The royally bred Shalaa (IRE) colt Semillion kick-started day one of The Championships at Randwick with a tremendously brave performance in the Widden Kindergarten Stakes (1100m).
With Willie Pike in the saddle for Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes, Semillion took up the early running, although a fired up first starter Asteria made sure he wasn’t gifted an uncontested lead.
Allowed to drift out to the centre of the track in the straight, Semillion looked beaten several times but kept rallying. He was going as well as anything on the line in defeating the Not a Single Doubt colt Voldemort by a short-neck with the Exosphere colt Spacewalk the same distance back in third.
Carrying the colours of Neil Werrett with a number of the Black Caviar connection involved, Semillion made a winning career debut in the $400,000 Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley before separating Lofty Strike and Daumier in the Group III Blue Diamond Prelude.
At his most recent start, the son of Shalaa (IRE) finished less than two lengths from Daumier when fifth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Michael Hawkes said Semillion displayed great courage.
“Willie got him into a nice rhythm. The other horse on the outside just probably annoyed him a little bit, but to Willie’s credit he just let him handle it strong. The part I loved he just dug deep when those horses came at him again,” Hawkes said.
“His first-up run in Melbourne when he won on Cox Plate day was outstanding, and to be fair, had he drawn a barrier in the Blue Diamond, we probably thought he could have won.
“To come up here and frank the form from Melbourne. He’s just a beautiful colt, a great ownership group; we love making colts and have made another one.
“He’s still learning and he’s going to be a better horse next preparation; he’s going to be bigger and more mature and stronger. “We were really worried about the heavy track, but he’s got through that well and that’s all that matters”
Bred by Dorrington Farm’s Robert Crabtree, Semillion was purchased by International Thoroughbred Solutions (FBAA) for $300,000 out of the Blue Gum Farm draft at the 2021 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
He is the best of two winners from as many to race out of the Bel Esprit mare Sistonic, a sister to stakes-winner Iconic and a three-quarter sister to the immortal Black Caviar and to the dam of Caulfield Guineas and Golden Rose winner Ole Kirk. (learm more about the breeding of Semillion here)
After missing in 2019, Sistonic foaled a Blue Point (IRE) last August and was covered by Capitalist.
Arrowfield Stud’s Shalaa (IRE) has three lots on offer at the Easter Yearling Sale.
