Saturday racing started well for Newgate Farm’s value sire Wandjina with his talented sprinter Express Pass, scoring a stylish victory at Caulfield, his second win in a row since being gelded.
The handsome bay has always shown above average talent in the Nick Ryan stable being stakes-placed twice from his first three starts, but indifferent form after that has seen him gelded, which appears to have been a winning move.
Express Pass overcame difficulties to win at Bendigo when resuming on July 29 and kept up the good work when finishing off with a rush to win the Benchmark 78 event over 1100m by the best part of a length.
“This horse has always shown promise and now that he’s been gelded has been able to string a couple wins together,” said Nick Ryan.
Express Pass was a modest $38,000 Inglis VOBIS Gold purchase for JJ Consultants / Nick Ryan Racing from the Blue Gum Farm draft and has the overall record of three wins and three placings from nine starts with prizemoney in excess of $125,000.
He is the best of three winners from well related More Than Ready (USA) mare Pass the Parcel, who comes from the family of Group I winners Kementari and Sterling City. She was covered again by Wandjina last spring.
Now with his mind on the job, Express Pass looks a future stakes-winner for Snitzel’s Group I winning son Wandjina, who stands at Newgate Farm at a fee of $11,000 this spring.
