The $200,000 Group III VRC CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday produced a dominant winner in lightly raced Calyx (GB) gelding Sepals, an $80,000 Inglis Classic purchase from Vinery Stud for his trainer Cliff Brown, who enjoyed much success in Singapore before returning to Australia.
Ridden by Blake Shinn, Sepals was stepping into Black Type company at his fourth start in his very first preparation, but talent will take you a long way.
Fourth at Yarra Glen on December 20, Sepals came out and posted subsequent wins at Sale and Sandown prompting his trainer to book a top rider in Blake Shinn and have a throw at the stumps.
Sepals seemingly enjoyed the soft 7 conditions and bolted in to win by more than three lengths over progressive types Ndola and Feroce with Victoria Derby winner Goldrush Guru a good fourth.
Sepals has now won three of four starts earning over $173,000 in prizemoney and lived up to the high regard in which he is held by the stable.
"The horse has done nothing wrong, he'd won his past two, so we threw him in the deep end to see if he could swim and he can definitely swim,” said stable representative Tony Lane.
"He's just gone ahead leaps and bounds the last month-and-a-half and I don't think the ceiling's even there yet.
"He's always shown enough at home. We raced his mum, What's New, up in Singapore. She won two legs of the Triple Crown up there and was probably unlucky not to win the Derby up there.
"Cliff races this horse in partnership with a great client of ours, Rod Hyland. Rod's cut back a lot on his horses of late but it's just a fantastic result for the pair of them."
Blake Shinn believes the Group I VRC Australian Guineas is not out of reach.
"It was a dominant win. He had a lovely draw in barrier one, he switched off beautifully and everything presented for him, but he had to capitalise and it was such an impressive win,” he said.
"I'm just rapt for Cliff, his whole team - Tony, Kahlia, Harvey - I'm just so rapt. Cliff's not here today, but I'm sure he'll get a big buzz out of that.
"It's exciting for Cliff's team, especially heading towards a Guineas.
"On that performance I guess you've got to have a throw at the stumps and we can all dare to dream he might be a Guineas winner in a few more weeks time."
Foaled and raised at Vinery Stud for his breeder Greg Perry, Sepals is the first foal of Casino Prince mare What’s New, a stakes-winner in Singapore that traces back to a prolific New Zealand Black Type family with his fourth dam the Kiwi bred Group I winner Good Faith.
What’s New produced a colt by Star Turn last spring before going to Exceedance.
Sepals is the sixth stakes-winner worldwide for Kingman stallion Calyx, who shuttled to Coolmore for just two seasons and remains on the roster at Coolmore Ireland at a fee of 12,500 euros.
