The $150,000 VRC Byerley Handicap (1800m) at Flemington has the added incentive of providing the winner with automatic entry into the Group I VRC Victoria Derby later in the year and this year’s winner Arcora will certainly be heading in that direction.
Trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, Arcora was sent out favourite having placed at three of his four previous starts including a third to highly regarded colt Buccleuch in the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final.
He finished with a well timed run under John Allan to score by a long neck and will head for a short winter break with over $135,000 in prizemoney.
The Busuttin Young stable have a great record for progressing promising young stayers towards the Derbies and Arcora will seek to follow a familiar path after breaking his maiden in a race run at a muddling tempo.
“That was about as close as we wanted him to be in the run, but obviously a two-year-old stepping up to that trip the first time, there's never going to be any tempo, but also knowing the horse, you can't really lead on him as he floats,” said stable representative Sam Griggs.
“I reckon he had more to give there, and he was holding them well enough on the line so it’s just terrific to get the result for a great group of owners including Brian Rutter and Max Whitby and their mates.
“I thought after his first-up run over 1,400 metres, I said to Trent and Natalie, ‘He's the Derby horse, he's just got so much improvement ahead of him and he’s done the job today.
“It's just nice to tick the box and it will do him the world of good to get his head down in front because he's been going close and he got the killer blow in today.”
Connections will now plot a course to the Victoria Derby with a myriad of options through September and October to step him out to 2000m and beyond.
A $225,000 Magic Millions purchase for Busuttin Racing from Coolmore, Arcora is a half-brother to Group III placed Foxy Cleopatra and is the second winner from unraced Fastnet Rock mare Casuarina Forest, a full sister to Group I winning sire Foxwedge, stakes-winner She’s a Fox and Group II placed Paulownia, the dam of this season’s Group III winner Lilac and boom Wootton Bassett (GB) 2YO filly Agarwood.
It’s become quite a prolific Black Type family with two more siblings to Casuarina Forest also producing Group II winner Bank Maur and stakes-winners Namesake and Untamed.
Coolmore sold a yearling colt by St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) from Casuarina Forest at Magic Millions this year for $170,000 and she was sent to Kentucky last year for a cover to Justify and will produce a full sibling to Arcora this spring.
Justify has two outstanding sons on the Coolmore roster this year in 2024 European Horse of the Year City of Troy (IRE) priced at $49,500 and his brilliant Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy priced at $16,500.
