At the start of spring there is a plethora of talented 3YO’s all trying to get on the board with a win to hopefully progress to stakes class and at Kembla on Saturday we saw three well-bred maiden winners that would all have designs on Black Type.
The John Sargent trained filly Autumn Blonde was competitive in her juvenile season against some very good fillies with a fourth in the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes to Within the Law indicating stakes potential.
By The Autumn Sun, who is renowned for his 3YO fillies, Autumn Blonde is a big robust filly that has always given the impression a longer trip would suit. She got that for the first time in this 1400m maiden and duly saluted by three-quarters of a length as favourite.
Raced by Tricolours Syndications, Autumn Blonde was the subject of a Crystal Ball story on Breednet last month so if you want to know more about her pedigree, click here.
Wootton Bassett (GB) was expected to get the winner of the 1200m colts and geldings maiden later in the day with race favourite West of Swindon, who was resuming from a spell for new trainer Ciaron Maher following a promising juvenile season that saw him place in the Group II ATC Silver Slipper and $1million Golden Gift.
He drew wide and didn’t have an easy run, but was still disappointing on face value with his meek fourth while another Wootton Bassett colt Ruination, won a trial at Randwick last month and repeated that on race day to win on debut with authority.
A $500,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Widden Stud trained by Michael Freedman, Ruination is the second winner from Group I ATC Coolmore Classic winner Daysee Doom.
Ruination has an entry for the Golden Rose and while that’s probably going to come up too quickly it is an indication that he is held in good regard.
Trapeze Artist filly Artistic Venture is another smart filly to sport the Tricolours Syndications colours carried by Autumn Blonde , although she is trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
Third in the Inglis Millennium last season to Rivellino and just behind the good fillies in a couple of the Golden Slipper lead ups, she was having her second run back from a spell and won the 1200m fillies and mares maiden easily as expected.
Artistic Venture was a modest $50,000 Inglis Classic purchase from Widden Stud and has some pedigree to back her up being the second winner from Secret Venture, an unraced Husson (Arg) daughter of Group I MRC Thousand Guineas winner Serious Speed.
