Mastering his class
He may only be in his first racing preparation but well-bred colt Master Ash (Sebring {Aus}) has emerged as a serious G1 Golden Rose contender off the back of his dominant win in the G3 Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The improvement Master Ash has made in his first four runs has excited his owners at Teeley Assets, his trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and his jockey Tim Clark.
Clark admitted he chased Waterhouse and Bott for the ride on Master Ash, having been impressed with him before he made his debut as a late two-year-old.
“I rode him one morning two or three months ago at three quarter pace. He gave me a great feel and from that day I pestered Gai and Adrian to ride him," Clark said post-race.
"He has improved so much in the past five weeks. He has gone ahead and worked extremely well on Saturday morning. I rode him on Tuesday morning here and he felt unbelievable."
He shares the faith in the horse with the colt's trainers, with Bott admitting that it was just a matter of how the horse handled himself through his first campaign.
"I rode him on Tuesday morning here and he felt unbelievable." - Tim Clark
“We always thought he was going to be a very nice progressive type. He’s held in high regard. Difficult thing with horses in their first racing preparation is keeping them in that form and he’s matured in the last month/last six weeks physically and mentally and we saw that in the way he raced."
Mr Yaseen is certainly no stranger to top-class gallopers having raced the superstar stallion Redoute's Choice as well as the likes of Miracles of Life and Lankan Rupee.
"He’s a beautifully bred colt and we’d love to get him to a top class race." - Adrian Bott, trainer
An interesting quirk is that they sold Master Ash's dam Hanky Panky, a half sister to Not a Single Doubt in 2014 only to buy one of her foals back three years later.
Master Ash becomes the third sibling in the family to win a black-type race, joining Come Hither and Fun in Flight. That makes him a very valuable commodity, whose value would skyrocket with a G1 win.
Master Ash, pictured as a yearling
“He’s got a race like the Golden Rose on the agenda. He’s a beautifully bred colt and we’d love to get him to a top class race," Bott said post-race.
Second-placed Danawi (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who is out of G1 winning mare Secret Admirer and sold for $400,000
A Star filly
Earlier, breeder Mike O'Donnell of Fairhill Farm cashed in on another bonus as the Fiesta (I am Invincible {Aus}) collected another stakes win in the G2 Silver Shadow S.
Fiesta won her breeders a $100,000 bonus when she won the G3 Widden S. in February and her success on Saturday will see Fairhill win a free service to Darley's stallion Ribchester (Ire), who stands for $24,750.
The Silver Shadow is the first leg of the Darley Princess Series, with free nominations to leading Darley stallions made available to breeders.
It might not be the last bonus for Fairhill and Fiesta, with the filly continuing into the series, with the G2 Furious S. next on her agenda.
“She is a really good filly," trainer Chris Waller said. "We asked a bit of her as a two year old which is obviously important in Sydney racing. It’s important to do well at the 2yo level but also to come back and do it at three. Our team will take a lot of satisfaction in that.”
Fiesta, pictured as a yearling
