The recent Tattersalls August Sale-topper Maximum Dividend (American Pharoah) will head to the stables of John O’Shea after the gavel fell at 200,000gns. If the results of Saturday’s racing are any indication, the European love affair will not end anytime soon.
While we covered the win of the former William Haggis inmate Soulcombe (Frankel) in the Listed Heatherlie stakes at Caulfield, two winners at Randwick had tongue wagging.
First up was the Sea The Stars gelding Just Fine (IRE), which was making his Australian debut for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott over 1600m.
Last seen when winning by four and a half lengths over 10f at Leicester in October last year when trained by Sir Michael Stoute for The King, Just Fine (IRE) went off at a relatively unloved $11 chance.
Ridden by Rachel King, the 6-year-old gelding strolled home by two and three-quarter lengths and, unsurprisingly, the stable has Group 1 ambitions for the 300,000gns purchase for Mckeever Bloodstock / Waterhouse Bott Racing at the 2022 Autumn Horses In Training Sale.
The $750,000 Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on September 30 has been pencilled in for Just Fine.
The following race, the $200,000 Listed CTC Cup (2400m) was won in a similarly dominant fashion by the John O’Shea-trained Athabascan (FR). The son of Almanzor was opening his Australian account at his ninth start in defeating the Epsom Derby hero Serpentine (Galileo).
A half-brother to Group 1 ATC Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho (Lope de Vega), Athabascan (FR) sports the silks of OTI Racing.
It was just the second win in 17 starts for the 5yo gelding, who was Listed placed three times in France for Andre Fabre.
Athabascan (FR) is the tenth stakes-winner for Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (FR), a 3-time Group 1 winning son of Wootton Bassett (GB).
