With the Listed stakes-winner Ilovemyself waiting in the wings, trainer Greg Eurell took the wraps off another smart juvenile by Ilovethiscity in Ilovethegame who made a winning career debut over 1000 metres at Sandown-Hillside on Wednesday.
With Craig Newitt in the saddle, Ilovethegame was always travelling sweetly in the first pair. With ears pinned flat back he hit the front a long way out but found plenty under pressure to defeat the Statue Of Liberty (USA) gelding Ultimate Man by a length with the Smart Missile filly Standoff a nose back in third.
Part-owned by Neville Murdoch, who also races Ilovemyself, Ilovethegame was bred by Murdoch’s Larneuk Stud.
Eurell said the gelded son of Ilovethiscity would take plenty of benefit from his debut.
“That was a great effort, it was nice to get that one under his belt and he will certainly improve on what we saw today, he is just a naturally progressive sought of horse,” Eurell told racing.com.
“He did not have a lot of favours and had to do a lot of the donkey work so full credit to him.
“He’s a competitive trackworker and in his jump-outs he has bounced out and gone forward but it would have been nice to have something to chase up and do it a bit easier. You are always fearful that first-starters can get a bit lost and coming away from home it is a big day out for them but thankfully he id a professional horse and with that under his belt I think there is a bit more to come.
“We will probably press on with him and see what is available. We are in that awkward time whether to give him one more or give him a little breather and see if we can sneak one early. We will see how he pulls up.”
Ilovethegame is the second winner from three named foals out of the Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE) mare Yes Vaigly who is looking an inspired purchase by Larneuk Stud who shelled out just $1,000 to secure at the 2011 Inglis Australian Bloodstock Sale.
Though she could boast just two placings at Bathurst and Orange from her five starts, Yes Vaigly is a half-sister to the Group III winner Castle Pines (Marscay) and the Listed winner Son Of Adelaide (Bletchingly) and a three-quarter sister to Royal Millennium (Danehill) who was Group 1 placed in South Africa.
Yes Vaigly’s first foal is the hard-knocking mare O’ So Hazy (O’Lonhro) who was a grand money-spinner for Scott Spackman before being transferred to Eurell at the start of this season.
The winner of five races and over $300,000, O’ So Hazy finished third behind Victorem and Don't Give a Damn in the 2018 Country Championship at Randwick.
Though she hasn’t been the most reliable breeder, Yes Vaigly has a yearling colt by Wolf Cry and was covered by O’Lonhro last spring.
Ilovethiscity was transferred to Noor Elaine Farm in 2018 and covered 59 mares last spring at a fee of $5,500.
