Group 1 winning mares from South Africa and Singapore produced two impressive winners for Fastnet Rock and Lindsay Park at Cranbourne on Sunday and both 3-year-olds look to have bright futures.
Notation (Fastnet Rock), a filly out of Group 1 winning mare Chocolicious (SAF), was a 3.25l winner of the opening race, a 1300m BM64, before stablemate Asgard Massif (Fastnet Rock), out of Japanese-bred Singapore champion Jolie's Shinju (JPN), prevailed narrowly in a 1400m maiden.
Both horses are part-owned by Coolmore, with Notation a $240,000 weanling buy in 2016 and Asgard Massif selling for $400,000 at the NZB Ready To Run 2YO sale last year.
Ben Hayes, who trains the pair in partnership with his father David and cousin Tom Dabernig, was especially impressed with Notation, who had won on debut at Geelong two weeks' ago and predicted she would step up to back-type company next time out.
"The way she won today was really, really good and it's really exciting and we’ll probably go for black type next start now," Hayes said.
"The way she won, she had plenty in the tank on the line. We'll step her out to 1400m over Melbourne Cup week and she’ll be very hard to beat in that."
"The way she won today was really, really good and it's really exciting and we’ll probably go for black type next start now." - Ben Hayes on Notation
Notation is the second foal from Chocolicious, who won the G1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville as a 2-year-old. The first filly by Frankel (GB) sold for $610,000 as a yearling and went to South Africa, while she also has a 2-year-old by Exceed and Excel and recently foaled a full brother to Notation.
It was Asgard's Massif's third start, and while he only won the maiden by 0.2l, Hayes felt he had taken a significant step forward.
"It was a great performance, he had to use a bit of energy early and he did it at both ends. He's a nice horse, and he’ll go through the grades nicely," he said.
Jolie's Shinju, who won a Singapore Derby, has already produced multiple Group winner and Group 1 placegetter Formality (Fastnet Rock) as well as winners Jolie's Pearl (Fastnet Rock), Jolie's Cafe (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) and Typhoon Jolie (Shamardal {USA}).
"It was a great performance, he had to use a bit of energy early and he did it at both ends. He's a nice horse, and he’ll go through the grades nicely." - Ben Hayes on Asgard Massif
A younger half-sister to Asgard Massif by Choisir sold for $300,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Weanling Sale earlier this year, while the mare produced a filly sister to Formality and Asgard Massif last month.
Asgard Massif at the NZB Ready To Run 2YO Sale
The third race was taken out by another well-bred horse in Frankel My Dear (Frankel {GB}), a $500,000 yearling who broke his maiden at his fifth start over 1200m.
Trainer Robbie Laing has had to show considerable patience with the 4-year-old but is confident he is ready to produce his best this campaign.
"He's bred to run two-mile, he's out of a three quarter sister to Might and Power," Laing said. "He did a good job to win."
"If he can run a mile or 2000m, we might have a handy horse."
"He looks a horse now. He was always a bit gangly and a bit light, but he's furnished into a lovely horse."
He becomes the sixth winner this season for Frankel in Australia, with the stallion having had his first Australian stakes-winner with Miss Fabulass in the G2 Tea Rose S. last month.
Frankel My Dear is out of Buenos Aires (Ire), who is out of Benediction (Ire), the dam of champion Might and Power as well as G3 winner Matter of Honour.
The Buenos Aires (Ire) filly by Exceed and Excel sold for $50,000 at the National Yearling Sale in 2017, while the colt by All Too Hard was sold for $15,000 earlier this year.
Frankel My Dear as a yearling
