Shamus Award is having a career best season with Rosemont Stud increasing his service fee to $88,000 for this spring and the Cox Plate winner delivered another new stakes-winner on Saturday when Kiss Sum took out the Group III BRC Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
Trained by Tracey Bartley, Kiss Sum won the inaugural $700,000 Four Pillars race at Rosehill last spring and has steadily worked his way into top form this year.
Runner-up at his previous three starts including an unlucky last start second in the Group III BRC Fred Best Classic to Vilana, Kiss Sum was ridden a confident race by Jason Collett and powered clear to score a dominant victory.
“He’s a really nice with a great turn of foot on him and he relaxes,” said Tracey Bartley.
“He was terribly unlucky his last two starts and if he had won them.. he could have been in the Stradbroke, but we’ve gotten something for the boys and we’ll have a drink tonight.”
Kiss Sum has the overall record of four wins and four seconds from 13 starts with prizemoney in excess of $700,000 and the $10million Golden Eagle was mentioned as a possible target in the spring.
“He’s a serious horse. He has bent legs, but he doesn’t know that!” said Bartley.
Retained to race by his breeders, Kiss Sum is the best of two winners from metropolitan winning Mossman mare Stolen Kisses, a grand-daughter of stakes-winner Palace News, whose descendants include Group I winner Serious Speed and Run Fox Run as well as multiple Group II winner Majestic Music.
He is the 19th stakes-winner for Shamus Award and is his sixth Australian stakes-winner this season joining Group I winners Incentivise, Duais and El Patroness as well as Group II winner Brutality.
