The offspring of champion sire Frankel have made a huge impression here in Australia and he had a winner at Ballarat on Saturday that zoomed straight past short priced favourite Detonator Jack and certainly caught our eye on pedigree.
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, Green Fly was having his second start in Australia following his first up fifth at Flemington over 1400m on November 5 behind Detonator Jack.
He turned the tables on that foe when powering home under Ben Melham to win the 1400m Benchmark 84 event over 1400m by half a length.
Trained previously in France by Jean-Claud Rouget, Green Fly showed good talent early in his career being stakes-placed with two wins and three placings from eight starts and was sourced privately for Australia by OTI Racing in whose colours he now runs.
“We liked him when we bought him. He's very well-bred. He came from the south of France. Anthony and Sam have done remarkably good job to get this horse up so well and certainly to win over 1400 metres, which I thought was going to be short of his best,” said part-owner Terry Henderson of OTI Racing, who was unsure of the next move for Green Fly.
“I wouldn't be surprised if they tipped him out and got him ready for the autumn, but there is plenty of races left in the spring yet."
A 280,000 euro Arqana yearling purchase originally, Green Fly is the first winner for stakes-winning Pivotal mare Via Pisa, a half-sister to champion Japanese 2YO Colt Admire Mars (Jpn), who is currently serving his second season at Arrowfield Stud.
Green Fly is bred on the super successful Frankel x Pivotal nick that has produced seven stakes-winners, five of them Group I winners, from 27 starters so it runs at an impressive 26% stakes-winner to runner.
Frankel has already sired four Group winners in Australia this season – Francesco Guardi (IRE), Argentia, My Whisper and Soulcombe (GB) - and there will be no surprise if Green Fly adds to that list before August 1 next year.
