Another week and another stakes-winner in the Cambridge Stud colours, while a progressive mare is poised to step up to stakes class.
Luberon continued her golden run of form to effortlessly collect a second black-type title on the bounce following a dominant performance at Pukekohe.
Our high-class daughter of resident sire Embellish is unbeaten as a four-year-old after she resumed with a Rating 75 victory at Ellerslie and has subsequently risen to two stiffer challenges in style for trainer Lance Noble.
Luberon romped home in the G3 Sweynesse Stakes at Rotorua last month and again thumped a highly competitive line-up of sprinters over 1100 metres in the G3 Counties Bowl to put her hand up for higher honours.
“We’ve just been keeping her fresh and happy and she’s very exciting,” Noble said.
“Obviously, the sprint series is pretty tempting and the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) fits in nicely as I think she may be slightly better left-handed.
“We’ll just take it one day at a time, but that’s the plan.”
Luberon began quickly before settling in the trail and rider Joe Doyle had her into the clear at the top of the straight.
The mare strode to the front 150 metres from home and surged clear to triumph by two and a-half lengths without being fully extended.
“The race played out as planned beforehand and she won so easily, she cantered to the line,” Doyle said.
“I’m very grateful to Lance and everyone at Cambridge Stud for calling me up. I haven’t been on one quite as fast for a while.”
We bred Luberon who is a daughter of the unraced Fastnet Rock mare Elegant Achiever and her pedigree features the G1 July Cup winner Mill Stream and fellow European stakes winners Wunder’s Dream, Grecian Dancer, Muffri’ha and Asymetric.
Elegant Achiever has a two-year-old brother to Luberon named So We Go and is due to foal to Almanzor.
Trainer Lance Noble will be looking for suitable upcoming black-type options for our progressive mare Frostfair.
The four-year-old has fashioned an excellent record and her latest victory romp over 1400 metres at Pukekohe was her third win from just seven appearances.
“She’s a big mare who has taken time, she’s never been out of the first four and we’ll look for a bit of black type next,” Noble said.
She was a touch tardy from the barrier and settled off the pace before rider Warren Kennedy angled her away from the fence before the turn.
Frostfair powered between runners in the straight to waltz home by 3.3l.
“She’s really coming along the right way and won with a lot of authority, she put the race to bed pretty quickly,” rider Waren Kennedy said.
We bred the daughter of Written Tycoon, who is out of the Commands mare Thames Court, a talented performer whose three victories included the G3 Alexandra Stakes and she was also a multiple black-type placegetter.
Thames Court’s Pierro colt was purchased by Busuttin Racing at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year for A$80,000.
Her Capitalist filly sold for $200,000 to Stephen Gray, Wattle Bloodstock and Toking at Karaka earlier this year and the mare is due to foal to Embellish.
The well-related Tycoon Prince put the writing on the wall at his previous start and he made good on that threat over 1150 metres at Te Aroha.
The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained three-year-old had finished runner-up at Pukekohe earlier this month and our strapping homebred and raced son of Written Tycoon went one better in style.
“He drew better this time and I said to Ryan to take a sit, he’s got good gate speed, and he finished it off well,” Murray said.
“He likes good ground so he should go on with it over the summer.”
Tycoon Prince broke quickly from the gates to settle in fourth spot before working into the clear at the top of the straight and responded well to rider Ryan Elliot’s urgings to prove too good in the run home.
He is the first winner for Vanity Queen, an English-bred mare we purchased at the Tattersalls Mares’ Sale with agent John Foote signing on our behalf at 125,000gns.
She was successful as a two-year-old and is a half-sister to the Listed Newbury Fillies’ Trial Stakes winner Volume, who also placed at Group 1 level in the English and Irish Oaks, and dam of the G1 Curragh National Stakes winner Quorto.
We sold Vanity Queen’s colt by Almanzor to Foote for$260,000 at Karaka earlier this year and she has a yearling filly by Almanzor that has been entered in 2025 Karaka Book 1 as Lot 383.
