An Arrowfield stud bred two year-old was expected to win the juvenile event at Flemington on Saturday, but the one that saluted was not the one punters were thinking.
There was much interest in the debut of I Am Invincible filly Isthmus, who is the first foal of Arrowfield Stud and Pinecliff Racing’s dual Group I winner Shoals.
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman as was her mother, Isthmus went to the post as favourite, but after racing greenly the best she could manage was third with the Ken and Kasey Keys trained colt Scheelite making it two wins on the trot with a strong finishing victory.
“I worked him on Tuesday, and he gave me an unbelievable feeling on a heavy track, so I was very confident coming here today,” winning rider Daniel Stackhouse said.
“When I worked him on Tuesday, I thought he might be a Caulfield Guineas sort of horse. I think he’ll get over ground and he’s got a nice racing pattern where he can relax, so I think he can get over further.”
An $80,000 Magic Millions Adelaide purchase for his trainer from the draft of Collingrove consigning for Arrowfield, Scheelite has now won two from two earning over $160,000 in prizemoney.
From the one and only Australian crop by Arrowfield shuttler Real Steel (Jpn), Scheelite is one of four winners from four foals to race from Miss St Tropez, a half-sister by Magnus to Group II winner Don’t Tell Mamma and stakes-winner Risen from Doubt.
His fourth dam is Group I winning blue hen Joie Denise, so Scheelite lacks for nothing in pedigree and the yearling colt by Written Tycoon from Miss St Tropez sold for $500,000 to Yulong at Magic Millions this year.
Scheelite is one of two Australian winners from eight runners by Real Steel, a Group I winning stayer by Deep Impact, whose oldest Japanese progeny have just turned three and include three stakes horses headed by Group II winner All Parfait.
