Jumping away the narrow second favourite off the back of his second place on debut, Tony Gollan’s Itchintogo (Sun City) will now head to the $3m Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast after winning the $200,000 Listed BRC Phelan Ready Stakes (1100m), becoming the first stakes winner for his sire.
With leading jockey Ryan Maloney in the saddle, Itchintogo went forward, but was unable to cross the Chris and Corey Munce trained Trama who had started one of the outsiders of the race, with the pair going stride for stride for most of the race.
When the home corner was reached, class and race fitness was evident as Maloney asked Itchintogo for an effort with the gelding responding, hitting the lead at the 300m mark.
Mark Du Plessis aboard the Stephen Kirfkwood trained Better Than Ready filly Magritte was starting to look half a chance as she was coming down the outside, but Itchintogo showed tremendous fight, pulling clear to win, giving Tony Gollan back to back wins in the race after Hi Barbie (I Am Invincible) last year.
Finishing third was the Michael Freedman trained Capitalist filly Elusive Capital who added a nice black type update to her Spirit Of Boom half-sister being offered through the Inglis Classic yearling sale draft of Murrulla Stud as Lot 695.
Taking his prizemoney haul to $139,400 off the back of his two runs, Itchintogo was a $60,000 purchase by Glenhuntly Lodge Pty Ltd from the draft of Lucas Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale.
The second winner, and first at black type level from six to the races out of the Nothing To Lose mare Itchintowin, the pedigree extends back to an existing Group 1 New Zealand family which includes today’s Group 1 Mufhasa Classic winner Provence (Savabeel) as well as fellow Group 1 winners Brutal and Wyndspelle.
Itchintogo is the first stakes winner for Zoustar’s Sun City, who interestingly finished second in the Phelan Ready Stakes during his juvenile season.
Sun City is standing at a fee of $8,800 (inc. GST) this season at Telemon Stud.
