Another champagne day of racing on Saturday with 13 stakes races highlighted by three Group 1’s at Caulfield, the Blue Diamond Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.
But as the autumn action hots up, no race excites me more than the Group II Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens.
The Hobartville features the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and Group 1 Victoria Derby hero Ace High (High Chaparral), Group 1 Golden Rose winner Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), the hugely impressive Group III Eskimo Prince Stakes winner and Group 1 Caulfield Guineas runner-up Kementari (Lonhro), the runaway Magic Millions 3yo Guineas winner Pierata (Pierro) and the undefeated D'argento (So You Think).
Throw in the Group 1 JJ Atkins winner Capital Gain (Ad Valorem), the high-class million-dollar colt Siege of Quebec (Fastnet Rock), the highly promising, Peter and Paul Snowden pair, Brave Song (Your Song) and Assimilate (Sebring) and the Group II Wakeful Stakes winner Luvaluva (Mastercraftsman) then this is a race that will have huge importance for future engagements.
One feature of the breeding that stands out is that Ace High, Kementari, and D'argento are out of mares by Redoute’s Choice.
After much soul-searching, we are going to stick with the Greg Hickman-trained Pierata. Perhaps it is an omen that he was bred by Hobartville Stud.
The son of Pierro has already banked $2 million for his connections with four wins a second and a third from eight starts.
Surprisingly, for a horse trained at Warwick Farm, Pierata has made six of his eight starts north of the New South Wales border.
Before his Gold Coast tour de force, Pierata cruised to victory in the Group III Vo Rogue Plate at Doomben.
A $160,000 Magic Millions purchase for Greg Hickman from the Kitchwin Hills draft, Pierata is a half-brother to Group III Skyline Stakes winner and Group 1 Golden Rose third Ashokan (More Than Ready).
He is the fourth winner from Flying Spur mare November Flight, who won the Group III Millie Fox Stakes and is a great-granddaughter of Century Miss who was ridden by apprentice Wayne Harris to victory in the 1979 Golden Slipper Stakes.
November Flight foaled a Rubick coly on October 3 and was bred back to Pierro last spring.
