There were seven Group I races contested in Australasia on Saturday and six of them were won by horses succeeding at the elite level for the first time so there was a lot to take in and we’ll also look at the $5million MVRC All Star Mile that featured a field of…. All stars!
The G1 $5million ATC Golden Slipper (1200m) for two year-olds was the showstopper at Rosehill and won by Shinzo, read about him here.
He is the 19th G1 winner for Arrowfield Stud’s champion sire Snitzel and his second Golden Slipper winner joining Estijaab and is the 17th G1 winner for champion sire More Than Ready (USA) as a broodmare sire.
His dual Group I winning dam Samaready, has only produced two live foals, the first is Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates (Snitzel) and the second is Shinzo, who was in utero when she was bought by Tom Magnier for $1.8million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in 2020.
Samaready was very much a sprinter and placed in the Golden Slipper, but her dam Samar was a half-sister to triple Group I winning stayer County Tyrone and given his laid back attitude it’s not hard to see Shinzo stretching to 1400m or possibly a mile as his three year-old career unfolds.
The Snitzel x More Than Ready cross has been a good one with 33 winners from 36 starters (91% winner to runner) and four stakes-winners with Shinzo the best.
The G1 $1million ATC George Ryder Stakes (1500m) provided Godolphin’s champion stallion Anamoe with a ninth G1 win, read about him here.
There’s nothing new to add about Anamoe, except he’s from a Group I winning dam as is Shinzo and Anamato is by Redoute’s Choice, who is locked in a titanic battle with Encosta de Lago to be champion broodmare sire by earnings.
In every year since the 2015/2016 season either Encosta de Lago or Redoute’s Choice has been champion broodmare sire and this season will be no different with the pair currently sitting in first and second with $23million and change in earnings.
The G1 $1million ATC The Galaxy (1100m) went the way of progressive mare Mariamia, who is going to be a valuable addition to the Newhaven Park broodmare band, read about her here.
Mariamia made it back to back wins in this race for sprinters by Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (IRE) with crowd pleasing Shelby Sixty Six successful last year. She is the fourth G1 winner for Toronado and is the 19th for Encosta de Lago as a broodmare sire.
Toronado has had seven winners from nine starters out of Encosta mares with Mariamia the first stakes-winner bred on the nick. She is interesting in that her mother had the pedigree to suggest speed, but Quinta Lago was in fact very slow and could not get hot in five starts.
For yearling buyers that shy away from the progeny of mares that are proven useless on the track, Mariamia is a good example of how a slow mare can still throw a very fast runner.
The G1 $1million ATC Ranvet Stakes (2000m) was won in commanding style by Dubai Honour (IRE), read about him here.
He’s the second G1 winner for Street Cry’s brilliant son Pride of Dubai, who has been struggling for numbers at Coolmore in his past two seasons following a career high book of 202 mares in 2020.
Pride of Dubai was a fast 2YO, but he does get quite a lot of offspring that can perform well up to a mile and even further if they have some stout blood on the female side of their family which Dubai Honour has being from a daughter of Arc winner Montjeu, a sire renowned for his stayers. He is the 14th G1 winner for Montjeu as a broodmare sire.
The G1 $1million ATC Rosehill Guineas (2000m) was won with a tenacious display of bravery by front running colt Lindermann, a homebred for Woppitt Bloodstock, read about him here.
Second in the G1 Randwick Guineas, Lindermann was posting his first Black Type win and became the 95th SW for Lonhro and his 13th G1 winner. He is also the first G1 winner among nine SW’s for Golden Slipper winner Stratum as a broodmare sire.
His dam Self Esteem was a pretty handy mare that was stakes-placed winning up to 1800m and was fourth in a G1 Vinery Stud Stakes at 2000m and her dam Sounds Assertive was a three-quarter sister-in-blood to a pair of outstanding gallopers trained by Gai Waterhouse back more than 20 years ago in Assertive Lad and Assertive Lass.
Those two horses were incredibly tough, brilliant performers that were effective up to 1600m and Assertive Lass, went on to have a lasting influence through her son Reset, who sired five G1 winners including Cox Plate winner Pinker Pinker and Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner.
When Pericles loomed up to eyeball Lindermann, I like to think the blood of all those ancestors with tough tenacious traits kicked in when it counted.
The G1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham delivered a second G1 winner in the space of a week for young Deep Impact sire Satono Aladdin (Jpn) with Pennyweka (NZ) taking the prize, read about her here.
Pennyweka is the fourth SW for Satono Aladdin and as we mentioned last week after Tokyo Tycoon won the G1 Sistema Stakes, this young sire is yet to have a stakes horse in Japan so his future may well be more permanent at Rich Hill Stud.
Pennyweka comes from a stout Kiwi female family and is the fourth G1 winner among 21 SW’s for Pentire as a broodmare sire.
Versatility in a young sire is an admirable quality and Satono Aladdin has shown it with a G1 winning juvenile in Tokyo Tycoon, two fast SW’s in Grand Impact and Sacred Satono and now a classic winning filly when mated to a stout mare. His four SW’s are from 34 runners in the Southern Hemisphere which is 11.7% SW to runner…. Proisir isn’t the only stallion doing good things at Rich Hill Stud this season.
The G1 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham was won by Romancing the Moon (NZ), who beat some blueblood fillies to win for Te Akau, read about her here.
Romancing the Moon is the second G1 winner for Westbury Stud’s Fastnet Rock son El Roca and is the first winner for G2 placed multiple Group winning mare Underthemoonlight, who is by El Hermano? … yes, I had to go look him up too. Turns out he’s an unraced full brother to Cox Plate winner El Segundo and from limited opportunity didn’t do a bad job in siring 48 winners from 105 starters with Underthemoonlight the best of them. Needless to say, Romancing the Moon is his first G1 winner as a broodmare sire!
The $5million MVRC All Star Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley was won by last year’s Doncaster Handicap winner Mr Brightside (NZ), read about him here.
Mr Brightside is the best of three SW’s for Bullbars and is his lone G1 winner and he is the best of six SW’s for Tavistock as a broodmare sire.
His sire Bullbars is a Godolphin blueblood that found his way to stud in New Zealand and is a sibling to G1 winners Helmet, Epaulette and Pericles, who missed narrowly in the Rosehill Guineas, while his dam descends from Cambridge Stud blue hen Taiona, so Mr Brightside lacks for nothing in terms of genetic quality.
