One of 13 stakes-winning two year-olds last year in the Northern Hemisphere for Wootton Bassett (GB), exciting colt Maranoa Charlie made a winning return in France overnight taking out the Group III Prix Djebel (1400m) at Deauville as a short priced favourite.
Mitch Cunningham of Ridgmont is still on a high after winning last Saturday’s $4million Group I ATC Doncaster Mile with Stefi Magnetica and his week just got better when a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Egyptian Missile sold for $1.2million at Inglis Easter to give the Hunter Valley nursery it’s first million dollar yearling.
The last time Tom Magnier put his name to a million-dollar Wootton Bassett colt it was this year’s Golden Slipper runner-up Wodeton and he went to $1.4milllion to buy a colt from Yarraman Park on Day Two at Easter on Monday.
The flat racing season has kicked off in Europe with three quality races for new season three year-olds at Leopardstown overnight producing a quinella for Wootton Bassett (GB), a blue-blood Kingman filly for Juddmonte and two of the three winners were trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partners.
Two strong juvenile maiden races at Randwick on Wednesday very nearly produced a winning double for Coolmore based shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB) with his colt Regulated Affair missing by a whisker on debut and then his talented filly Wootton Lass made amends with a stylish victory at her second start.
The $5million Group I ATC Golden Slipper used to have a massive bearing on the 2YO sires list by earnings and whoever sired the winner was a moral to take Champion 2YO Sire honours, but with a proliferation of $1million juvenile races that is no longer the case.
Current Runners Accepted
Thursday, April 17
Kilmore Race 4 - 1450m Maiden
Grinzinger Glory (ex: Gloryette) Tnr: A and S Freedman Rdr: Thomas Stockdale
Pakenham Race 1 - 1200m Maiden
The Better Husband (ex: The Good Wife) Tnr: T and N Busuttin and Young Rdr: Ethan Brown
Europe’s best ever sire of 2YOs!
Already a leading sire of 2YOs in Australia with only his first crop of racing age!