Coolmore’s former champion racehorse and now leading sire So You Think is enjoying a benchmark season and posted his 40th lifetime stakes-winner at Sandown on Saturday when progressive gelding Regardsmaree captured the Listed MRC Ladbrokes Anniversary Vase (1400m).
A last start winner of the $250,000 MRC VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m) at the Caulfield seven days ago, the Nick Ryan trained five year-old was favourite for this Black Type assignment and proved too good for the top weight Buffalo River winning by half a length.
Regardsmaree has been a great money earner with the overall record of eight wins and seven placings from 27 starts with prizemoney topping $650,000, but this was his first stakes win.
“He has some great owners that we have had some luck with and it’s very rewarding to get a stakes win for them today,” said Nick Ryan.
“We love them on the back up and we wouldn’t have run him today unless we thought he was well. He was hard fit and we might have an exciting three weeks as we might keep him fresh and go to Adelaide for the Goodwood.”
The Group I SAJC Goodwood Handicap (1200m) is run on May 14.
“I think the Goodwood would be within his reach,” said winning rider Billy Egan.
“He’ll have a light weight and he appreciates coming off a good speed… he’ll be the one chiming in.”
A $70,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Hillside Thoroughbreds draft, Regardsmaree is the best of four winners from Rossa Mia, a half-sister by Testa Rossa to Group II winner Stokehouse and stakes-winner Malasun.
Rossa Mia has changed hands several times, most recently earlier this year in the 2022 Inglis Digital February (early) Online Sale when selling for $60,000 to Gippsland Bloodstock in foal to Star Witness.
Regardsmaree made it a stakes double on the day for So You Think, who also sired exciting three year-old Illation to win the Listed SAJC HC Nitschke Stakes. Read about him here.
Standing this spring at a fee of $93,500, So You Think has sired nine Australian stakes-winners this season and the winners of over $16.5 million in prizemoney putting him on top of the Australian General Sires List.
