Capitalist celebrates 21st
Newgate's Capitalist has sired his 21st first-crop winner and 20th Australian winner after the victory of the Gary Portelli-trained Silver Thorn in a 1200 metre Gosford maiden on Sunday.
Having his fifth start, Silver Thorn edged out fellow 2-year-old, the Matthew Smith-trained Pioneer Lass (Stratum Star), and another Capitalist gelding, State Capital, who is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, to break through for his first win with jockey Ellen Hennessy in the saddle.
Bred by Henderson Racing and Wayne Cook, Silver Thorn was a $260,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase from the Fernrigg Farm draft by Laurel Oak Bloodstock. He is out of G3 Sires' Produce S. winner The Grey Flash, making him the first winner bred from a cross of Capitalist and a Not A Single Doubt mare.
Capitalist is the leading first-season sire on winners with 20, while he trails barnmate Extreme Choice in the race to be crowned Australia's Champion First Season Sire by less than $130,000. Capitalist stands at a fee of $99,000 (inc GST) at Newgate this spring.
Star Turn gets another
The Anthony Mountney-trained Wilkshire secured Star Turn his 18th Australian winner from his first crop with a tough victory in a Sapphire Coast maiden over 1012 metres on Sunday.
Wilkshire fought back to edge out Brainzes (Bullet Train {GB}) by 0.9l on the line with Delightful Dennie (Denman), another 0.9l back in third.
A $70,000 purchase for Mountney at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Wilkshire was then purchased for $92,500 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale last October.
The win consolidates Vinery Stud resident Star Turn's second position when it comes to leading first-season stallions by winners in Australia this season.
Think It Over ready to roll
Trainer Kerry Parker will launch stable star Think It Over's (So You Think {NZ}) ambitious spring campaign through Tuesday's trials at Randwick.
Think It Over will tackle a star trial, which includes multiple Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) and G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice). The 900-metre trial will give Parker a good idea of where he is at ahead of his likely return in the G1 Winx S.
Think It Over | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“If something happens and he doesn’t go to Randwick he’ll have an 800 metre jump-out here at Kembla but I’d rather him go and have a day out at Randwick,” Parker told Racenet.
“It would end up a proper trial where he would have to do a bit. When you’re in that company you get a good guide as to where you’re at.
“He’s strengthened and spelled very well so I’m rapt with him.”
Think It Over's main spring target will be the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.
Chitabe another Belardo winner
Haunui Farm resident Belardo (Ire) sired his second Australian winner and his sixth winner overall from his first Southern Hemisphere crop, with Chitabe (NZ) winning a 1600-metre race for David Payne on Sunday at Gosford.
The Haunui Farm-bred filly relished the step to the 1600 metres at just her second start, defeating stablemate Cabateur (So You Think {NZ}), and Edgewise (Foxwedge).
She joined stablemate Tympanist (NZ), a winner at Hawkesbury last month, as Australian winners by the son of Lope De Vega (Ire), whose best winner among his New Zealand runners has been Avonallo (NZ), who won the Listed Welcome S.
Belardo will stand at NZ$10,000 (plus GST) at Haunui Farm this season.
Dolan eyes spring return
Robbie Dolan's recovery from an arm injury is taking longer than expected, but the two-time Sydney champion apprentice is on his way back.
Dolan has been sidelined since May 8 when he last rode at Gosford, with a nerve issue, known as brachial neuritis, in the left arm.
“I thought I was ready and it was coming right, but it flared up again which is really disappointing,” Dolan told Punters.com.au.
“I am still confident I should be able to get back around the second week of August, it’s just something I will have to manage.
“It has been hard to straighten my arm and I have been losing a lot of strength in it so they needed to give me steroid infusions."
Eagle gets second winner
Alpine Eagle filly Verbano gave the Armidale Stud stallion his second winner with her victory in a 2-year-old H. at Hobart.
Alpine Eagle | Standing at Armidale Stud
Trained by Scott Brunton, Verbano finished strongly along the inside to win on debut with jockey Troy Baker in the saddle, running down leader and stablemate Neutralize (Rubick) and holding off short-priced favourite Couer De Lyon (Lionhearted).
The $20,000 buy from Brooklyn Park Stud at the 2020 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale was the second winner from 11 starters for Alpine Eagle, who stands at Armidale Stud for $6050 (inc GST) in 2021.
Milestone makes it real for Johnson
Danielle Johnson marked another milestone with her 150th and 151st winners of the season at Te Rapa on Saturday and is only now ready to celebrate winning her first national jockeys’ premiership.
With just one week left in the 2020/21 season, she sits at 63 wins ahead of her nearest rival Samantha Collett (88), however, she has been determined to focus on the job at hand over the last few months despite being hailed as the premiership winner as far back as January.
“It’s a really cool feeling now we’re only a week away from wrapping up the season,” Johnson said.
“It’s my first premiership, so that is special, but I’ve tried to put it out of my mind despite people telling me it was in the bag for at least the last few months.
“I wanted to carry on as normal and focus on doing my best on each horse I rode. Thankfully those horses have been pretty good as you can’t get to the number of wins I have without a great team and some talented horses behind you.
“It was only in the last month or so that I decided to try and get to the 150-win mark, so to have made it with a week to spare is a great feeling as well.”
Leek gets her first
Former jockey Andrea Leek broke new ground on Sunday when she saddled up her first winner as a trainer.
Leek, the first female jockey to win the Grand National Hurdle, recently took out her trainer's licence and saluted with her third runner with the victory of Heir To The Throne (NZ) (Pentire {GB}} in a 1615 metre BM70 H. at Sale on Sunday.
Heir To The Throne is a brother to G1 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance (NZ) and was purchased for on Inglis Digital in February for $35,000.
Tappy's on a run
Tappy’s One (NZ) (Proisir) prevailed with a hard-fought win in Sunday’s Oamaru Cup.
The 4-year-old joined the Kerry and Ian Taplin stable at the start of the year after nine runs for Ardmore trainer Stephen McKee, which netted a solitary victory.
Tappy’s One picked up his first South Island victory over at Timaru in May and has since had three further wins, including Sunday's success.
“He is just doing it on sheer class as he doesn’t really handle the wet,” Ian Taplin said.
“You would think I’m mad saying that, but when we have seen him gallop at home on top of the ground I just can’t wait to get him up to 2000 metres on good ground as I think he will be even better.
“It was a super run today and Chris didn’t knock him around as he knew we’ve got an even bigger mission in a fortnight.”
Taplin was referring to the G3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup at Riccarton.
