore Classic (1500m) was won by talented four year-old mare Espiona, who was a disappointing favourite last year on the heavy track, but gained redemption with this win, read about her here.
Espiona is the third G1 winner for Newgate Farm’s Extreme Choice and is the 22nd for champion New Zealand sire O’Reilly, whose daughters are doing an exceptional job. Extreme Choice’s sire Not a Single Doubt also had a G1 winner from an O’Reilly mare and that was top mare Shout the Bar, who won a couple of G1 races.
Espiona comes from a super successful female family with blue hen Escada her third dam and she is the second Coolmore Classic winner in the family joining Steps in Time (Danehill Dancer), who won in 2014. It’s fairly safe to say that whatever prizemoney Espiona finally retires with, her worth as a broodmare will be even more!
The G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2050m) at Pukekohe kept the winning run going for Proisir when Prowess scored over the older mares, read about her here.
Prowess is the fifth G1 winner for Proisir and all of them have been won this season, so he is the most successful sire of G1 winners in all of Australasia for the current season. From humble beginnings at Rich Hill Stud, he’s now running at 5% SW to runner which is heady stuff for a stallion starting off at a low base.
She is the second G1 winner among six stakes-winners for Zabeel’s Australian Derby winning son Don Eduardo as a broodmare sire.
The Group I Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Pukekohe was the first NZ G1 for juveniles this season and went to undefeated gelding Tokyo Tycoon, read about him here.
Tokyo Tycoon is the first G1 winner for Rich Hill Stud’s Japanese shuttler Satono Aladdin (Jpn), a top class sprinter miler up to 2000m, by Deep Impact, and is the third G1 winner as a broodmare sire for Australian Derby winner Starcraft, who became a globetrotting sensation winning G1 races at a mile in the UK and France.
Starcraft mares are proving valuable producing 16 stakes-winners in total which is not surprising given his impressive physical attributes and diverse pedigree featuring European class and tough NZ bloodlines. A big strong scopey horse with a great constitution, he’s also established as a sire of sires through his son Star Witness and his son Star Turn.
Tokyo Tycoon traces in tail female line to Lady Giselle, the dam of champion sire Zabeel, so is certainly not short of quality in terms of pedigree but as a gelding his future is on the track.
Satono Aladdin may find himself with a permanent home in New Zealand as he is yet to sire a stakes horse in Japan where his oldest progeny are now four year-olds, but has three stakes-winners and three more Group placed horses among his NZ progeny.
The Group II VRC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington was won by exciting colt Veight, who is now two for two, read about him here.
He’s the first winner and now the first stakes-winner for Yulong based Grunt, a dual G1 winning son of O’Reilly and is the 82nd stakes-winner for champion sire Fastnet Rock as a broodmare sire.
Grunt has both Storm Cat and Zabeel in his female family, two stallions that are great friends of Fastnet Rock, so the fact his first stakes-winner is bred this way makes plenty of sense.
The Group III ATC Magic Night Stakes (1200m) was won in spectacular fashion by Steel City, read about her here.
She’s the first stakes-winner for Fastnet Rock’s champion son Merchant Navy, who has been slow to get going for Coolmore with his oldest progeny three year-olds. Steel City is a half-sister to dual G1 winning sprinter September Run and is the 131st stakes-winner for Street Cry as a broodmare sire.
Since August 1 last year, Street Cry has sired the dams of 30 stakes-winners worldwide, three of them G1 winners – Rebel’s Romance in the US, Romantic Warrior in HK and Salute the Soldier in Dubai – and is likely to have two Golden Slipper runners with Steel City likely to join Cylinder (Exceed and Excel) in the field.
The Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) was won by blueblood Snitzel colt Shinzo in the Coolmore colours, read about him here.
A full brother to MM 2YO Classic winner Exhilrates from dual G1 winner Samaready, Shinzo picked a good race in which to break his maiden and is the 133rd stakes-winner for Arrowfield Stud’s champion sire Snitzel.
He is the 149th stakes-winner for champion sire More Than Ready as a broodmare sire and highlights a very successful nick.
Snitzel has had 32 winners from 35 starters from More Than Ready mares so that’s 91.4% winner to runner and four stakes-winners that include evergreen 8YO Scallopini, who won the G3 Shaftesbury Avenue Stakes at Flemington.
