Comin' Through? He did - Pure Elation? You betcha!.
Courtesy Greg Tobin for Aushorse - Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock has raced quite a few Group One winners over the years – Criterion, Monaco Consul, Railings, Headturner, Russian Revolution and Second Coming among them – but Saturday at Royal Randwick will live on in the memory for quite some time.
According to Glenn's Racing Manager, Geoff Roan, it was Go Bloodstock's first Group Two double after, firstly, Comin' Through, captured the Tramway Stakes before Pure Elation got home in a Darley Furious Stakes thriller.
"It was a pretty remarkable afternoon given that Sir Owen only has half a dozen in work," Roach points out. "We've got quite a few 2YOs on the way up, but it was great to see Comin' Through and Pure Elation return in such great fashion."
The Chris Waller trained, Comin' Through, has been off the scene since May when taking out the Group One Doomben Cup over 2000m but clearly was not lacking match fitness as he hit the line strongly to overcome perennial bridesmaid, Tom Melbourne, by a head.
The Tramway was win #7 for Comin' Through who has also annexed the Group Two Ajax Stakes, Group Three VRC Carbine Club and Group Two ATC Bill Ritchie, along with a second behind Happy Clapper in this year's Group One Doncaster Handicap and third in the Group One Randwick Guineas. All up, Comin' Through has raced on 18 occasions for $1,786,521 in prizemoney.
Adding to the heady mix, Glenn also bred Comin' Through: one of nine winners (from 10 to race) out of the Sydney Group winning Bite The Bullet mare, Mica's Pride.
While Mica's Pride had previously produced stakes winners Varenna Miss and Silently, Glenn purchased the mare for $300,000 at the 2009 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale and she has gone on to foal down 4-time Group One winner, Criterion, and current star, Comin' Through.
"Go Bloodstock also races Comin' Through's full brother, Sir Owen, who has only had the one start, finishing a good third at Warwick Farm in May, while Mica's Pride's Sebring full sister to Criterion, is only a yearling but will be retained to race," Roan explains. "She (Mica's Pride) missed last year but will be sent to Russian Revolution this spring.
"Sir Owen would be the first to admit he's had a bit of luck along the way … he bought into Russian Revolution shortly after he won the (Group Two) Roman Consul and then the horse came out and captured two Group Ones (Galaxy and Oakleigh Plate) before heading off to (Newgate) stud earlier this year."
Although jockey, Michael Walker, suggested Comin' Through could be suited to a race like the Japan Cup (2400m on 25 November), Waller was thinking closer to home: "I reckon a race like the (Group One) Underwood Stakes (1800m at Caulfield on 30 September) will suit him and, while he'd be handicapped out of the Epsom, his next start could be the (Group One) Makybe Diva (over 1600m at Flemington on 15 September)."
(Comin' Through was also the first leg of a Group Two double for Coolmore Australia's Champion Sire, Fastnet Rock (139 stakes winners) with another of his Group One winners, Unforgotten, snaring the Chelmsford Stakes later in the day).
Meanwhile, Pure Elation's triumphant return in the Darley Furious Stakes over 1200m was, if anything, even more satisfying than Comin' Through's victory.
The I Am Invincible 3YO filly got up in an absolute nail biter to record her second black type success, having last been sighted winning the Group Two Percy Sykes Stakes over the same course and distance in April.
Prior to that, the Peter and Paul Snowden trained, Pure Elation, had finished a neck second to subsequent Golden Slipper winner, Estijaab, in the Group Two Reisling Stakes, while the Furious Stakes brings her career tally to three wins and a second from only six starts, for $667,220 in stakes.
Shortly after the Percy Sykes, Pure Elation suffered a bleeding attack, invoking a mandatory three month ban from racing.
"It (the bleeding attack) does make you nervous," Paul Snowden explains. "Every time they gallop you wonder and it's just a case of keeping her happy and healthy. Often it only happens once.
"She's a filly that is only going to improve though and knowing that she's still got plenty in the tank with a long spring ahead is terrific."
Pure Elation is now likely to head to the third leg of the Darley Princess Series: the Group Two Tea Rose Stakes over 1400m at Royal Randwick on 15 September.
Adding emphasis to her sky rocketing residual as a broodmare, Pure Elation is the first foal of Flemington stakes winner, Members Joy, in turn the daughter of Group winner, Rosa's Spur, in turn the daughter of Group winning 2YO, Rosa's Joy.
Bred in Victoria and offered by Swettenham Stud at the 2017 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Pure Elation was knocked down to Paul Moroney Bloodstock for $320,000.
"She was the only yearling we purchased in Melbourne last year," Roan adds. "Sir Owen has raced a lot of very good stayers like Monaco Consul, Second Coming and Railings and was keen to start purchasing some likely 2YO runners, so he asked Paul to keep his eye out for a really precocious type.
"Paul has purchased horses on Sir Owen's behalf for a long time and he came back to us and said that (Pure Elation) was the fastest looking horse in the sale.
"Ironically, we were always going to give the filly to the Snowdens because they are rightfully regarded as among the best trainers of 2YOs in Australia, but unbeknownst to us, Peter and Paul had really liked the filly too and had independently bid up to $250,000 on her when she was in the ring!
"Worked out pretty well all round."
