What a great weekend of racing, with three stakes races at Hobart on Friday and two on Sunday, sandwiching a Saturday of nonstop stakes action in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
The two-year-olds are out in force, focusing on the Group II Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies and the Group III Blue Diamond Prelude for colts and geldings on Group 1 CF Orr Stakes at Sandown-Hillside.
Not be outdone, Randwick hosts the $2,000,000 Inglis Millennium (RL) and a fascinating Pierro Plate, which does not carry black-type status but could play a part in the betting market for the Golden Slipper.
The Blue Diamond for colts and gelding pits the best from the west, Brave Halo (Brave Smash), against the Sydney gun Barber (Exceed And Excel). One, or both, will lose their perfect record, which may come from one of the two first starters.
The Peter Moody-trained Snitzel colt Amigo will be out to shave off some of the $975,000 shelled out by Tasman Bloodstock/TFI at the Magic Millions.
His dam, the Listed winner and Group 1 Australian Guineas winner, You're So Good (Savabeel), has been beaten to the punch by her younger sister Indrabeel, whose first foal, Madeira Sunrise (I Am Invincible) captured last weeks Listed Lonhro Plate.
Arrowfield will be watching on closely as it offers a full brother to Amigo at Easter.
The other first starter, Peerless Lad, came at a more modest $200,000, with Bennett Racing having the final say at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Peerless Lad is the first live foal of Snitzel's crack daughter Sprightly Lass, a winner of six and runner-up twice in an eight starts career, which included Group III and Listed stakes success.
With the main chances drawn wide in the Inglis Millennium, it might allow an outsider to surprise, and the $41 shot Hellish is worthy of consideration.
The Danny O'Brien-trained son of Hellbent has been far from disgraced in two starts. He debuted with a solid fourth behind Krakarib (Ribchester) in the Group III Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington on November 1. Ten weeks later, he chased home Veecee over 1100m at Flemington.
Hellish was fourth on debut in the Group III Maribyrnong Plate
A $230,000 purchase for his trainer from the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Hellish is vying to become the sixth winner from seven to race for the stakes-placed Charge Forward mare Andromache.
In 2008 the Stud Book released a list of the leading stakes-producing matriarchs.
Leading the way was Civic Pride, who at the time had 99 stakes-winning descendants with 23 Group 1 winners. That list would have expanded enormously in recent years, and the Andromache line has played its part.
Dividing her time between Australia and New Zealand, where she placed in the Listed Gore Guineas and Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes, Andromache is a daughter of the top-class Mythical Play (Defensive Play) honoured as the Champion 3YO Classic Filly in South Africa in 1999-2000. Her five wins included Group I Greyville South African Fillies Guineas and Group 1 Kenilworth Paddock Stakes.
A half-sister to the Listed AJC Dulcify Hcp winner and Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes second and Group 1 Victoria Derby third Falls The Shadow, Mythical Play is a daughter of a mare who claimed a few honours in her own right.
Kate's Myth (Kaoru Star) was crowned Champion 3YO filly in NZ in 1988-89 and joint Wrightson Filly of the Year. She numbered five stakes among her ten wins, although, frustratingly, a Group 1 eluded her. Kate's Myth was runner-up in the Group 1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas and Group 1 New Zealand Oaks.
A three-quarter sister to stakes-winner Brosberg and half to Speedy Kids, Kate's Myth is a great-great-granddaughter of Civic Pride's Flight Stakes-winning daughter Amneris (Nilo).
The dam of STC Canterbury Guineas winner Egyptian (Convamore) and AJC Keith Mackay Handicap winner Anemone (Duvidal), Amneris is a sister to Civic Pride's most successful racehorse Pride Of Egypt.
Trained by Ted Hush, Pride Of Egypt’s long list of accomplishments included the VRC Victoria Derby, STC Rosehill Guineas, Canterbury Guineas, AJC Champion Stakes, and both AJC and VRC St Legers.
Like her sister Chaperone, Civic Pride was a flyer. There was no secret about her ability when making her debut in the 1944 AJC Gimcrack Stakes. Sent off the 4/9 favourite, the daughter of Ajax hacked up by six lengths.
While she never reached the heights she promised early, Civic Pride finished second to a handy type in Bernborough in the Carrington Stakes.
Three years after winning the Gimcrack, Civic Pride was purchased by Segenhoe Stud owner Lionel Israel for 2,200gns.
She became a foundation for the famed Scone nursery. Her daughter Ptolemy proved an outstanding producer for Newhaven Park Stud, leaving the stakes-winner Foresight, Pharaonic, Silver Spade and Threat.
