Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday February 22

Another champagne day of racing on Saturday with 13 stakes races highlighted by three Group 1’s at Caulfield, the Blue Diamond Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.

But as the autumn action hots up, no race excites me more than the Group II Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens.

Advertisement

The Hobartville features the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and Group 1 Victoria Derby hero Ace High (High Chaparral), Group 1 Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), the hugely impressive Group III Eskimo Prince Stakes winner and Group 1 Caulfield Guineas runner-up Kementari (Lonhro), the runaway Magic Millions 3yo Guineas winner Pierata (Pierro) and the undefeated D'argento (So You Think).


Throw in the Group 1 JJ Atkins winner Capital Gain (Ad Valorem), the high-class million-dollar colt Siege of Quebec (Fastnet Rock), the highly promising, Peter and Paul Snowden pair, Brave Song (Your Song) and Assimilate (Sebring) and the Group II Wakeful Stakes winner Luvaluva (Mastercraftsman) then this is a race that will have huge importance for future engagements.

One feature of the breeding that stands out is that Ace High, Kementari, and D'argento are out of mares by Redoute’s Choice.

After much soul-searching, we are going to stick with the Greg Hickman-trained Pierata. Perhaps it is an omen that he was bred by Hobartville Stud.

The son of Pierro has already banked $2 million for his connections with four wins a second and a third from eight starts.

Surprisingly, for a horse trained at Warwick Farm, Pierata has made six of his eight starts north of the New South Wales border.

Before his Gold Coast tour de force, Pierata cruised to victory in the Group III Vo Rogue Plate at Doomben.


A $160,000 Magic Millions purchase for Greg Hickman from the Kitchwin Hills draft, Pierata is a half-brother to Group III Skyline Stakes winner and Group 1 Golden Rose third Ashokan (More Than Ready).

He is the fourth winner from Flying Spur mare November Flight, who won the Group III Millie Fox Stakes and is a great-granddaughter of Century Miss who was ridden by apprentice Wayne Harris to victory in the 1979 Golden Slipper Stakes.

November Flight foaled a Rubick coly on October 3 and was bred back to Pierro last spring.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Magic Millions First Digital Sale - Opportunities Aplenty
Bidding is now open for the first Magic Millions Digital Sale with opportunities across all levels of the market for prospective buyers.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Breeding To Win – 2025 G1 MVRC Cox Plate
An emotional week in Australasian racing approaches its crescendo as we count down to the final Cox Plate before a radical new era in its history begins and we mourn the passing of one of its greatest champions.
Winning Return for Blueblood I Am Invincible Filly
Last seen finishing an unlucky fourth in the $1million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic in May, speedy I Am Invincible filly Sisstainable returned from a spell at Moonee Valley on Friday night to score a tenacious win.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
The Rosehill trials on Friday morning featured a couple of juvenile heats and both winners came out of the Widden Stud draft at Magic Millions with one topping the sale at $2.8million and the other selling for a modest $150,000.
NZB Breeze Up Footage Now Available to View Online
The highly anticipated Breeze Up videos for NZB’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale are now available to view online at nzb.co.nz.
Coolmore Favs get the Flemington Straight Experience in Jump Outs
Beiwacht, Beadman and Skyhook, three of the top four in the market for next month’s Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes had a jump out down the Flemington straight on Friday with Beadman quite the eye-catcher.
Good News Week for Geisel Park
Geisel Park’s black-type mare Laced Up Heels is in foal off a maiden cover to Champion Australian Sire Zoustar and an orphan foal has found a new mum.
Sires With Winners - Thursday October 23
Here is the full list of 26 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.