Having claimed the Listed SAJC Morphettville Guineas (1600m) last season, Too Darn Hot 4yo Bootlegger added a second stakes victory to his record, leading throughout at Morphettville on Saturday to win the $120,000 Listed SAJC Leon Macdonald Stakes (1400m) second up from a spell.
Jockey Tala Hutchinson jumped Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray’s Bootlegger away well from gate 12 in the 14-horse field with the gelding going forward to take up the running with the field staying well off the inside rail as they raced down the middle of the track.
With the former Sydney based Williamsburg having his first start for new connections in South Australia, the dual stakes winner was keeping the leader company, while Henry Dwyer’s race favourite Cote Atlantique (IRE) was racing on the inside on the slightly inferior ground.
As Bootlegger took the field into the home straight, Cote Atlantique made a concerted effort along his inside to chase him down while Andrew Gluyas’ multiple stakes winner Air Assault was making up some solid ground down the outside to chase the leading pair.
Holding off all challengers in the run to the line, Bootlegger pulled away again to record victory by just over three parts of a length from Air Assault, with the favourite holding on for third a further half-length back.
It was Bootlegger’s second black type win this year, and co-trainer Dan Clarken was on course to celebrate.
“That was a huge thrill,” Clarken said. “We got a real kick out of that. Oopy is home, I reckon she would have rode the lounge pretty hard then."
“That’s a huge thrill to get her up to do that. It’s awesome.
“He’s a great little horse. He’s tough as teak.
“We said to Tala, ‘you’ve got to get to the right part of the track’, she’s done it and it’s paid dividends.”
When asked where to next for the 4yo, Clarken had a plan mapped out.
“That’s probably the path we’ll take. Balak, Murray Bridge (Cup), Gawler (Cup) or the John Letts (Cup),” he said.
“That’s where we’ll play, and that’s where he sits.”
Bootlegger was the second of three winners on the day for apprentice Tala Hutchinson, who was clearly over the moon to have ridden her first black type winner.
“That’s a very big thrill,” Hutchinson said. “He’s such a good horse, he’s been working the house down."
“It’s a big thrill to be able to get one up for the bosses – I’m just so excited.
“I’m very grateful for them putting me on, and Robert, for having faith in me – it’s just a huge thrill.”
A homebred for Robert Hill-Smith, who passed the horse in at the Inglis Premier yearling sale as a yearling after he failed to reach his $125,000 reserve as part of the Twin Hills Stud draft, the gelding has now recorded four wins and six placed efforts from 15 starts with earnings of earned $278,298.
The best of two winners out of the imported mare Dalakhani mare Princess Youmzain (GB), herself a half-sister to G1 winer Akeed Mofeed who stands at South Australia’s Rosden Park and G3 winner Jordan Spirit, Bootlegger is another success story for the famed Dubawi stallion line.
With sons of Dubawi proving extremely popular in Australia, this season we will see the likes of Ghaiyyath (IRE), Delacroix (IRE), Henry Longfellow (IRE), Lead Artist (GB), Benbatl (GB) as well as Bootlegger’s close relation Akeed Mofeed (GB) all set to cover mares in the spring.
Bootlegger is one 35 internationals stakes winner Darley’s Too Darn Hot, headed locally in Australia by last season’s G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Tropicus who will stand his first season at Vinery Stud while his Champion 2YO and 3YO son Broadsiding will cover his second book of mares alongside his sire.
Too Darn Hot will stand this spring at a fee of $275,000 (inc. GST) at Darley Kelvinside.
