Sparingly raced for an eight year-old gelding, Nicconi sprinter Joyful Fortune has never lacked for talent, but an interrupted career due to injury means we don’t see him very often, but the Lindsay Park team had him ready to rock and roll at Flemington on Saturday and he duly won the Listed VRC ATA Bob Hoysted Stakes (1000m).
Ridden by Ethan Brown, Joyful Fortune was having his third run for the Hayes boys in his current preparation and proved too good in scoring by half length. He led home a trifecta for Widden sires beating Major Share (Overshare) and Midwest (Zoustar).
Selected to run in the 2022 Everest won by Giga Kick, Joyful Fortune has had several trainers during his career which included a stint in Hong Kong, but now might be finding his best form late in life.
"His straight form is impeccable, he's a highly-talented galloper, it's just an incredible team effort,” said Will Hayes.
"The team is working together. It started with the team at Euroa getting him right. John Russell and our assistant trainer Sarah Fannin have put so much work into this horse and to get him on raceday is really special.
"We just kept him ticking along. We've got a routine that works for him. We did a trial away this time and just gave him the simulation of a raceday experience and that seems to have done the trick, he just ran enormous."
Joyful Fortune was a $110,000 purchase for Orbis Bloodstock from the Fairview Park Stud draft at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and has the overall record of five wins from 13 starts earning a tick over $1million in prizemoney.
He is the best of two winners from smart Tsuimai mare Sneaky Tsu, a metro winning half-sister to the dam of stakes-winner Epic Grey from the family of Group I winner Quick Flick.
Sneaky Tsu produced another filly last spring by Nicconi, who stands at Widden Victoria.
