While most eyes are cast north this weekend to the G1 Queensland Oaks, plenty will divert south to Flemington on Saturday for the 2-year-old sprint feature over 1100 metres. The field features Invincible Caviar (I Am Invincible), the debutante daughter of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), as well as Frankel (GB) filly Argentia. She is a daughter of the outstanding race mare Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago) in a race stacked with bloodstock who’s who.
Among it are fillies by Capitalist, Written Tycoon, Deep Field, Brazen Beau and Street Boss (USA).
The cerise colours of the Ingham family will be carried by Chris Waller’s Prasiolite (Written Tycoon), while Viviane (Written Tycoon) will sport the silks of major Victorian owner David Moodie.
The market fancy is Winning Rupert filly Seonee, who was fourth on debut at Geelong late last month, while Commands The Field (Deep Field) is second choice off a win at Cranbourne.
In the fray is the cutely named Moon Over Alice, a filly by Your Song racing in the familiar strip of Francis and Christine Cook’s Mystery Downs. They’re colours made famous by Oaks-winning Lasqueti Spirit (Beneteau), Leneva Park debut sire Fierce Impact (Jpn) and four-time Group 1 winner Preferment (NZ).
Moon Over Alice is equal top-weight with 59kgs on Saturday, and a last-start winner at Geelong for trainer Daniel Bowman. She’s also the product of Francis Cook’s 15 years of breeding that particular family.
Moon shine
Moon Over Alice is the eighth foal from veteran broodmare Calaluna (Mujahid {USA}). Cook raced Calaluna through a 34-start career, and she was a five-time winner through 2005 and 2006.
She was only a little thing, about 15.1 hands high, but Cook recalled that she was nippy.
“She was a bit of a pocket rocket for Bede Murray,” he said. “She won a fair couple of starts, and it’s a family that I’ve had going now for about 15 years. Her brother Kyros was stakes placed, and two or three others in the family, including Devolving, have all won in the city.”
“She (Calaluna) won a fair couple of starts, and it’s a family that I’ve had going now for about 15 years.” - Francis Cook
Snowland gelding Kyros was second in the Listed Doomben Slipper 2YO Plate for Gai Waterhouse, and then third in the G2 BRC Sires’ Produce S.
Devolving, a Your Song full sister to Moon Over Alice, was a winner and consistently placed in Sydney company for trainer Ron Quinton.
Moon Over Alice has showed similar juvenile talent, which seems to be a strength in the family. She was second on debut in Moonee Valley, the fifth in Listed company at Flemington.
Christine and Francis Cook | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“She did well with her first start,” Cook said. “Daniel thought she’d win, and then she got a bit lost in her second race. He brought her back from a spell after that, and had her ready to go for her win at Geelong.”
The filly was excellent for that last-start victory in late May, overcoming a wide draw to get the better of Sistine Explorer (Brazen Beau), who she’ll meet again this weekend.
“I didn’t realise she’d gone up so much in class on Saturday,” Cook said. “She’s drawn barrier 11, and we would have preferred it around a turn, only because she got a bit lost her first time down the straight. But with that win under her belt now and a bit of maturity, we’re pretty confident that, given the right run, she’ll be in the clear out there and run more than a respectable race.”
Looking after the boys
Moon Over Alice was consigned by Fairview Park Stud, which has all of Mystery Downs’ local broodmares, at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Trainer Daniel Bowman picked her up for $100,000, with the Cooks buying back in.
She is hardly the most expensive filly in Saturday’s race, with that honour belonging to Argentia. The Frankel youngster cost $670,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last year, bought by James Harron for Fairway Thoroughbreds’ John Camilleri.
Moon Over Alice as a yearling
Nevertheless, Moon Over Alice is a Mystery Downs old girl.
Her half-brother by Press Statement, 3-year-old gelding Spokesman, is with Chris Waller and Star Thoroughbreds, and he’s won two starts in metropolitan company. Calaluna has a weanling colt on the ground by Press Statement, and is in foal to Headwater.
“Alice comes from a really nice family of late 2-year-olds,” Cook said. “This time of year is when they normally thrive. Calaluna will go to Anders this season. He’s a big, strong animal and will suit her physically, because she’s not very big, but every one of her foals can race up to city standard, so she’s been a great mare for us.”
Cook also has Devolving at stud, who produced a Star Turn filly in 2019 and a colt last year by Rubick. She is in foal to Rubick once again.
They are among about 14 mares that breed for Mystery Downs in New South Wales, with the Cooks owning a further 14 or so in New Zealand. Francis Cook is famously associated with both Fierce Impact and Preferment, the latter standing at Brighthill Farm in the Waikato district, so he’s shopping constantly.
Preferment (NZ) | Standing at Brighthill Farm
“We kept our share in Preferment, so we have his harem over there for him,” Cook said. “And now we’ve just kept our share in Fierce Impact, who’s going to Leneva Park this year, so I’m acquiring another half-dozen mares for him. Looking after these boys gets expensive.”
Cook spent $110,000 at last week’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, buying 6-year-old mare Seles (I Am Invincible).
“I tried to sit on my hands as much as I could, but I bought Seles, a mare that we were involved with through Star Thoroughbreds,” he said. “We knew the family, so we bought her and she’ll go to Anders too.”
Additionally, the Cooks sold the race mare Intrepidacious (Shooting To Win) at the National Sale last week. Raced by Christine Cook in partnership with Lorraine Holt, the mare went to Lee Freedman and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $575,000, a handsome return on her initial yearling price of $180,000, plus $360,000 in prizemoney for the best friends.
Spirited selling
The National Sale marked the end of the selling season for Mystery Downs, and it was a good one.
At the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Cook’s wildest dreams were met when the first foal from 100/1 VRC Oaks winner Lasqueti Spirit, a colt by Pierro, sold to Tom Magnier for $850,000.
“Wasn’t that something,” Cook said. “Lasqueti was a Beneteau mare, so the Redoute’s Choice line out of a General Nediym mare, and Pierro was an outstanding stallion to put her to. A couple of my breeding experts said I might get a gangly type of foal, but we got an incredible foal, and that horse turned into a yearling where every part of him oozed class. He was like a well-oiled Ferrari.”
"A couple of my breeding experts said I might get a gangly type of foal, but we got an incredible foal, and that horse turned into a yearling where every part of him (Pierro x Lasqueti Spirit colt) oozed class. He was like a well-oiled Ferrari." - Francis Cook
The colt was the finest result ever returned to the Cooks in a sales ring, and Lasqueti Spirit visited Dundeel (NZ) and Deep Field in the intervening seasons. However, she will revisit Pierro this year.
Pierro x Lasqueti Spirit (colt)
“She was an amazing filly for us,” Cook said. “I picked her out only on pedigree, and got (trainer) Lee Curtis to inspect her at the sales. Lee said I’d have to go to $100,000 to buy her, and I phoned him the next morning and he said there was good news and bad news. The good news was that we got her, but the bad news was that I had to pay $150,000.”
All things considered, it was a bargain.
The 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate won close to $1 million in prizemoney, and pulled off probably the greatest front-running Classic win in modern history.
