The Group III MRC Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield on Saturday always looked a match race between spring stakes-winners Coleman and Eneeza with punters leaning towards the Pierata colt and they were proven correct.
Trained by Matt Laurie and ridden by Ben Melham, Coleman settled off the pace and pounced on the leader Counteroffensive with 100m to run and cruised right away to win by nearly three lengths in 56.71 seconds with Eneeza working home well for second.
Matt Laurie was thrilled with the progress Coleman has made since winning the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes in the spring and was expecting a big performance with the colt now elevated to favouritism for the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) later this month.
“Watching him walk around today, he was very cruisy, but you could just tell he was on the ball,” he said.
“That was a really good win – the Snowden horse had him chasing a bit, and there was a split second there where he sort of looked like he was going to come off the bridle.
“But when he picked it back up, he was super powerful on the line. He’s a very impressive colt and it’s an exciting few weeks ahead.”
Ben Melham has been aboard Coleman in both of his wins and believes he has what it takes to win the Blue Diaomnd.
“The question with him is not his ability, he’s got very good ability.” he said.
“He’s just a very competitive horse … in his trials, his first one was ok, the second one he warned to get going a little bit.
“He’s had a busy prep, he trialled two weeks in a row, and then here into a race today.
“Not a lot of two-year-olds would cope with that, but Matty’s managed him very well, and I like the fact he’s got three weeks into the Diamond from here.
“He’s a very good colt really, I think. Still putting it all together but he’s going to be scary when he does.”
Coleman was bred and sold by Rhys and Chloe Smith of Kulani Park and made $550,000 at Magic Millions when snapped up by Matt Laurie Racing/Justin Bahen. He is a half-brother to stakes-winner Liwa being the third winner from Sboog, a placed half-sister by Redoute’s Choice to Group II winner Rothesay and stakes-winner Sensei.
Bred by Emirates Park, Sboog is a grand-daughter of triple Group I winner Canny Lass so comes from the family of Golden Slipper winners Canny Lad and Sepoy and when offered at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by Emirates Park she sold for $1million.
She was a savvy purchase for Kulani Park, plucked out of the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $100,000 when in foal to Pierata with Coleman the result of the mating. Sboog has a yearling filly by Flying Artie, but had no foal last spring after missing to So You Think.
Sboog was one of 191 mares covered at Yulong last year by Pierata, who had two more stakes horses on Saturday in addition to Coleman. He sired Fearless to run second in the Group III ATC Canonbury Stakes and Wave Breaker to run third on debut in the Group III ATC Widden Stakes.
