With Bowness Stud’s draft of 20 yearlings departing the farm on Sunday night to head north to the Gold Coast, the Randwick victory of Matt Smith’s Placid Pearl shines a spotlight on the eight yearlings they’re offering by their resident G1-winning So You Think stallion D’Argento.
Breaking her maiden over 2200m by more than two lengths at just her fourth start, connections decided to send the 3yo filly to the G1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at her next start, and while the step up in class was beyond her at that stage of her career, she did beat home Femminile who would go on to win the G1 SAJC SA Derby (2500m) a few starts later, defeating D’Argento’s Statuario into second.
Coming into the final race at Randwick on Saturday, Placid Pearl was building up to a win off the back of consecutive third placed efforts at her two prior starts and after jumping from barrier 1, jockey Winona Costin didn’t need to go around another horse in the run.
After Chris Waller’s Existential Bob (NZ) cleared out and looked as he might give jockey Zac Lloyd his fourth winner of the meeting, Placid Pearl just kept coming on his inside, taking the lead with 50m to run, scoring by three-quarters of a length.
The win took her overall record to three wins, and four placed efforts from 12 starts with earnings of $157,200.
Originally a $15,000 purchase for JBO Bloodstock from the Erinvale Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, the filly then went through Riversdale/Ashleigh Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Highway Session, when knocked down to her trainer for $100,000.
Bred by Erinvale Investments Pty Ltd, Placid Pearl is one of two winners out of the High Chaparral mare South Pearl, herself a daughter of the G1 SAJC Australasian Oaks (2024m) runner-up and G1 South Australian Oaks (2500m) third placed Danehill mare South Sea Pearl.
The sire of six stakes performers from his first two crops to race, the progeny of the G1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) winner D’Argento have proven extremely versatility, winning from 900m to 2500m.
D’Argento himself was very much like that – an unbeaten 2yo winning all three of his juvenile starts, the Star Thoroughbreds race colt also finished third behind Winx in the G1 Winx Stakes (1400) and second in the G1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m), a half-head behind multiple G1 winner Hartnell (GB).
With Bowness Stud’s eight yearlings by D’Argento from a mix of proven families, there surely is something for everyone.
Key lots include the half-brother to dual Listed winner Bubba’s Bay (Lot 470), a filly out of a More Than Ready half-sister to G1 winner Shamekha (Lot 582), the full-brother to recent winner Don’t Miss Many (Lot 1129) and a colt from the family of recent G2 HKJC Jockey Club Mile winner Galaxy Patch (Lot 1206).
With no other son of So You Think (NZ) having produced as many stakes performers as D'Argento, the future likes bright for the young grey stallion who has just finished covering his sixth book of mare at a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).
