With valuable two-year races at Rosehill and Ballarat on Saturday, Deep Field has an opportunity to put his stamp on the first season sires title with a pair of highly regarded debutants.
In the $150,000 Golden Gift at Rosehill Gardens, the Gary Portelli-trained Spaceboy will face just four opponents at his career debut.
Revved up to take up the running in an 800-metre barrier trial at Warwick Farm on November 9, Spaceboy (pictured as a yearling ) was eased down to win by six lengths.
The son of Deep Field was a $200,000 purchase by his trainer out of the Aquis Farm draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is the first foal of the 6-time winning Danzero mare Miatoko who is a half-sister to five winners including the stakes-placed Miss Antaeus (I Am Invincible) and the 6-time Brisbane winner Moonlight Shadow who is the dam of Portelli’s grand old warrior Testashadow a stakes-winning son of Testa Rossa who has banked over $1.4 million.
Miakoto’s stakes-winning dam Crestfallen (Rivotious) is a half-sister to Forever Midnight, the dam of Group II MRC D’Urban Stakes winner Dusty Star, and to the Redoute’s Choice mare Zouzou the dam of dual Group 1 winner and superstar young sire Zoustar.
Interestingly, Aquis Farm, who sold Spaceboy, and Newgate Farm, which stands Deep Field, have other interests in the Golden Gift.
Aquis are part-owners of the Snitzel first starter Cardiff who is the most expensive yearling purchase in the field being a $600,000 Easter Yearling purchase.
Newgate has a share in the Hinchinbrook colt Jonah. The only runner in the race to have made a previous start, a pleasing second to Gary Portelli’s Time To Reign at Rosehill, Jonah is a brother to Group III winner Flippant and a half-brother to Group II winner I Am Excited.
The Golden Gift also sees the debut of Godolphin’s Brazen Beau colt Tassort who has plenty to live up to being a half-brother to two Group 1 winners, Alizee and Astern.
Rounding out the field is Hawke’s Racing’s Torched. The son of Zoustar was a $150,000 Premier Yearling Sale purchase.
The $200,000 Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat on Saturday provides a chance to showcase aspirants for the Magic Millions 2yo Classic at the Gold Coast in January.
The Michael Moroney-trained first-starter Hawker Hurricane (pictured as a yearling) is being kept safe in the market at $6.
The son of Deep Field was a $150,000 Gold Coast purchase out of the Widden stud draft by Paul Moroney Bloodstock.
He is the first foal of the Bernardini (USA) mare Bernarshini who is a half-sister to 2-time Group III Sandown Classic winner Mahhisara (More Than Ready) and Group III MRC Moonga Stakes winner Ulmann (Sebring).
With the scratching of the $600,000 Snitzel x Samaready filly Exhilarates, the honour of the most expensive purchase goes to the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Charvet who was knocked down to Cameron Cooke Bloodstock/Busuttin Racing for $525,000.
Consigned by Widden Stud, the daughter of Zoustar is out of the multiple Group II winner and multiple Group 1-placed Stravinsky mare Satinka who is a half-sister to Rangirandoo’s stakes-placed dam She Wishes.
The cheapest purchase in the race is another Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained purchase, the $50,000 Shooting To Win colt Testino.
So, for the first time, we see the progeny of the full brothers Shooting To Win and Deep Field pitted against each other.
