Future Group 1 winners Gytrash and Nature Strip have won the last two editions of the Listed VRC AR Creswick Stakes and few would be surprised if the exciting three-year-old gelding Front Page makes his presence felt at the highest level after the son of Magnus treated a high-class field with contempt in Saturday’s feature at Flemington.
His time of 1:09.56 compared favourably to Nature Stip (2018) -1:10.05 and Gytrash (2019) - 1:11.40.
Making his first start in the big smoke and with apprentice Lewis German in the saddle, the Geoff Duryea-trained gelding made it a one-act affair over the final 100 metres to defeat the Zoffany (IRE) gelding Hi Stranger by two and and three-quarter lengths with the Fastnet Rock filly Merited a nose back in third.
It was a first stakes win for German.
“These opportunities don’t come around often for apprentices. I’ve had a bit of success with Geoff and some of the owners, Germain said.
“I went up to Wangaratta a couple of weeks ago to ride him for the first time and he blitzed them there so I was very positive coming here today.”
A full-brother to the highly talented, stakes-placed filly News Girl, Front Page advanced his record to 4 wins and a second from 6 starts with earnings of $126,075.
Representing his father Geoff, part-owner Paul Duryea said they had thrown the son of Magus in the deep end to see if he would measure up.
“We are really rapt, obviously coming from the country to the city we were not sure how he would handle it but he is a laid-back horse and another A-grade ride by Lewis,’ Duryea said.
“We didn’t want to lead but he just landed there and was rated well and he really let down.
“He is totally different (from News Girl). She is just, jump, run win where he doesn’t care about anything. You could drop a bomb under him and he wouldn’t move. He does just what you want him to do but he has the same ability.
“We knew he had ability, but he is a long way behind her mentally, so we just wanted those couple of extra runs in the country to let him switch on a bit. It was a big step up but we thought that if he raced up to what he was showing us we could run top three but to win like that is a big bonus.
“At this stage he will go to the paddock. We came down to see how he would handle it then maybe some spring plans but we will see how he pulls up.”
Front Page is a pure product of Sun Stud being by Magnus out of Stacey Lee a talented daughter of Bel Esprit.
Geoff Duryea purchased Stacey Lee for $20,000 out of the Baerami Thoroughbreds draft at the 2009 Inglis Australian Select Weanling Sale.
It proved to be money well spent as she won 5 of her 20 starts while banking $73,257.
Stacey Lee is a daughter of the Varick mare Curio Jade who placed in the Group 1 Queensland Classic and Listed Doomben Slipper.
Stacy Lee has a yearling filly by Dundeel and was covered by Rubick last spring.
Front Page becomes the 22nd stakes-winner for Sun Stud’s Magnus who also had another impressive winner at Morphettville with the Bob Richard trained gelding Star Hills.
Magnus will stand the forthcoming season at Sun Stud for a value fee of $15,400.
