Group Double at The Championships for Trapeze Artist

Tara Madgwick - Saturday April 6

Australia’s leading second crop sire by earnings and winners, Trapeze Artist finished the first day of The Championships at Randwick with a Group race double courtesy of progressive three year-old colt Ducasse, winner of the Group III ATC Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) and talented three year-old filly Facile, who was tenacious in winning the $250,000 Group III ATC PJ Bell Stakes (1200m).

Facile wins the PJ Bell over fast finishing Infancy - image Steve Hart

Stakes-placed four times previously, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trained Facile was long overdue for a stakes win and after good efforts at her first two runs back from a spell was fit and ready to fire.

Facile bounded out of the gates to take the lead for Tyler Schiller and stayed there, resisting all challengers to win by a long neck taking her overall record to two wins and four seconds from 10 starts with prizemoney in excess of $460,000.

“I thought she gave a really good kick up the rise and I was surprised one got that close to her, but she was strong through the line,” said Tyler Schiller.

Facile was a $420,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Widden Stud.

Bred by the Vieira Group, Facile was a $420,000 purchase for Ryan and Alexiou Racing from the Widden Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and Gerald Ryan was always keen on the filly given he trained both her sire Trapeze Artist and her dam I Like It Easy for Bert Vieira and his family.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from that. I trained the mum and the father,” said Gerald Ryan.

“She has always promised a lot and was beaten by a couple of very good fillies in those races at two , then she had the setback of a bone chip.

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“I probably trained her too hard in the spring trying to make her run 1400m and then after her run second up she wasn’t 100% happy, so we decided to freshen her up and aim at this race, whack the blinkers on and see how we go!”

Facile runs in the Aquis colours and will be a valuable broodmare in the future as her first four dams are stakes-performers.

She is the first foal of the Vieira family homebred I Like It Easy, a Pierro daughter of stakes-winner Gai’s Choice from the family of stakes-winners Atmoshpherical, Peron and Group III winner Juan Diva.

I Like It Easy is married to Trapeze Artist and has produced four  fillies in a row by him and is back in foal to the champion son of Snitzel once again.

Trapeze Artist had a Group double at Randwick!

Facile is the third stakes-winner for Trapeze Artist joining Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas winner Griff and Ducasse.

Trapeze Artist has 10 entries for Inglis Easter.

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Race Result - China Horse Club P J Bell Stakes Gr3 1200m

Randwick Track: Heavy(8) Time: 1:11.24
1
Facile
- 3f Trapeze Artist (AUS) x I Like It Easy (AUS) (Pierro (AUS))
Tnr: G Ryan & S Alexiou Rdr: Tyler Schiller 54
Trapeze Artist
2
0.3
Infancy
- 3f Wandjina (AUS) x Childhood (USA) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: K A Lees Rdr: Dylan Gibbons 55
3
0.9
French Endeavour
- 3f Rubick (AUS) x French News (AUS) (Anabaa (USA))
Tnr: Matthew Smith Rdr: J R Collett 54
4
2.6
Commemorative
- 3f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Memorial (AUS) (Street Cry (IRE))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: Jamie Kah 54
5
3
August Bloom
- 3f More Than Ready (USA) x Peace Time (USA) (War Front (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: Tommy Berry 54
6
3.3
Kristilli
- 3f Hellbent (AUS) x Sognani (AUS) (Magic Albert (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: B Shinn 57
7
3.9
Miraval Rose
- 3f Grunt (NZ) x Gypsy Tucker (AUS) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: G M Begg Rdr: Jordan Childs 55
8
3.9
Unique Ambition
- 3f Tavistock (NZ) x Key To Success (NZ) (Thorn Park (AUS))
Tnr: J G Sargent Rdr: Rachel King 54
9
4.1
Cigar Flick
- 3f Churchill (IRE) x Palmateer (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: Damian Lane 54.5
10
4.9
Isthmus
- 3f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Shoals (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: A & S Freedman Rdr: L Currie 54
11
5.8
Pajanti
- 3f Pierro (AUS) x Crystal Flute (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: G Ryan & S Alexiou Rdr: Tim Clark 54
12
6.1
Countyourblessings
- 3f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Bidii Babe (AUS) (Not A Single Doubt (AUS))
Tnr: J A O'Shea Rdr: Zac Lloyd 54
13
10.3
Platinum Jubilee
- 3f Zoustar (AUS) x Miss Debutante (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: A Hyeronimus 56
14
21
West Of Dalby
- 3f Santos (AUS) x Chinchilla (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))
Tnr: Benjamin Smith Rdr: Regan Bayliss 55
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