Following last week’s postponement, it is take two for the Golden Slipper meeting at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
We are happy to stay with the Extreme Choice colt Stay Inside for the Slipper with an improving track.
The $700,000 Group 1 Bisley Workwear The Galaxy (1100m) shapes as an intriguing race where we favour Widden Stud’s Zoustar to add another of the nations top sprints to his record.
Three weeks back, the admirable Zoutori led home a memorable 1-2 for Zoustar in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.
It was a deserved win at the highest level for Zoutori, who has rarely raced outside the silk department.
The form book shows that the Galaxy aspirant Haut Brion Her makes her maiden Group 1 showing on Saturday. However, the 5yo daughter of Zoustar makes her return to the track 21 weeks after finishing a fighting second to the top-class sprinter Gytrash in the $1million Yes Yes Yes Stakes (1300m) on a heavy track at Rosehill.
That came a fortnight after Haut Brion Her made her connections proud when fifth behind the crème de la crème of sprinters in the $15million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.
Haut Brion Her descends from a family nurtured by Dave Chrystal’s Bellerive Stud in Scone.
Chrystal was a champion for the imported mares, one of the most successful of which was Churra (IRE), a daughter of The Phoenix.
Churra (IRE) has four named fillies. The first was the Rush (FR) filly Quick Wink. A 4-time winner in Sydney from 14 starts, Quick Wink produced the Gimcrack Stakes heroine Schemer (King Of Babylon).
The second foal of Churra (IRE) was I Like It (Pipe Of Peace), the dam of the STC Magic Night Quality winner As You Like It (Dignitas) and the AJC Keith Mackay Handicap winner Gay Rosalind.
As You Like It produced the Group 1 AJC Champagne Stakes winner I Like Diamonds (Baguette), while Gay Rosalind left Grahame Begg’s trailblazing dual Hong Kong International Bowl (now HK Mile) winner Monopolize (Rubiton).
The most successful of Churra’s foals on the track was the AJC Flight Stakes and Keith Mackay Handicap winner Candy Floss (Pipe Of Peace) proved largely disappointing at stud.
Haut Brion Her traces back through Quick Wink and her Gimcrack Stakes-winning daughter Schemer.
Schemer’s granddaughter Discriminate (Marauding) began a long line of stakes-performers leading up to Haut Brion Her.
Placed in the Group II STC Magic Night Stakes, Discriminate is the dam of the Listed Eskimo Prince Stakes winner Major (Zeditave) and the Listed VRC Waltzing Lily stakes winner Happen (Zeditave) who is the dam of One In a Million.
A daughter of Redoute’s Choice, One In A Million was second to Trezevant in the Group II Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick, was a length second to Lotteria in the Listed Show County Quality, was second again to Wild Queen in the Listed Angst Stakes and was third in both the Group III Research Stakes and the Listed Wenona Girl Stakes.
A homebred for Gerry Fischl’s Coral View Lodge Stud, One In A Million was consigned by Amarina Farm to the 2015 Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale when she was carrying Haut Brion Her.
Already the dam of the stakes-winners Shamillion (Shamardal) and Karacatis (Hussonet), One In A Million was purchased by Paul Willetts Bloodstock Consultancy for $170,000, on behalf of Gary Johnson, Steve Gardner and the Liston family’s Three Bridges Thoroughbreds where Haut Brion Her was born and raised.
The daughter of Zoustar was pencilled in to be sold at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. A fortunate late change of mind resulted in her breeders retaining the filly to race.
What an inspired decision it has proven to be. Haut Brion Her has been further back than second in just two of her 12 starts to date. She has won the Group II VRC Blazer Stakes and Group II ATC Sheraco Stakes while banking $1,452,300.
Sadly, One In A Million was destined not to have another foal before her death in January 2019.
Still, she has left a wonderful legacy. One of her daughters, the unraced Charge Forward mare Lady Millions, is the dam of the Michael Costa-trained Malahide (Shamus Award), a 4-time winner who was runner-up in the Listed Daybreak Lover Plate.
The strapping Haut Brion Her has all the attributes to make an excellent broodmare. A Group 1 on her resume would be the icing on the cake.
