Horses carrying the Vinery V brand have been racing up a storm in recent weeks and they delivered a stakes double at Rosehill on Saturday with Sixties winning the Group II ATC Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) and then Cristal Clear snared his first Black Type win in the $300,000 Group II Ajax Stakes (1500m).
Click here to read about Sixties.
A half-brother to rising star three year-old filly Sass Appeal, four year-old Exceedance gelding Cristal Clear has been more of a work in progress for Annabel and Rob Archibald.
He made good progress through his grades last spring and was far from disgraced when sixth in the $10million ATC Golden Eagle to Autumn Glow and sixth to Gringotts in the $3million ATC Big Dance.
Braith Nock was his regular rider through the spring and he was on board again today and produced a gem of a ride to bring the big lanky gelding through along the inside for a tenacious long head win.
“The Doncaster was our aim this preparation, we thought we might have to go through the Doncaster Prelude,” said Rob Archibald.
“Full credit to Braith (Nock) and our team at home, they’ve presented him in really good order today. I thought Braith rode him perfectly first-up. We said ‘just have him where he’s happy and see where he’s at’ and he was excellent.”
Cristal Clear gave Braith Nock his first stakes win and the jockey was over the moon.
Cristal Clear was a $50,000 Inglis Ready2Race purchase from the Noorilim Park draft for Group One Thoroughbreds / Annabel Neasham Racing and has the overall record of six wins and two seconds from 16 starts with prizemoney in excess of $750,000.
Bred by Echo Beach Bloodstock and Brian Singer, Cristal Clear was foaled and raised at Vinery Stud and found his way to the Inglis Ready 2 Race Sale after being withdrawn as a yearling from Magic Millions.
He is the second stakes-winner (joining Sass Appeal) from three foals to race that are all winners from Group III placed Cristal Eyes, a half-sister by All Too Hard to Group III winner Flying Evelyn with his third dam Group I ATC Coolmore Classic winner Bollinger and fourth dam Golden Slipper winner Bint Marscay.
Cristal Clear is the sixth stakes-winner for Exceedance, who covered his dam Cristal Eyes again last year after producing a colt by Ole Kirk.
