Victorian Sires Fire Up on Slipper Day

Media Release - Monday March 25

It was a truly ‘Super Saturday’ for the Victorian breeding industry, as several of the state’s prominent stallions stamped their class in some of the country’s biggest races.

Headlined by the feats of established stars Written Tycoon and Brazen Beau and aided and abetted by newcomer Grunt, who each sired a Group 1 winner, Saturday’s action across the country shone a very favourable light on Victorian stallions whose progeny continue to produce the goods on the racetrack. 

Veight is the first G1 winner for Grunt - image Steve Hart

Veight’s typically tenacious win in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill marked a coming of age for Grunt, who stands alongside Written Tycoon as a resident stallion at Yulong Farm. Veight, whose dam Neena Rock won two Stakes races for John Sargent, took his prizemoney earnings past the $2 million mark after holding off the late challenge of Lady Laguna (sired by Widden Victoria’s Overshare).
 
Whilst that sum is impressive, the colt is now potentially worth ten times that figure as a stallion prospect given his pedigree and precocity, which has been evident from his very first start – a six-length win at Pakenham over Apulia, a subsequent Stakes winner for Lindsay Park.
 

Having finished a narrow second behind Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon x Ready To Rule) in the Australian Guineas (1600m) – one of two Group 1 races won by Grunt in 2018 – Veight become the first 3YO for more than a decade to win the George Ryder for the training team of Tony and Calvin McEvoy.

"Grunt was an excellent racehorse himself, and it’s great to see him hitting his straps as a stallion,” said McEvoy Snr.
 
“This fellow has a great profile now, he was a debut winner by six lengths and won a Stakes race as a two year old, so he’s a very valuable prospect. People are starting to take notice of Grunt’s progeny, and we’ll certainly be looking out for his stock at future sales – if we can afford them that is!”

Written Tycoon filly Lady of Camelot wins the golden Slipper - image Steve Hart

Whilst Veight was Grunt’s first Group 1 winner, Written Tycoon now has no fewer than 15 to his name after Lady Of Camelot’s stirring victory in an action-packed Golden Slipper (1200m).
 
Gai Waterhouse trained Lady Of Camelot’s dam Miss Debutante to Stakes success in 2017 and, seven years later, she was celebrating an eighth Slipper win after Blake Shinn delivered a peach of a ride on the flying filly who finished second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m).
 
Lady Of Camelot’s triumph franked the Victorian form with Coleman – the speedy son of Yulong’s Pierata who started favourite for this year’s Blue Diamond – chasing her home in the Slipper. Similarly, Traffic Warden (Street Boss x Efficiently) backed up his effortless win in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington with a fighting fourth in the Slipper.

Street Boss stands at Darley Victoria and the farm were celebrating shortly afterwards when Zapateo (Brazen Beau x Jerezana) took out the Group 1 Galaxy (1100m) for Godolphin.

Zapateo is the first Australian G1 winner for Brazen Beau - image Steve Hart
 
Zapateo was named the 2022/23 Champion Victorian Bred Racehorse at the TBV Awards and, if anything, the mare has returned an even more polished and professional product this season.
 
Having finished third behind stablemate Kallos in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield and second behind Passive Aggressive in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) last time, Zapateo was rewarded for her consistency with a first Group 1 under Kerrin McEvoy.

Meanwhile, over at The Valley Victorian stallions were again showcasing the strength of the state’s breeding industry as Gumdrops (Written Tycoon x Sugar Bella) delivered a sweet success for Yulong’s elder statesman with victory in the Group 3 Don Casboult Classic (formerly the Typhoon Tracy).  
 
To round out a landmark day, the progeny of Swettenham Stud’s flagbearer Toronado ran the quinella in the final race on the program as ExtraTwo (trained by Ciaron Maher) and Papillon Club (Greg Eurell) fought out the finish.   

TBV Release

Advertisment
More Reading...
Wootton Bassett Winning Whirl
It was a red letter day for Wootton Bassett (GB) at The Curragh overnight with a treble of winners highlighted by top class filly Whirl, who captured the Group I Pretty Polly Stakes (1m2f), a race won by the mighty Via Sistina in 2023.
Red Right Out Wins MM Queensland Qualifier
The 2026 Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping will feature the third annual Queensland Off-The-Track Cup (QOTT) final on Sunday, 11 January 2026 at Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast. 
Aussie 2YO SW for Tivaci
New Zealand-bred colt Matahga stamped himself as an exciting spring three-year-old prospect with a hard-fought victory in the A$120,000 Listed David Peacock Oaklands Plate (1400m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Better Than Ready’s Metalart Wins Group 3 W J Healy Stakes
Improving off a third in the Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm recently, 4yo Better Than Ready gelding Metalart stepped up to 1200m to record his first black type success, winning the Group 3 W J Healy Stakes.
Tattersall’s Mile For The Inflictor - Under The Louvre’s Second SW
Third at Listed level before winning at Doomben, the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) then tackled the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, and while not in the same league as winner War Wachine (Harry Angel), the 4yo gelding showed his class on Saturday to win the Listed BRC Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
Sires With Winners - Saturday June 28
Here is the full list of 109 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Almanzor Stayer wins G3 Tattersalls Cup
It's been a long time since the  2022 Victoria Derby and some may have wondered whether the winner Manzoice was ever going to win again!
Corumbene Stud Homebred Tashi Wins G1 Tatts Tiara
From the last crop of foals sired by Widden Stud’s much missed Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring, five year-old mare Tashi may also be his final Group I winner as she produced a career best performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday to win the $700,000 Group I Tatts Tiara (1400m).
Another Aussie SW Sourced from Aga Khan Studs
When Australian investors buy tried horses out of Europe from Aga Khan Studs they know they are getting quality, but the good ones don’t come cheap with Elamaz (IRE) sourced from their draft at the Arqana Arc Sale last year for €480,000.
Unbeaten So You Think 3YO WA's New Excitement Machine
One month to the day since he first set foot on a racecourse, So You Think’s three year old son  Opportunistic remains undefeated from three starts, is a dual stakes winner with earnings of $200,250 to his name, and is WA's new rising star of the turf.