With his oldest progeny turning six on Friday, Yarraman Park’s Hellbent is coming to the end of his best ever season with some 126 individual Australian winners collecting over $11.1million.
Hellbent’s seasonal strike rate of 54.8% is only a whisker off that of his legendary sire I Am Invincible, who finished his season with 203 winners at 55% winner to runner.
I Am Invincible is the only sire this season to produce 200 plus Australian winners and it is the third time he has achieved the milestone.
Hellbent’s star Group I winning mares Magic Time and Benedetta have shown their class again throughout the season competing successfully at G1 level, the former now racing in the Yulong colours while the latter continues to deliver for the Eales Racing owners and has now won over $2.1million.
Hellbent also produced two new juvenile stakes-winners this season in promising colt Tremonti and exciting filly Sunrays, who won five of six starts in Brisbane including her last two wins in stakes company.
Trial watchers will be excited for the season ahead for Hellbent with his talented filly Savvy Hallie shaping well in her spring campaign as she looks to shed the tag of ‘Australia’s best maiden’.
With three placings from four starts in elite company and prizemoney topping $253,000, the Brad Widdup trained filly was second to Tempted in the Group II ATC Percy Sykes Stakes and second to Nepotism in the Group III ATC Baillieu Stakes, so the Princess Series looms large on the horizon.
The Lee and Cherie Curtis trained Bauhinia has shown glimmers of serious Group potential in her five starts to date and as a four year-old mare should be ready to translate talent into results.
With two recent quiet trials in July, Bauhinia looks ready to return to raceday so she’s one for the Black Book.
Hellbent has a big crop of new season juveniles to keep his name in lights and stands at a fee of $38,500 this spring at Yarraman Park
