Having resumed in the Group 2 VRC Danehill Stakes recently, the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Street Boss colt Tentyris showed a scintillating turn of foot to win the Listed MRC Gothic Stakes (1200m) on Saturday, in the process highlighting his claim on the $2m G1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).
A classy juvenile, dead-heating in the Listed Talindert Stakes at his second start before a fast-closing second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes followed by defeating the likes of Wodeton, Nepotism and Beiwacht in the Group 2 Todman Stakes before an injury ended his Group 1 Golden Slipper chances, Tentyris has always been highly regarded by connections.
With Peter Snowden’s Sydney visitor Raging Force flying the gates, his jockey Jordan Childs allowed last start Danehill Stakes winner McGaw to go along the rails to take up the running, with Tentyris settling second last in the small field of seven.
As they came around the home turn, Childs let Raging Force slide along as he went out after McGaw, passing him under hands and heels riding before kicking for home with 200m to run.
Weaving his way from back in the field, jockey Mark Zahra ridden Tentyris came with an impressive late turn of foot to charge pass Raging Force to score by a half-length margin with Sheza Alibi finishing a length and a half away in third.
“It’s been a slow build-up,” said Sam Freedman. “To all the Godolphin staff at home, the team at home have done a great job, it was a big win. A big relief.
“We've had a lot of chats about this horse, Mark (Zahra) and I.
“He's best when he is coiled up. He dead-headed in the race before the Blue Diamond up on the speed, but you get a decent field, genuine tempo and he’s a very good horse. He’s got a very good turn of foot to get out of trouble.
“There’s a bit of Hanseatic in the way he rattles home, same stallion, Street Boss is doing an amazing job.
“It was looking like we were obviously going to be in a little bit of trouble early, but this is still a prep run for two weeks, so we had a chat during the week. We didn't want him to have a gut buster, we had a couple of leaders there, so just stalk them and hope for a bit of luck, which he got.
“But credit to all the team at home and Godolphin who have shown a lot of faith in us.
“It was pretty gutting to miss the Slipper as a two-year-old, we felt like he was the best chance we had in that race.
“So hopefully, it's a blessing in disguise. Sometimes those horses can do with a bit more time. We're keen to be the fresh horse on the scene for the Coolmore it looks like he’s going to do that.”
Freedman was asked what the colt do between now and the Coolmore.
“That was the reason I got him to Danehill, and he had a trial before that, so he's seen plenty of the straight now.
“We'll just keep him at home, probably take him in the morning for a piece of work. You know the MRC has been really accommodating with this horse to get him in here in great shape.
“As I said, it's been a slow build up. He's had a lot of work put into him. He came in last start; I think 30 kilos heavier than he did last time when he was in Victoria.
“So it's been a real project for everyone to get the weight off him and get him in here today. He still hasn't improvement in him, he looks like he might have blown up a little bit over the back, so we're excited for two weeks.
“The feedback has been, get him in amongst them, get some action. It's a bit of a game for him when he's just idling out in front, and so when they're all around him, he really pins his ears back and has a crack, which is an attribute that he's shown throughout his career.”
Mark Zahra had a plan as to how he wanted to ride the colt on Saturday, probably in anticipation of how the Coolmore Stud Stakes may work out.
“I wanted to ride him dead cold today,” said Zahra. “So the pundits are probably having heart attacks back at home, but he's just a horse.
“If you push to be out of his comfort zone, he doesn't like it. And earlier, I just couldn't hold my spot.
“So I'm in a shocking spot back last, but I just had a faith in the horse’s turn of foot. And he just loves that competition, in amongst them. He just loves it. When he's out on his own, he has a bit of a think, but today, slicing through him, he was at his best.”
Elevated into second favourite for the Group1 Coolmore Stud Stakes behind fellow Godolphin bred and raced Beiwacht (Bivouac), a last start winner of the Group 1 Golden Rose, Tentyris’ victory took his overall record to three wins and two placed efforts from just six starts with earnings of $768,100.
A homebred for Godolphin, Tentyris is the lone stakes winner, from two winners, out of Deity, a metro winning half-sister by Exceed And Excel to stakes-winner Maternal, all out of the four-time Group 1 winner Divine Madonna.
Interestingly, Divine Madonna is a half-sister to the dam of the Group 3-winning, Group 1 placed Angel Of Mercy who is in turn the dam of Group 1 winners Autumn Angel and this season’s Group 1 AJ Moir Stakes winner Baraqiel.
Deity’s current 2yo is a filly named Parcae also in the Freedman stable, while the mare unfortunately slipped to Paulele last season before foaling a filly by Champion Anaome in mid-September.
Tentyris is one of 83 stakes winners for Street Boss who is standing this season at a fee of $66,000 (inc. GST) at Darley’s Northwood Park property.
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