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...
Sires With Winners - Thursday June 5
Here is the full list of 36 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
North Pacific 2YO Ready to Win
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200.
Kicked out of Australia - Jan Brueghel Wins G1 Coronation
The horse kicked out of Australia last spring as not having suitable scans to race in the Melbourne Cup, Jan Brueghel showed just what we missed out on seeing when taking out the Group I Betfred Coronation Cup (1m4f) at Epsom overnight.
Hellbent's Sunrays Shines With Consecutive Stakes Wins
Saturday’s opening race at Eagle Farm, the Listed $160,000 BRC Show A Heart Stakes (1500m) saw Kelly Schweida’s talented Hellbent filly Sunrays record her second black type victory.
Wootton Bassett 2YOs on the March
Wootton Bassett’s star Northern Hemisphere two year-old Albert Einstein has been ruled out of Royal Ascot with a sprained joint that will require a few weeks off, but the red hot sire added two more talented debut winning juvenile colts at The Curragh overnight.
Third Group 1 Victory For Zoustar’s Sensational Joliestar
Cambridge Stud's outstanding Zoustar mare Joliestar was simply sensational, charging late to win the $1m BRC Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm, her third Group 1 victory.
Capitalist Colt Records Back To Back Wins
Off the back of an explosive victory last time out at Hawkesbury when breaking his maiden by just shy of four lengths, Nathan Doyle’s Hidden Motive (Capitalist) justifiably jumped the short-priced favourite in the $160,000 Precise Air Handicap (1100m) at Randwick.
€1.85million Sale-Topping Frankel Filly Wins Epsom Oaks for Coolmore
The Group I Epsom Oaks (1m4f) had a raging hot favourite in undefeated Godolphin entry Desert Flower, but she came up short in her first try at the classic trip going down to finish third behind the Aidan O’Brien trained duo Minnie Hauk (Frankel and Whirl (Wootton Bassett).
Lucrative Pay Day For Adiella In Magic Millions National Classic
Coming off a last start second in the Group 3 Magic Millions Fillies & Mares Mile (1600m), the Improving 4yo The Mission mare Adiella recorded her sixth carer victory, adding the $500,000 Magic Millions National Classic to her record.
First Group Victory For $3.5m Earner Front Page
Having raced at Flemington, Rosehill and Ascot at his last three starts, the Matthew Dale trained Front Page travelled to his fourth different state in as many starts, winning the $300,000 G2 BRC Moreton Cup at Eagle Farm.