Things to know today
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Angel Capital won the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over 1400 metres at Caulfield on Saturday, the Chris Waller trained son of Harry Angel running 1:21.29 on a Good 3 and beating Sepals by three parts of a length, with Regal Award third. It was a first Group 1 for the five year old at his ninth attempt at the level, and lifted his earnings to $2,902,250 from six wins. Ben Melham rode him at 56 kilograms. Sepals, who won the race last year from barrier 16 for the Mornington trainer Cliff Brown, ran second from barrier five with Ethan Brown riding. The race began in 1951 as the Invitation Stakes, kept that name until 1974, and was renamed for the VATC chairman Sir Rupert Clarke after his death in 2005. It became a Group 1 in 1979, the year after Manikato won (Breednet). Turfling does not reproduce Racing Australia field content, so key runners only. |
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Aethelwulf made it four straight in the Group 3 Sharp Office Newcastle Gold Cup over 2300 metres on Friday, the Saxon Warrior gelding running 2:22.02 on a Good 4 and beating Steel Blaze by two and a half lengths with Bella Montagna third. It was his first attempt at black type. Matthew Smith bought him for $26,000 from the Gooree Park draft at the Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale, Zac Lloyd has ridden him through the winning run, and he is now five wins and a second from seven starts with just under $380,000 earned. Smith nominated the Group 3 Bart Cummings or the Group 2 Metropolitan next. “He’s still learning and I think there is plenty more to come when he gets the hang of it,” Smith said (Breednet) |
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Leica Lucy has been retired to stud after surgery to remove bone chips from a fetlock failed to bring her back. The Derryn mare won six of her seven races as a three year old for the New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson, among them the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks, then went to Chris Waller, ran fourth in the Group 1 Australian Oaks and was second to Pride Of Jenni in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes. Bred and raced by the Taranaki couple Peter and Heather Crofskey, who sold a share to Ozzie Kheir, she stays with the remaining shareholders as a broodmare. “If she hadn’t had the issue with her fetlock I believe she could have carried on and got a Group One in Australia,” Heather Crofskey said (LOVERACING.NZ, Breednet) |
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Cambridge Stud will sell 100 per cent of its yearlings at Karaka in 2027, the stud principals Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay committing the whole draft to New Zealand Bloodstock’s 101st National Yearling Sale, which runs from 24 to 28 January. The farm first sold at the National Yearling Sale at Trentham in 1978, under Sir Patrick Hogan and with Sir Tristram’s first crop on offer, and had the top lot this year, a colt by Sword Of State at $1.1 million. The managing director of New Zealand Bloodstock, Andrew Seabrook, said his team has been “busy inspecting almost 2,000 yearlings across the country” (Breednet) |
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Gore has been abandoned and Hello Hayley will not resume there. The track had passed a Saturday morning inspection, a horse galloping in front of representatives of the club and the Racing Integrity Board, the track manager and the regional track advisor, and the meeting notice said the track “presented as very heavy but safe” with “some rain predicted in an improving forecast.” Gore was rated Heavy 10 at 9.04am on Saturday, the rail out two metres, after 58 millimetres of rain in seven days. The Sunday notice then said that “after persistent overnight rain the Gore races have been abandoned due to a heavy/saturated track,” and that Timaru nominations remain open until 9am Monday. The Sophie Price trained daughter of Hello Youmzain won the Listed Southland Guineas and the Listed Dunedin Guineas last season and had been entered in the Advance Agriculture over 1100 metres, with the apprentice Cooper Stumbles claiming four kilograms to bring her to 50. The Group 3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes at Riccarton in November remains the target. “If she doesn’t race this week, she might go to Ashburton in a few weeks because there are just no other races for her,” Price said (LOVERACING.NZ, Breednet) |
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A full brother to City Of Troy will stand in Victoria. Unbelievable, by Justify and out of a Group 1 winning Galileo mare, was bred by the Coolmore partners and raced five times at two and three for Aidan O’Brien for two wins and three placings before he was sold to Hong Kong, where he ran fifth in the Hong Kong Derby and third in the Group 3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup until a tendon injury stopped him. He had two starts in Australia for Anthony and Sam Freedman before the injury returned. Neville Murdoch will stand him at Larneuk Stud at a private fee, his Hong Kong owner retaining full ownership and sending 20 mares (Breednet) |
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Christmas won the Great New Zealand Steeplechase over 6200 metres at Te Aroha on Sunday, the Paul Preusker trained 10 year old running 7:48.87 on a Heavy 8 with the rail true and beating Captains Run by a length and a quarter, with Smug three and a half lengths away third. Darryl Horner Jnr rode him at 65 kilograms for $115,000 of the $200,000 stake. Preusker bought the son of Palace Episode out of France several years ago and the gelding made his fences debut only this year, winning the Casterton Chase over 3800 metres and running fourth in the Grand National Steeplechase over 4500 metres at Ballarat last month. Horner had not ridden in New Zealand since he rode a double at Avondale as a 15 year old. “Words can’t describe how I am feeling at the moment,” Preusker said (LOVERACING.NZ) |
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