Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday Jan 27

Rosehill holds the primary interest on Saturday, with the Group III Widden Stakes for the fillies and the Group III Canonbury Stakes for colts and geldings, which features three $1million plus yearlings.

The $1,250,000 I Am Invincible colt Zambezi River, and the $1,000,000 Not A Single Doubt colt Flashing Steel demonstrated ability at their only starts.

Advertisement

However, the likely favourite is the unraced Chris Waller-trained Great Barrier Reef.

The son of I Am Invincible could not have been any more impressive in a 900m barrier trial at Canterbury last November.

He was not seen out again until a 902m trial at Rosehill on January 17, when he appeared to have plenty left to offer when sixth in a bunched finish behing the $1.2million Written Tycoon colt Pyrois.

Sporting the purple, white seams, striped sleeves colours of  Derrick Smith, Great Barrier Reef was a $1,400,000 purchase by Tom Magnier from the Kia Ora Stud draft at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

That made him the equal second most expensive of the nine $1million lots by I Am Invincible at the sale.

A half-brother to the talented L'Cosmo (Lonhro), Great Barrier Reef is the third foal of the top-class mare Classic Endeavour.

Great Barrier Reef a $1.4million Easter Yearling

Bred by Catherine Remond, Cosmic Endeavour was a $230,000 purchase for owners Don and Judy Kelly from the Willow Park Stud consignment at the 2012 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

The daughter of Northern Meteor won seven races and almost $1.5million for Gai Waterhouse, highlighted by triumphs in the Group 1 ATC Canterbury Stakes and Group 1 Tatt's QLD Tattersall's Tiara.

Cosmic Endeavour was the most accomplished Performer for the 3-time Listed Stakes winner Crevette, a sister to two-time Hong Kong Horse Of The Year Fairy King Prawn (Danehill) and Group 1 Salinger Stakes winner and Wattle Brae Stud stalwart, Easy Rocking (Barathea).

Crevette's dam Twiglet was honoured as the 2001 Australian Broodmare Of The Year and was also a top-class performer on the track.

The daughter of Twig Moss (FR) became the first Sydney stakes winner for Graham Begg when she defeated the champion Triscay, and Twiget's stablemate Whisked in the Listed Furious Stakes at Randwick.

Also, winner of the Group II VRC Edward Manifold Stakes and Listed AJC Reginald Allen Handicap, Twiglet was a daughter of the stakes-placed Extradite (Bletchingly), one of five broodmares bequeathed to Catherine Remond by her father, Stanley Wootton.

One of the others was Biscarina (Biscay), the dam of the champion sprinter Schillaci, an 8-time Group 1 winning son of Salieri (USA).

Cosmic Endeavour does not have a yearling this season, having missed to I Am Invincible in 2019.  

Cosmic Endeavour (image Mark Smith)

But she has a filly foal by Too Darn Hot (GB) and is back in foal to Godolphin's triple Group 1 winning son of Dubawi.

Two stallions have dominated the last five editions of the Canonbury Stakes, but neither have a runner this year. Exceed And Excel won with Zethus (2021), McLaren (2019), and Performer (2018). Redoute's Choice captured the race with Prague (2020) and Pariah (2017).

It looks a high-class renewal of the Widden Stakes. It will be exciting to see the return of Merson Cooper stakes winner Ebhaar (I Am Invincible) and the Merchant Navy filly Drisana, who covered herself in glory when a troubled second to the top-class Coolangatta in the Gimcrack Stakes last October.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
New French SW for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) added a new stakes-winner to his tally in France on Sunday when progressive three year-old filly Lameloise landed the Listed Prix Vulcain (2500m) at Saint Cloud.
Remembering Northerly – The Greatest Caulfield Cup Winner This Century
It's Caulfield Cup week, and what better moment to revisit the life and times of one of the greatest - if not the greatest - Caulfield Cup winner of the modern era.
Kiwi Bred Speedy Dragon Wins G3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse
With the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale just over a week away, a graduate delivered some well-timed publicity for the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds with his victory in Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1800m) at Sha Tin.
Karaka Graduate Hyperbolic a New SW for Proisir
Karaka 2023 graduate Hyperbolic (NZ) (Proisir) claimed the sixth and most significant win of her career in the A$200,000 Listed Evergreen Turf Ladies Day Cup (1500m) at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
Sires With Winners - Monday November 9
Here is the full list of 20 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Waikato Stud Celebrate Flemington Double
Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick had hoped to have two runners in Saturday’s Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, but a change of plans ultimately delivered a memorable double for the Matamata nursery.
Manzor Blue Heads to Sandown Cup
Palmerston North mare Manzor Blue claimed valuable Australian black type when runner-up in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday, and she will now try to go one better in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) later this month.
2027 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1881 entries for the 2027 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?