The Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale has been a big distraction this week, but we have found time at last to have a closer look at our G1 winners from last Saturday and three of them are brand new and one is now the hottest unclaimed sire prospect in the country.
The Group I ATC Australian Derby (2400m) was won by Aeliana (NZ) in spectacular fashion, click to read about her.
She is the second G1 winner for Dundeel’s dual Group I winning son Castelvecchio who won the G1 ATC Rosehill Guineas and was placed in a Cox Plate, but floundered in very heavy ground at his only Derby attempt when unplaced in Australian Derby behind Quick Thinker. Like Dundeel’s other G1 winnign son at stud Super Seth, Castelvecchio now has two G1 winers on the board with Aeliana joining El Castello, who won the ATC Spring Champion Stakes back in October.
With his oldest progeny just 3YO’s Castelvecchio made only a steady start last season, but has cracked on in fine style with five SW’s in total putting him at 8.5% SW to runner. It’s early days, but two G1 winners is a great place to start.
Aeliana has a female family with plenty of Kiwi staying blood and her grand-dam is blue hen Abscond, an Aussie bred Galileo mare that has left G1 winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible), G3 winner Secret Blaze (Sizzling)and SW Extreme Warrior (Extreme Choice) from matings to speed sires and mixed with a more classic type sire like Castelvecchio has produced a superstar.
Aeliana is the second G1 winner for Star Witness as a broodmare sire and the other one is mighty sprinter Bella Nipotina.
Pedigree gurus will be very excited about the 4 x 4 double cross of champion staying sires Sadler’s Wells and Zabeel… that might have been what kicked in at the furlong as she sped away from her hapless rivals!
The $1million Group I ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) was won by unbeaten I Am Invincible colt Vinrock, read about him here.
Vinrock is the 16th Group I winner for I Am Invincible and is his second G1 winning juvenile joining Move to Strike and is the 28th G1 winner for Redoute’s Choice as a broodmare sire.
He is the fifth SW for I Am Invincible from daughters of Redoute‘s Choice and the first G1 winner bred that way with the nick delivering a double up of Danzig and Canny Lad.
He is from G2 VRC Matriarch Stakes (2000m) winner Girl Gone Rockin’, who comes from an old style Kiwi clan that has produced plenty of seriously tough stakes-winners. His grand-dam Sorrento won the Group II STC Queen of the Turf Stakes (now G1 and run on Saturday) and is a three-quarter sister to the TJ Smith trained multiple G1 placed Group II winner Stargazer.
The $3million Group I ATC TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) may have seen the beginning of a changing of the guard of sprinters as we head to The Everest with the winner Briasa a real up and coming star, read about him here.
Briasa is the 27th SW and second G1 winner for Fastnet Rock stallion Smart Missile, who was bred and raced by Gooree Stud, started his stud career at Arrowfield and is now at Twin Hills Stud. He is the 16th SW and first G1 winner for Twining (USA) as a broodmare sire, the son of Forty Niner shuttling to Australia for two seasons and making little impression.
His dam Mary’s Grace was a Listed winner from a very skinny branch of a very famous family tracing back to Sovereign Path import Royal News (IRE), whose descendants include countless G1 winners such as Golden Slipper winner Overreach, Australian Derby winner Ivory’s Irish and everything in between and interestingly North England, who won the G3 Kindergarten Stakes goes back to the same family.
The $4million Group I ATC Doncaster Mile (1600m) was won by Stefi Magnetica, who was successful for the second time at G1 level having won the BRC Stradbroke Handicap as a 3YO, read about her here.
One of five G1 winners for All Too Hard, Stefi Magnetica is a half-sister to G3 winner Hellfest from G1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Mid Summer Music, who was the only stakes-winner in her immediate family until her daughters came along. Tracing back though there is plenty of class with the fourth dam of Stefi Magnetica being G1 Irish Thousand Guineas winner Black Satin.
All Too Hard is one of those value sires that runs at 67.7% winners to runners and 3.8%SW to runner, but when he gets a good horse, it’s a really good horse and all of his five G1 winners are multiple G1 winners with $9million earner Alligator Blood winning seven of them!
Stefi and her half-sister Hellfest are the only stakes-winners bred from a mare by Geiger counter (USA) sire Oamaru Force.
