After the Rubick gelding Undivided defeated Capitalist’s Encap in the colts and gelding division, it was time for the Rubick’s French Endeavour to lower the boom on Capitalist’s Love And Light in the 2yo fillies division at Warwick Farm.
Ridden by Dylan Gibbons for Matthew Smith, French Endeavour gradually wore down Love And Light to win by three-quarters of a length with one and a quarter lengths back to the All Too Hard filly Stefi Magnetica in third.
It was the second start for French Endeavour, who finished second on debut to the future Group 1 Champagne Stakes runner-up Bases Loaded (Deep Field) over 1100m on the Kensington track at Randwick on February 3.
“She’s a little ripper,” Gibbons said. We copped a bit of a bump coming out of the gates, and I was worried about getting too far back, but when I got into the one-one, I was very confident.
“Gai’s (Waterhouse) are very hard catch, but my filly dug deep, and it was a dominant win in the end.
“She is still a bit hairy and not fully furnished, but what she has done early in her career is exciting, with a lot of improvement to come.”
A homebred for Grahame Mapp’s Hobartville Stud, French Endeavour is the third winner from five to race for the Anabaa (USA) mare French News, which is a half-sister to Breaking News (Brief Truce), whose five stakes wins were highlighted by the Group III WJ Healy Stakes.
This is a famous Hobartville family descending from Light Of Peace (Light Wind), the dam of Golden Slipper winner Star Watch, Listed winner Apollo’s Flame and Group II Theo Marks stakes runner-up Clear Apollo, the dam of Breaking News.
French News was covered by Sheer Talent last spring.
With his Warwick Farm double, Swettenham Stud’s Rubick advances his 2yo winners of the season to eight.
