A set of 12 trials in NSW this morning at Hawkesbury with a few heats holding some strong interest including a look at one of last seasons most promising early youngsters having his first outing as a gelding.
Sovereign Fund burst on to the scene in December last year winning the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic on debut then going to Brisbane and winning easily again which saw him start the second favourite at the Gold Coast in the $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic but failed to beat one home.
He subsequently had three more starts in his two-year-old season but couldn’t fire.
Purchased by the stallion hunting team of China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing for $550,000 from Newgate Farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, they obviously don’t all work out, and with his attention now focused solely on the racing game it’ll be no surprise to see Sovereign Fund mixing it successfully again at a high level going forward.
Ridden by Brett Prebble he sat up on speed and went to the line in front with seemingly plenty in reserve.
Last season’s Breeders Plate winner Empire Of Japan was also a nice effort in the same heat, getting home strongly for third under James McDonald.
Heat six saw a nice effort from the unraced three year-old Take Me To Church, producing his second strong trial in this new preparation.
By Churchill (Ire) out of the Thunder Gulch mare Denia, he didn’t really show up in three trials in his first campaign but has looked considerably better this time around and given his dam has had 10 to the races for 10 winners, there’ll be a reasonable expectation he’s going to add to that tally in the near future.
Take Me To Church was a $70,000 yearling buy for the Freedman Brothers from Riversdale Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and the sale topper from that same sale turned in a powerful effort in the same heat to finish a close second.
Make A Call, by Extreme Choice form the Dubawi mare To Dubawi Go, made $825,000 at Classic to China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing from Mane Lodge.
He proved a tough juvenile, having 10 starts without winning, but was placed twice at stakes level when third in the Gr.3 Black Opal and second in the Fernhill (LR).
His last three starts saw him tackle the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes, Gr.2 Brisbane Sires Produce and Gr.1 J.J. Atkins where he didn’t disgrace himself with his strong finishing effort in the Sires particularly solid.
Not hard to envisage a better three-year-old season for him.
Click here to see the full trial results with sale results and for results with video at Racing NSW here.
