The heavy Randwick track brought a few of the two-year-olds unstuck, but not the Dundeel colt Militarize who was in a race of his own over the final 200m of the $1,000,000 Group 1 ATC Inglis Sires' Produce Stakes.
Ridden by Joao Moreira for Chris Waller, Militarize skipped over the track to defeat the Extreme Choice colt Don Corleone by a widening three and a half lengths, with the lone filly and outsider Pier Pressure (Press Statement) one and a quarter length back in third.
The race was a triumph for the China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock and partners, who supplied the quinella, and for Chris Waller, who trained the first two legs of the 2yo Triple Crown after Shinzo claimed the Golden Slipper.
After impressing in midweek at Canterbury when on debut, Militarize finished third behind Cylinder and Red Resistance in the Group II Todman Stakes at Randwick. The son of Dundeel was never a factor in the Golden Slipper, trailing in nearly 19 lengths behind stablemate Shinzo.
Waller said the son of Dundeel had excuses in the Golden Slipper.
"He was lucky to stay on his feet. Thankfully all the horses came home safely, that's how we saw the race," Waller said.
"I wouldn't say we were confident (today), but we knew we had a lovely horse. He's done a great job, and it's an absolute honour.
"We’ve been going OK without them. But it’s always a talking point for people, and actually it probably makes us a little more accessible to the really fast two-year-olds because often owners would buy a portfolio of horses and they’ll say, ‘we’ll give Chris the ones that need a bit of time’. So it puts us on the back foot to start with, so maybe they’ll give us the fast ones now as well.
“Great to have Joao here. It’s been obvious to see the way the public perceives him, he’s a real rockstar.
“That’s what Australian racing needs on these big days, whether it’s Cup week or whether it’s Everest day, we’ve got to have all the stars, horses, jockeys, and it creates a great vibe.
“The weather has thrown a few question marks over some horses, but you’ve seen others excel, so we’ve got a very nice colt here, and he’s done a great job to win here today.
“He was a horse we considered just needed a little bit of time, and we haven’t put him under too much pressure to get anywhere.
“His early races have all been very encouraging, even when he got beaten here in the small field, I loved the way, the last 100m. He still got through the line and to me, showed that this was a nice race for him. The Golden Slipper was a step on that path.
“I’m not sure (if he starts in the Champagne). I’ll talk to Mr Teo, Henry Field and all their team. We’ll see what they’ve got to say.
A $550,000 purchase for China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/Trilogy Racing from the Bhima Stud draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Militarize is the second foal and first runner from the Dubawi mare Amerindia (GB).
Placed at Saint-Cloud and Chantilly, Amerindia (GB) has had several noticeable upgrades to her pedigree since Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock purchased her for 150,000gns on behalf of Jonathon Munz at the 2017 Tattersalls November Mares Sale.
A daughter of the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and dual Group II Prix Jean Romanet winner Satwa Queen (Muhtathir), Amerindia (GB) is a half-sister to the stakes-winner Important Time (Oasis Dream).
Important Time would produce the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby winner Nations Pride (Teofilo).
Amerindia (GB) is also a half-sister to the unraced Queen Of Carthage (Cape Cross), the dam of Yulong's Group 1 Phoenix Park Stakes winner Lucky Vega. The son of Lope de Vega also placed a further three times at the elite level, St James's Palace Stakes, Two Thousand Guineas, and Middle Park Stakes, before embarking on a dual hemisphere stud career.
Lindsay Park Racing/Lizzie Jelfs shelled out $160,000 for a Super Seth three-quarter brother to Militarize consigned by Bhima Stud to the Gold Coast in January.
After foaling a Snitzel colt last spring, Amerindia (GB) revisited Dundeel.
Militarize is the sixth Group 1 winner and 23rd stakes-winner for Arrowfield Stud’s Dundeel, who has an exciting 31 lots catalogued for the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale starting on Monday.
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