In the space of just over 90 seconds on Saturday, Mighty Boss(Not a Single Doubt) made his $180,000 purchase price at the 2016 Premier Sale at Karaka look very, very small.
The flashy chestnut colt came of age in spectacular style in the A$2 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
The victory earned his connections A$1.2 million in prizemoney and greatly enhanced his value beyond that, with the Guineas renowned as a stallion-making race. Its winners in the last two decades include Redoute's Choice and Lonhro.
Despite being a grandson of an Oaks winner inLa Volta(Laranto), Mighty Boss went into Saturday's race with little in the way of exposed credentials for such a prestigious race. His five starts had yielded just one win and one placing in lower grades.
But he chose the perfect moment for his breakthrough performance, scything through along the inside of the track to edge outKementari(Lonhro), Group 1-winning fillyCatchy(Fastnet Rock) and the boom coltRoyal Symphony(Domesday).
Mighty Boss was bred by Cobra Bloodstock Ltd and was offered by Curraghmore at the 2016 Premier Sale, where he was bought by trainer and part-owner Mick Price. He shares ownership of the colt with Teeley Assets Ltd.
"I think we've run placings in this race over the years, but it is a Caulfield Guineas," Price said. "You do need luck in the race, and I thought it was a pretty strong race.
"Ever since he won his Sale maiden, we wanted to point him in, and point him in, and see if we could get him a run, and do our best and cross fingers."
| Vendor | Curraghmore |
| Purchaser | M G Price Racing & Breeding (Victoria) |
| Breeding | Not a Single Doubt – Bullion Mansion |
| Sale | Lot 210, 2016 Premier Sale, $180,000 |
Azamour fillyAloisia(NZ), who could have been bought for just $60,000 at the 2016 Select Sale at Karaka, took on some of Australia's finest fillies and won in Saturday's A$500,000 Group 1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
Ridden in midfield by Luke Nolen, she dashed through along the inside rail in the straight and outfinished Shoals (Fastnet Rock) and Alizee (Sepoy) to win by a length and a quarter.
"We came here expecting her to run well, but her aim has always been towards the Oaks," trainer Aaron Purcell said. "We'll keep pushing on."
Aloisia was bred by Matamata couple Jason and Kelly Price and the latter's brother Michael Hall. When she was passed in at the 2016 Select Sale, the filly's breeders retained her to race her themselves.
Trained by Jason Price, she had two New Zealand starts for a fifth and a fast-finishing second, in which she beat the subsequent Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas winnerHard Merchandize(NZ) (Burgundy).
Aloisia was then privately sold to an Australian syndicate headed by Terry Henderson's OTI Racing. She won on Australian debut at Flemington, then finished an unlucky second in the Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) in Brisbane. Her resuming run for this season was a luckless fifth over 1400 metres at Caulfield.
The Thousand Guineas heroine, who provided a first Group 1 win to her new trainer Purcell, has now had six starts for two wins, two placings and A$487,865 in prizemoney.
| Vendor | Brighthill Farm |
| Purchaser | |
| Breeding | Azamour – Queen Boudicca |
| Sale | Lot 490, 2016 Select Sale, Psd (Res $60,000) |
