News - HEADWATER (AUS)
Vinery Stud’s Headwater is poised to be Champion Australian Second Crop Sire by earnings and the Group II Silver Slipper winning son of Exceed and Excel added a new stakes-winner to his tally in Singapore on Sunday when three year-old gelding Starlight took out the Singapore 3YO Classic Sng G2 (1400m).
Trained at Nowra by Robert and Luke Price, the highly promising Headwater filly Jamaea lowered the boom on a field of blueblood fillies in Saturday’s $1million Group II Heineken Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
It was a productive day for Vinery Stud's Headwater at Morphettville on Saturday with his two-year-old son Karacasu opening his account over 1100m before the three-year-old filly Mileva putting the icing on the cake when conquering her elders in the Listed Manihi Classic.
Far from disgraced when sixth in the $500,000 Inglis Banner at Moonee Valley in October last year, the two-year-old Headwater colt Predetermined emerges from an 18-week hiatus to open his winning account over 1200m at Sandown-Lakeside on Wednesday.
Headwater enjoyed a late rush of winners at the end of last season and has kept the momentum going into August.
With all sire titles all but decided for season 2019-20 the focus is on the first season sire battle for number of winners, which is going right down to the wire.
It is getting to sound like a broken record of late, the fourth winner in a week for the sire on fire Headwater, but this one came with a twist.
The race for champion first crop sire for number of winners has plenty of legs left in it yet as we head down the home straight for season 2019-20 with Headwater continuing his late season rally with his son Mr Colorful opening his winning account over 1000 metres at Hawkesbury on Thursday.
With three winners in the past two weeks, Vinery Stud’s Headwater continued his late season rally when the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Gunnamatta toughed out a well-deserved win in Wednesday’s the Yes Yes Yes @ Coolmore Mdn (1150m) on the Kensington track at Randwick to chalk up winner number eight for the son of Exceed And Excel.
Making her career debut in an 1100 metres maiden at Dubbo on Sunday, the Brett Cavanough-trained filly Water Dove toughed it out in a driving finish to credit her sire Headwater with his seventh first crop winner.
Despite a torrid run, Darby Racing’s two-year-old filly Ashra Jahre did the right thing by punters in an open age maiden over 1000 metres at Nowra on Tuesday to ring up winner number six for Vinery Stud's Headwater.
Revelling in the heavy conditions, the Tony and Maddysen Sears-trained gelding Be Water My Friend made the best possible start to his career in a QTIS 2-Y-O Hcp over 1000 metres at the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday to chalk up the fifth winner for Headwater.
Two-year-old colt Maya Bay made every post a winner at his career debut over 1000 metres at Toowoomba on Sunday to ring up winner number four for Vinery Stud’s Headwater and to make it a family affair, Maya Bay’s half-brother Rangas Rule broke his maiden two races later.
Vinery Stud’s first crop sire Headwater has an exciting prospect in the Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained colt Wisdom Of Water.
A solid third at her career debut at Moonee Valley, the Phillip Stokes-trained filly Headwater filly Aquagirl defied a betting drift in Sunday’s Firstly Sprint (1000m) at Flemington to become the third winner for her Vinery Stud-based sire.
Vinery Stud’s first season stallion Headwater chalked up his second winner when the Julia Macgillivray-trained debutant Mileva led every step of the way over 1000 metres at Murray Bridge on Saturday to provide a timely update for her Nicconi half-brother heading to the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
The 2019 Karaka Ready to Run Sale achieved strong results and while the average was down slightly on last year, the median remained on a par at $60,000 and the clearance rate of 74% was up, creating opportunity enough to deliver pinhooking success, so let’s take a look at the big winners headed by the sale-topping son of Shamus Award.
First season sires will take centre stage on Saturday when the first stakes races of the season for the babies will be run at Randwick.
Vinery Stud's Headwater is going to be a pivotal factor in the 2019 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale as with 42 entries catalogued he's the most represented sire in the sale, so let's take a closer look at what he has to offer.
The next stallion on our list of featured first season Magic Millions sires is Vinery Stud’s handsome Group II ATC Silver Slipper winner Headwater, a son of champion sire Exceed and Excel.