Jumps racing took centre stage at Sandown on Sunday with some familiar colours and faces winning both the $100,000 Australian Steeplechase (3900m) and the $100,000 Australian Hurdle (3900m).
Joe’Neill’s Prime Thoroughbreds win a lot of flat races all over the country, but one of their most successful graduates has been Kiwi bred Reliable Man (GB) gelding The Cunning Fox.
Trained by Patrick and Michelle Payne, The Cunning Fox ran out a two length winner of the Australian Hurdle taking his overall record to 11 wins and six placings from 36 starts banking over $700,000 in prizemoney
The Cunning Fox was purchased as a yearling for $34,000 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale from Valiant Stud.
He has won three of his past four starts and is flying over the jumps this year.
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher has some of the best racehorses in the country in his care and he also has champion jumper Stern Idol (IRE), who was back in winning form on Sunday after chasing home The Cunning Fox in recent starts in hurdle races.
Stepped up to the bigger jumps he welcomed the challenge to win by three quarters of a length and has now won 13 of 34 starts.
An eight year-old Irish bred gelding by Raven’s Pass that came to Australia in 2021 following some early racing in France that produced two wins and some pretty handy efforts in hurdle races, Stern Idol has soared to new heights in his new home.
Carrying the colours of his Australian owner and breeder Gerry Ryan, who races him in partnership with a bunch of close mates, Stern Idol is the best of three winners from Authorized mare Screen Icon (IRE), an unplaced full sister to imported stayer Signoff (IRE), who won multiple Group staying races in Australia for Gerry Ryan and partners.
Screen Icon is now also in Australia and arrived in foal to high class sire Night of Thunder with a colt from that mating now an unnamed three year-old.
She has fillies to follow by Too Darn Hot (GB) and Lucky Vega (IRE) and lost a foal born deceased last year.
