Three Proven Winners at Eagle Farm

Mark Smith - Sunday September 8

At Eagle Farm on Saturday trainer Steven O'Dea and syndicator Proven Thoroughbreds achieved the rare feat of having three winners on the card and came within three-quarters of a length of a four-timer.

All four of these runners have been extraordinary consistent but we will set aside the runner-up Cool Sequence (Sequalo), a $36,000 purchase that has banked $211,375 from a record of 6 wins and 15 places from 31 starts and look at the record of the three winners.

None of the three has won a stakes race but what joy they must be providing for their legion of owners.

Reckless Choice 5g Choisir x Alacer (More Than Ready (USA)).

Record: 20 starts, 6 - 3 - 6 $242,845.

Purchased at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Book 2 by Proven Thoroughbreds/Steve O'Dea $120,000 from the Willow Park Stud draft.

The worst finish in 20 starts by Reckless Choice was when he was taken to Randwick where he clocked in sixth beaten just one and a half lengths.

The son of Choisir is the first foal and only runner to date out of the unraced More Than Ready (USA) mare Alacer whose second foal, a colt by Medaglia d'Oro sold for $350,000 at Easter 2017.

Alacer is a half-sister to the stakes-winning Anabaa filly Pravana out of the Group II winning Zabeel mare Pravda who was runner-up in the Group 1 NZ Oaks.

Pravda is a sister to the Group 1 Adelaide Cup winner and Group 1 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Cronus as well as the unraced Milliyet the dam of the triple Group 1 winning champion mare Samantha Miss.

It may have taken Reckless Choice nine starts to break his maiden but his owners have had pleasant drives home from Eagle Farm (x2), the Sunshine Coast (x2), Doomben and Ipswich.

Scallopini 5g Snitzel x Rose Of Mulan (More Than Ready (USA))

Record 15 starts, 7 - 2 - 3 $250,225

Purchased at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Book 2 by Proven Thoroughbreds/Steve O'Dea for $200,000 out of the Yarraman Park Stud draft.

Advertisement

Purchased a short while before Reckless Choice went through the ring, Scallopini had his first start in November 2016 when fourth at the Sunshine Coast but it was over a year before he made his next start.

The wait proved worth while as he won his next two starts at the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

The son of Snitzel has been in rare form of late. His last five starts has seen him win three times at Eagle Farm and a victory at Doomben and was edged out of another win at Eagle Farm.

Bred by Steve Gillard, Scallopini, like Reckless Choice, is the first foal of an unraced More Than Ready (USA) mare.

This time it was Rose Of Mulan a daughter of that crack racemare Lady Mulan (Bigstone) who won the Group II Light Fingers Stakes and placed in the Group 1 QTC TJ Smith Classic, Group 1 Coolmore Classic and Group 1 Flight Stakes.

Proven Thoroughbred's Jamie Walter and trainer Steve O'Dea must be patting themselves on the back for securing a Rubick filly out of Rose Of Milan for just $35,000 at the Gold Coast in January.

Sienna Rose4m More Than Ready (USA) x Maroon Bay (Exceed And Excel)

Record 18 starts, 5 - 4 - 3 $150,83

Purchased at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Proven Thoroughbreds/Steve O'Dea Racing for $100,000 out of the Aquis Farm draft.

The newly turned 4yo mare Sienna Rose is the baby of the team but she shares the same record of consistency finishing in the first three in 10 of her past 11 starts.

That includes her last two wins at Eagle Farm.

Whatever Sienna Rose wins on the track she is going to be worth multiples of that as a broodmare as she is from one of the hottest families in the Stud Book, which has exploded since her purchase.

She is the first foal of a very talented, Sydney winning daughter of Exceed And Excel named Maroon Bay whose second foal is the very exciting Shooting To Win colt Shotmaker.

Maroon Bay is herself a half-sister to the Group 1 Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Group 1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes hero Merchant Navy, who is now an incredibly popular stallion at Coolmore, and to the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes winner Jolie Bay who is the dam of the promising God Of Thunder (More Than Ready) who recently added a second win at Rosehill to his win at Warwick Farm.

This is the family of Bonaria, Time Out, Legally Bay, Tessera and Montsegur, which seemingly throws up a black-type winner weekly.
Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Friday August 29
Here is the full list of 38 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Damask Rose Looking to Kickstart Te Akau Melbourne Spring
Te Akau Racing are building a strong record in the Gr.3 Cockram Stakes (1200m), and they will look to continue that at Caulfield on Saturday when Damask Rose takes her place in this year’s edition.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 28
Here is the full list of 33 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Gosford
He’s big and beautiful and it looks like the patient approach might be about to pay off for this talented I Am Invincible four year-old who won on debut at Gosford on Friday.
G1 Plan for Kiwi Sprinter Niance
Six-year-old mare Niance will kick off a new campaign when she lines up in the Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on Saturday week.
Promising Winner and a Star on the Rise
One of the bargain priced sires on the Newgate Farm roster, Cosmic Force has never lacked for company covering 100 plus books of mares in each of his five seasons at stud so far totalling nearly 700 mares.
Stars on Show at Caulfield Spring Opener
The 2025 Victorian Spring Racing Carnival officially bursts out of the gates this Saturday with the Stow Storage Caulfield Spring Opener, headlined by the first Group 1 of the season, the $750,000 Stow Storage Memsie Stakes.
Via Sistina Honoured at NSW Horse of the Year
One of the greatest seasons of all time has secured Via Sistina the TAB NSW Champion Horse of the Year award. The Chris Waller-trained mare was recognised at Racing’s Night of Champions for her outstanding performance in 2024/2025 which included equalling Winx’s record of seven Group 1s in a single season.
Sir Stanley Goosman’s Impact on the National Yearling Sale
Karaka 2026 will mark the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, and a prominent buyer during the history of the Sale was Stanley Goosman (later Sir Stanley).  He was a key player at the Sale during the World War II era, and headed the list of winning owners in New Zealand on 10 occasions.
Breeding to Win - 2025 G1 Memsie Stakes
The big guns step out and spring is on in earnest when the Memsie (1400m WFA) rolls around and what a cracking field we have in 2025 for the first G1 of the Southern spring with 11 runners and 10 are G1 winners!