Yulong Stud’s Champion Australian Stallion, Written Tycoon, flexes his muscles in Saturday’s $1,000,000 VOBIS Sires The Showdown (1200m) at Sandown-Lakeside with four of the twelve acceptors.
In what shapes as another memorable day for China Horse Club, Newgate Farm and partners, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Critique looks a favourites chance to claim the $550,000 winner’s cheque.
It has been some season for juveniles sporting the red and yellow silks. In Sydney, Militarize is a short-priced favourite to add the $600,000 Group 1 Champagne Stakes to his ATC Inglis ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes triumph.
It will be a sea of red and yellow as the son of Dundeel has an army of able backups with Don Corleone (Extreme Choice), Bases Loaded (Deep Field), Make A Call (Extreme Choice) and Tannhauser (Dundeel), having their supporters.
Don Corleone has danced every dance this season, finishing second in the Blue Diamond, fourth in the Golden Slipper and second in the Sires. Few would begrudge him a win.
Like Critique and ATC Breeder’s Plate winner Empire Of Japan, all five were yearling sale purchases.
There are many familiar names in the ownership of Critique; Aston Bloodstock, Nick Vass Bloodstock, China Horse Club Racing Pty Ltd, Starlight Racing, Trilogy, Yu Long Investments, Grant Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Newgate S F, Go Bloodstock Australia Horse Ventures, Aristia Park Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Carpe Diem, Newgate Bloodstock, G1g Colts & Breeding Pty Ltd.
Bred by Sir Own Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, Critique cost $775,000 from the Newgate Farm draft at the 2022 Magic Millions.
The striking son of Written Tycoon debuted with a fifth behind subsequent Listed Kindergarten Stakes winner Libertad at Randwick, then put the field to the sword over 1100m at Ballarat on April 5. He defeated the Snitzel debutant Zondee by three lengths with the Exceed And Excel colt Ferghana, a brother to blue hen Essaouira, two and a quarter length back in third.
Critique is the second winner for the stakes-placed Snitzel mare Slumber Party.
Carrying a 4s x 4d duplication of Snippets’ dam Easy Date, Slumber Party was runner-up in the Group III BJ McLachlan Stakes and third in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes.
The daughter of Snitzel was an $800,000 purchase for Paul Moroney Bloodstock/Sir Owen Glenn at the 2017 National Broodmare Sale, having sold for $620,000 to Gai Waterhouse Racing/Jon Kelly (USA) at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
A granddaughter of Not A Single Doubt’s Group II-placed half-sister Hanky Panky (Anabaa), Slumber Party has a weanling filly by Zoustar and was covered by Home Affairs last spring.
