Two Godolphin homebred colts were all the rage for the $2million Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday with Tentyris producing a career best performance to score a dazzling victory.
Mark Zahra has been in hot form today and was at his best on the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained son of Street Boss (USA).
Tentyris was brilliant as a juvenile with two wins and a second in the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes, but he missed the opportunity of winning the Golden Slipper when sent to the paddock with an injury after his Group II ATC Todman Stakes victory.
Given time to recover, he reappeared with a third in the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes at the start of the spring and was a last start winner of the Listed MRC Gothic Stakes.
The handsome chestnut looked sensational in the mounting yard and delivered on his good looks with an explosive win.
He settled off the pace and when angled between runners at the 200m mark let go with a lethal turn of foot to charge clear and win by nearly three lengths over I Am Invincible filly My Gladiola with Ole Kirk gelding Legacy Bound in third place. Godolphin's other runner, the Golden Rose hero Beiwacht, ran a brave fourth.
"Big thrill. A lot of hard work has gone into it. It doesn't aways pan out like that. The team at home have done a great job, we're supported by some great staff who put in a lot of hours and for the old man, to do it with him, it's pretty special," said Sam Freedman.
"Godolphin have been amazing supporters of ours for a very long time and this colt has been with us since Day 1 and he's showed a lot the whole way through.
"To do it with dad, he's the reason I'm here today, so without him I'd be nothing. So it's incredibly special."
Anthony Freedman revaled the colt may back up next Saturday in the Group I VRC Champions Sprint (1200m).
"We'll see, we'll definitely look into it. We've said that from day dot. If he has a good three-or-four days, there's no reason why he will not turn up next week," he said.
"I think he's very good. Today was dominant, he didn't have all the favours but when produced showed an electric turn of foot.
"We may run next Saturday, we'll see how he does, but he's a very big tough colt."
Mark Zahra has ridden Tentyris in three of his four wins and is a huge fan of the colt.
“Anthony said don’t panic, just trust the horse. He was right and I just trusted the horse,” said Zahra.
“I got on the back of Beiweicht and that other Snowden horse (Racing Force). The way he improves each start and the further the race went, the more he came up underneath me.
“He let rip when I first let go and then he thought ‘where am I’ and he started to stargaze. He’s a very good colt and what a win.”
Tentyris has the overall record of four wins and two placed efforts from just seven starts with earnings just shy of $2million.
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 Anamoe in mid-September.
The filly is a three-quarter sister to Tentyris as her sire Anamoe is also by Street Boss.
Tentyris is the 11th Group I winner for Street Boss who is standing this season at a fee of $66,000 (inc. GST) at Darley’s Northwood Park property.
