Star Thoroughbreds have had a good bit of success with the progeny of Extreme Choice having raced his G1 winning mare Espiona and the purple and white stars were in the frame on Saturday with progressive colt Estremo winning the $300,000 MRC Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
Trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Ben Melham, Estremo wasn’t suited over 1200m at his last two runs at Moonee Valley, but stepped up in trip and enjoying the wider spaces of Caulfield he produced a career best performance.
Ina steadily run race, Estremo was doing his best work to the line and got up in the last stride to beat Lucky for Vega by a head taking his overall record to two wins and two placigns from five starts with earnings just shy of $250,000.
“He’s a horse has got a nice ability, and just watching him, he didn't look really suited to Moonee Valley and he’s probably looking for this trip,” said Ben Melham.
“I worked him the other morning, and I thought he's just a horse that you want to keep happy, and if you can keep him happy and balanced, he'll run well for us.
“He had a beautiful run, tracked up behind the leader, came off his back and was pretty soft in the end. I didn't really get to the bottom of him, did just enough to win and he;s had a good experience.”
Stable representative Charlie Duckworth confirmed the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m) is on the agenda for Estremo with the stable looking to go back to back in the race having won it last year with Private Life.
Bred by SF Bloodstock and Blake Sandblom, Estremo was a $230,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Newgate Farm for Star Thoroughbreds / Randwick Bloodstock Agency and is the best of five winners from five foals to race from Tree of Jesse, a metro winning half-sister by Street Cry (IRE) to stakes-winner Related.
Also in the family is Group II winner No Evidence Needed, the dam of Kiwi trained Group I winning juvenile Move to Strike, now standing his first season at Lovatsville in Victoria.
Newgate sold a full sister to Estremo at Inglis Premier this year for $200,000 to McEvoy Mitchell Racing / Belmont Bloodstock.
Tree of Jesse was on-sold earlier this year through Inglis Digital and was snapped up by Ben Kwok for just $18,000 in foal to In the Congo and sent to New Zealand.
Estremo is the 16th stakes-winner for Extreme Choice, who stands at Newgate at a fee of $330,000.
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