With two year-old races in Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand this Saturday we can expect to see the progeny of seven first season sires in action, so who are they?
There is a buzz around Darley shuttler Blue Point (IRE), who has sired 39 first crop winners in Europe this year and arguably the most impressive colt to trial so far this spring has been the Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace trained Scampi, who has been installed favourite in the Group III ATC Breeders Plate (1000m).
He’s drawn gate seven and will be ridden by Jason Collett who partnered him in his ultra impressive barrier trial win.
A $750,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft for Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, Scampi was the second highest priced yearling by his sire and is a half-brother to fast stakes-winning juvenile Semillon from Sistonic, whose third dam is blue hen Scandinavia so it’s the Black Caviar, All Too Hard and Ole Kirk family.
Also with runners in the Breeders Plate are Newgate based Cosmic Force with Force Red and Pierata with Fearless, both colts prepared by Peter and Paul Snowden.
Fearless won his trial with a late rush, while Force Red finished third to Scampi.
Fearless was a $220,000 Inglis Classic purchase for James Harron Bloodstock from the Highgrove Stud draft and is from Matildare, a half-sister by Rothesay to the dam of champion sprinter Starspangledbanner with Group I winner Amicus also on the page. He is from the first crop of Group I winning sprinter Pierata, who switched from Aquis to Yulong this year.
The Group III ATC Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) features the progeny of two Newgate first season sires in Brutal and Tassort, who has two entries in Lady Tassort and Manaal.
The Paul Perry trained Brutal filly Totoka was second in her trial and has drawn gate one, while the Michael Freedman trained Manaal finished well for third in her trial and has also drawn favourably in three.
Lady Tassort was the fastest filly at the official two year-old trials and the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained youngster has Regan Bayliss on board, who also rode her in the trial.
A $40,000 Inglis Weanling Sale purchase from the Bell River Thoroughbreds draft, she fell short of her $60,000 reserve at Inglis Classic and runs for a syndicate headed by Redfox Racing. She is from the first crop of Newgate Farm’s Tassort, a fast juvenile for Godolphin by Brazen Beau that had just two race starts winning the Golden Gift on debut and finishing second in the Silver Slipper.
The juvenile race at Eagle Farm has a long list of emergency runners which include the youngsters by Dubious and Pierata, who may well not get a start in a race again dominated by the Mishani army of juveniles with seven runners carrying the Mishani prefix! Worth noting that they filled the trifecta in the Pat O’Shea Plate at Toowoomba last week!
The juvenile race at Riccarton in New Zealand features three runners by Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth and none went through a sale.
