The breeder of the top seller on Day 1 at Tattersalls on Monday and the winner of the $750,000 Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, then throw in the much-anticipated birth of the first foal of Winx, then it has been some week for John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds.
Consigned by Adrian and Philippa O'Brien's Hazelwood Bloodstock, the Fairway's bred Dubawi colt out of stakes-placed Voice Of Angels was a 1,500,000 guineas Godolphin purchase at Tattersalls.
Hazelwood Bloodstock and Dubawi also feature in the story of the First Lady Stakes winner In Italian.
Owned by Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown, In Italian led at every call under Joel Rosario to defeat stablemate Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) by a length with Princess Grace (Karakontie), a further three and a quarter length back in third.
In Italian has won five and placed in three of her eight starts with earnings of US$990,000.
“She’s (In Italian) developed – we got her out there on the lead, letting her do what she wants to do," Brown said..
"The only thing I was worried about was the layoff. She hadn’t run since the Diana.
"Mr. Brant and I got together, and I wanted to run her in between, but he wanted a fresh horse for the Breeders’ Cup, and that decision proved right. She overcame the layoff today and got a good prep she needed going forward.”
A 4yo daughter of Dubawi out of the Redoute's Choice mare Florentina, In Italian, scored her second win at the highest level following the $500,000 Group I Diana Stakes on the turf at Saratoga in July.
A 475,000 guinea Tattersalls October Yearling Sale purchase for Mike Ryan, In Italian is a half-sister to two Australian stakes-placed horses in Villa Carlotta and Fasano out of the Group III winning Redoute's Choice mare Florentina.
A half-sister to Group I winner Gathering from the Twyla branch of the famed Dancing Show family, Florentina was bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and retained to race.
She had four foals in Australia before being sent to the Northern Hemisphere, where she was covered by Dubawi, producing In Italian. She then had a Kingman colt born in the UK and sent back to Australia with his dam in 2019. She was back in foal to Kingman to Southern Hemisphere time.
The Kingman colt was sold at Magic Millions last year in the Segenhoe draft, with Tom Magnier having the final say at $1.8million. The 3yo colt has been named Spanish Empire is in training with Chris Waller but is yet to race.
Florentina was sold in 2020 at the Inglis Chairman's Sale for $650,000 to the Towell family's Jananth Pty Ltd. She produced a Kingman filly that failed to make her $550,000 reserve at Inglis Easter.
Named Fiorenza, she is in training with Mark Newnham and will carry the Towell family's pale green, purple diamonds silks.
Florentina missed in 2020 and 2021, but it was not for want of trying. She visited Pierro and Yes Yes Yes in 2020, and those two stallions and the addition of Capitalist last spring.
