Brazen Beau colt Larimer Street has had little luck in his first three starts and his supporters were steeling themselves for another horror story in Friday nights Listed Palentino Valley Pearl (St Albans Stakes) (1200m) when Damien Oliver was running in to dead ends in the straight.
Not for the first time in his career, Oliver manufactured a narrow split between runners and the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained colt did the rest.
He picked up impressively to defeat the Vancouver filly Vangelic by three-quarters of a length with Sun Stud’s $1.1 million Snitzel colt Pioneer River a half-head back in third.
Second over 1200 metres at Moonee Valley on debut, Larimer Street was a luckless third in the valuable Inglis Millennium at Warwick Farm before finishing second in the Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Flemington.
“All he needed was a bit of room from the top of the straight when he got that he won with a bit in hand," stable representative Brendon Hawtin said.
“It was a perfect ride by Ollie and the blinkers going on today smartened him up a bit.
“He has lacked a little ringcraft up till now, but the stables always had a high opinion of him. Whatever he does at two is a bonus because we think he will be a classic three-year-old.”
Oliver said that even though the blinkers had had the desired effect the colt was inclined to over-race.
“He’s a really nice colt that has not had the best of luck to date but when he got the run he won comfortably in the end,” Oliver said.
“There was talk they may look at the (ATC) Sires in Sydney, out to 1400m I think I’d take the blinkers off again. He is a nice colt, he’s always shown good ability.”
Purchased by Mark Pilkington Management / Busuttin Racing for $450,000 out of the Blue Gum Farm draft at the 2019 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Larimer Street advances his record to one win two seconds and a third from four starts with earnings of $356,500.
He races for a syndicate that includes his breeders Pope Racing and Renkie Racing.
A three-quarter brother to MVRC Inglis Banner winner Ideas Man (Brazen Beau) and a half-brother to four winners including Brockhoff (Lonhro) who was runner-up in the Group III MRC Zeditave Stakes and Group III MVRC Red Anchor Stakes, Larimer Street is out of the unraced Redoute’s Choice mare Original Choice.
A half-sister to stakes-winner Chloe In Paris (Exceed And Excel), Original Choice is a daughter of Des Pope’s brilliant Rubiton mare Innovation Girl whose 10 wins included the Group II VRC Ascot Vale Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes and Group 1 CF Orr Stakes.
Sadly, Larimer Street is the final foal of Original Choice.
Larimer Street becomes the seventh stakes winner for Darley Stud’s Brazen Beau who covered 127 mares last season at a fee of $49,500.
