It may well have been an off-season a 2-year old handicap over 1100 metres however it would be no surprise if Saturday's opener at Rosehill proved to be an exceptional form race.
The winner Splintex was coming off a win on the Kensington track at Randwick and he carried his topweight of 58 kgs under Rachel King to a thoroughly game short-head win over the filly Rotator, who had placed in the Group III Widden Stakes but was making her first start since finishing fourth behind the top-class Tenley in the Pierro Plate at Randwick on February 16.
Most punters threw their lot behind the third-placed Exceedance who looked something out of the box when he showed an electric turn of foot at his career debut at Wyong on May 16. His victim that day was Shielded a half-brother to Multaja who put up one of the runs of the day at Doomben on Saturday when winning the Helen Coughlan Stakes (1200m) by one and three-quarter lengths. (image Steve Hart )
Let's start with the winner Simplex, a member of the red-hot 2-year-old team trained by Mark Newnham.
Carrying the colours of his breeder's Geoff and Mary Grimish, Splintex is a son of the champion stallion Snitzel out of the accomplished O'Reilly mare Acquired.
A $170,000 purchase at the NZB NZ Premier Yearling Sale, Acquired won seven races and placed in the Group II BRC Dane Ripper Stakes.
She is a sister to the stakes-placed Procurement and a half-sister to the Group II STC Reisling Stakes winner Hip's Don't Lie who is the dam of Listed stakes-winner Lake Geneva who placed in the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Acquired is also a half-sister to the blazingly fast Azevedo who placed in the Group 1 VRC Lightning Stakes and to the dams of stakes-winners No More Tears and Weatherly.
The first foal to hit the track out of Acquired is the stakes-placed Sepoy filly Acqume who accompanied her stablemate Houtzen to England.
She failed to strike a blow at her English debut over 5-furlongs at York on May 25.
Spintex looks really progressive and he has a fan in Rachel King.
"He relaxed really well in front today," King said.
"His
turn of foot was electric when I gave him a squeeze and he found again when
they came at him."
Runner-up Rotator (pictured right as a yearling ) is a beautiful grey daughter of Not A Single Doubt and a stakes-win will come sooner than later for her.
She was consigned
by her breeder Kia Ora Stud to the 2018 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale where she
made $270,000 to the bid of Spicer Thoroughbreds.
She is a half-sister to Alkaashef (Stratum), who finished third in the Listed UCI Stakes at Flemington, out of the Listed ATC Aspirations Stakes winner Warpath (Reset).
Third-placed Exceedance is a strapping son of Exceed And Excel.
A $180,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Vinery Stud from the Newgate Farm draft, Exceedance (pictured left as a yearling) looks every inch a future topliner.
Like he did
on his debut at Wyong, Exceedance charged home, but he was a short-head and a
nose behind the first two.
While Splintex ran his last 600 metres in an exceptional 33.39 seconds, Exceedance clocked in at 32.21 seconds.
His rider Tommy Berry summed it best.
"It's scary how good this horse is," Berry told AAP.
"He's one of the nicest young horses I've ridden in my career.
"I can't speak highly enough of him.
"He quickened at the 400 (metres), again at the 300, 200, again at the 100. There is just no bottom to him. "
It will be a while before we see Exceedance again as co-trainer Michael Hawkes said he would now be spelled.
Exceedance is the first living foal of stakes-winning Thorn Park mare Bonnie Mac, a half-sister to Group III winners Upham and Intimate Moment as well as stakes-winner Gold Rum.
Bonnie Mac was consigned by Newgate to last week's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
She carried a 16th of November cover by Golden Slipper winner Capitalist and was knocked down to Allam Racing/Andrew Williams Bloodstock for $375,000.
