Widden Stud Victoria’s much missed Magnus has left some terrific sprinters over the years, but the highest stakes earner among them is talented country galloper Front Page, who enjoyed the biggest of pay day of his career last year when taking out the $2million ATC The Kosciuszko (1200m) at Randwick and he went back to back on Saturday.
Now trained by Matthew Dale, Front Page was not disgraced when tried in several Group I races by his previous trainer Geoff Duryea after his Kosciuszko win last year and he was first up from a spell into the big one this time.
Tyler Schiller rode him in much the same way as he did last year and Front Page was not for catching in the straight with race favourite Opal Ridge doing best of the pursuers to finish a gallant second.
“Full credit to Geoff and his team for what they’ve done with this horse before giving him to me,” said Matthew Dale.
“I’m in awe and they told me every little thing I needed to know, so that I could have him well prepped and as good as I could have him here today.”
Already a stakes-winner of the Listed VRC AR Creswick Stakes, Front Page took his overall record to seven wins and four seconds from 20 starts with earnings of $2.4million.
Retained to race by his breeders, Front Page is a brother to the stakes-placed filly News Girl and is out of Stacey Lee, a talented daughter of Bel Esprit. She won five of her 20 starts banking $73,257 and is a daughter of Group I placed mare Curio Jade.
Stacy Lee was covered by the late Magnus again in 2021 and has a yearling full sister to Front Page.
