Lope de Vega's Vegadaze Toughs It Out In Star Kingdom

Mark Smith - Saturday March 28

Toughened up by a recent run over 1500 metres in the Group II Ajax Stakes, the Anthony Cummings-trained Vegadaze dropped back to the 1200 metres of Saturday’s Group III Star Kingdom Stakes at Rosehill Gardens and emerged victorious.Tom Marquand gets down low on Vegadaze - image Steve Hart

With Tom Marquand finding his favourite lane in the straight, Vegadaze fought off the challenges of the Godolphin pair Manicure (Exceed And Excel) and Kementari (Lonhro).

With his first stakes win the 4yo son of Lope de Vega advances his record to 5 wins and 2 seconds from 11 starts with earnings of $419,850

“It’s nice to defeat two very nice horses prepared by (son) James,” Cummings said.

“It’s not easy to come back from 1500m to 1200m but on a testing track it’s the right time to try it and I do think this is closer to his right distance range, 1400 metres sees him right out.”

Advertisement

Vegadaze is the second foal and second winner out of the unraced Commands mare Rainy Daze who is a sister to the Listed STC Parramatta Cup winner Deltona and a three-quarter-sister to stakes-placed Jonka Tiki.Vegadaze _ Ton Marquand image Steve Hart

This is Don Storey’s famous ‘Rain” family of Been There, Rainbeam, Wicked Smile and Walk Alone.

 Rainy Daze was covered by American Pharoah (USA) last spring.

Vegadaze becomes the 67th stakes-winner for the former shuttler Lope De Vega (IRE).

Advertisment

Race Result - Star Kingdom Gr3 1200m

Rosehill Track: Soft(7) Time: 1:11.00
1
Vegadaze
- 4g Lope De Vega (IRE) x Rainy Daze (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: A J Cummings Rdr: T Marquand 54.5
2
0.2
Manicure
- 5m Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Trim (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: K Mc Evoy 54.5
Inglis December Online Sale $215,000
Seller: Godolphin
Buyer: Monarch Racing Syndications
3
0.6
Kementari
- 5g Lonhro (AUS) x Yavanna (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: J Bowman 60
4
3.9
Tactical Advantage
- 6g Bel Esprit (AUS) x Above Perfection (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: K A Lees Rdr: N Rawiller 58
5
5.2
God Of Thunder
- 4g More Than Ready (USA) x Jolie Bay (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: B Avdulla 54
6
5.4
Villami
- 3f Foxwedge (AUS) x Galapagos Girl (AUS) (Dehere (USA))
Tnr: G A Ryan Rdr: Tim Clark 54
7
6.1
River Bird
- 4m Epaulette (AUS) x Amber's Crown (AUS) (Excites (AUS))
Tnr: J C Coyle Rdr: Ms K O'Hara 53
8
6.2
Handle The Truth
- 4g Star Witness (AUS) x Assertively (AUS) (Bernardini (USA))
Tnr: K R Dryden Rdr: R Dolan 53.5
9
10.5
Brave Song
- 5g Your Song (AUS) x Brave Choice (AUS) (Dr Fong (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: J B Mc Donald 57
10
11.7
Fell Swoop
- 8g Not A Single Doubt (AUS) x Touched In Flight (AUS) (Fasliyev (USA))
Tnr: Matthew Dale Rdr: J Ford 57.5
11
14.7
Spanish Dream
- 5m Lope De Vega (IRE) x Daydream Express (AUS) (Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE))
Tnr: W P Cave Rdr: B Spriggs 54
12
17.9
Diplomatico
- 4h Snitzel (AUS) x Top Cuban (AUS) (Anabaa (USA))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: Tommy Berry 54
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 27
Here is the full list of 42 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sire Power Highlights Quality MM Horses in Training Catalogue
An incredible selection of the country's best proven and hottest young sires will feature at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses in Training Sale in October.
Spring Trial Watch – Everest Contenders on Show
The Rosehill trials on Thursday morning featured a couple of key Everest contenders with Private Harry winning easily over speedy 3YO North England, while Lady Shenandoah was under a tight grip to finish third in a later heat.
Up and Coming Well Named - So Who Are These Guys?
The $250,000 Group III ATC Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday is a race well named with a field of eight colts and geldings set to line up and while none are stakes-winners yet, one of them will be after the weekend.
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.
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.
Tara Talks Racing – Stallion Parades, Old Legends and a Weekend Tip
We’re back in podcast land as the spring unfolds with plenty to talk about following our recent run of visits to the stallion parades, so what stallions did we like?
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.
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.
Melbourne Cup Dreaming for Kiwi Stayer
Peter and Shaun McKay are dreaming of a Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) tilt with their quality stayer Wolfgang, and he will start his journey towards the iconic feature at Wanganui on Saturday.