Saturday summary: The Price and Kent Jnr show rolls on at Morphettville

10 min read
Having dominated proceedings last weekend, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr show kept rolling at Morphettville on Saturday with the dynamic training partnership sending out three stakes winners at the South Australian track headed by Lombardo’s (I Am Invincible) victory in G1 The Goodwood.

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Race-Day Recap

Following on from their brilliant weekend last week, Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr continue their domination at Morphettville, saddling three stakes winners headed by Lombardo’s (I Am Invincible) victory in G1 The Goodwood.

Lombardo’s win in the Group 1 means that I Am Invincible has overtaken So You Think (NZ) in the race to be crowned Australia’s Champion Sire.

Regally bred Maximillius (Written Tycoon) showed he was a colt with a bright future when he took out the G3 David Coles AM S.

The 3-year-old filly The Amazonian showed her staying prowess with a comfortable win in the G3 SA Fillies Classic and in the process handed the Goldin Farms resident Akeed Mofeed (GB) with his third stakes winner.

Also at Morphettville, the Mark and Levi Kavanagh-trained Seradess (Astern) proved she was one of the best 3-year-old fillies in Australia when she chalked up her fourth career stakes victory and booked her ticket to the Queensland Carnival with a win in the G3 Proud Miss S. at Morphettville on Saturday.

Meanwhile at Flemington, Brosnan, an Expensive son of Snitzel finally got off the mark with a fine victory over 1400 metres.

Lombardo hands I Am Invincible the lead

Price and Kent Jnr continued where they left off last weekend, having sent out Jungle Magnate (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}) to win the G1 South Australian Derby and Illation (So You Think {NZ}) to win the Listed Adelaide Guineas and with Saturday’s winners it brings their total tally of black-type wins in the last two weekends to six.

The team’s day got off to the best possible start when the regally bred Maximillius (Written Tycoon) finally lived up to his billing in the G3 David Coles AM S. The co-trainers were in the winner's enclosure an hour later when The Amazonian (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) provided the stable with the middle leg of the stakes double when she landed the G3 SA Fillies' Classic.

A winner of a brace of Listed races, Lombardo had shown his affection for Morphettville having been successful on his previous four starts at the venue, but on Saturday he was lining up in a Group 1 for just the second time.

Mick Price and Zac Spain after winning the G1 The Goodwood at Morphettville | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

However, the 5-year-old gelding took the huge step up in class in his stride, leading from pillar to post and eventually beating Halvorsen (Magnus) by 1.5l, while The Astrologist (Zoustar) was another 0.3l away in third.

"He deserves his chance and when your rating goes up, you've got to keep climbing the ladder, so he deserves his chance. When you draw poorly sometimes you've just got to forget about that stuff," Price said.

Having notched up his maiden Group 1 win aboard Streets Of Avalon (Magnus) in the 2021 G1 CF Orr S., jockey Zac Spain was elated to record another win at the highest level on a horse he rode to win on debut.

"It definitely makes it pretty special, just for Mick and the whole team and Mick Kent Jnr to have faith in me and put me back on him, he just loves Adelaide, he thrives when he's here," Spain said.

"It definitely makes it pretty special, just for Mick and the whole team and Mick Kent Jnr to have faith in me and put me back on him (Lombardo), he just loves Adelaide, he thrives when he's here." - Zac Spain

Price also saddled Extreme Warrior (Extreme Choice) in the 1200-metre contest and after finishing a well-beaten 18th of 19 runners, Price said the colt would now be retired and he will take up stud duties at Rosemont Stud.

"He's ready for stud. He's a colt and he was quite difficult to saddle up today. That is not his normal form. The deal was done on him and he's off to stud and I'm sure he'll be a good bull," Price said.

In winning the Group 1, Lombardo became top-flight winner number 13 for Yarraman Park's I Am Invincible and importantly also propelled him past So You Think (NZ) into pole position in the race to be crowned Australian Champion Sire.

I Am Invincible propels past So You Think (NZ) in the race to be crowned Australian Champion Sire | Standing at Yarraman Park Stud

I Am Invincible sired a further two winners on the afternoon. However So You Think kept himself in the hunt for the title by siring three winners.

Purchased by his trainers and Aquis Farm for $300,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale from the Burnewang North Pastoral draft in 2018, Lombardo is out of the Listed-placed Encosta De Lago mare Swinging Babe and she has produced a further six winners including stakes-placed Resistant (Choisir).

High-hopes for Maximillius

Having failed to fire on his two previous appearances, Maximillius finally put it all together when it really mattered in the G3 David Coles AM S. and he looks a colt with a big future ahead of him, with the team eyeing races such as the G1 Caulfield Guineas.

The son of Yulong Stud’s Written Tycoon led throughout in the 1200-metre contest, veering outwards around the home turn and then rallying under pressure to stave off the advances of See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet), beating her by 0.1l. Aitch Two Oh (Headwater) was another 1.5l away in third.

Maximillius wins the G3 David Coles AM S. at Morphettville | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Having been disappointed with Maximillius’ first two starts, Price told Racing.com they tinkered with his headgear for Saturday’s race.

"The horse is a colt, we had a big opinion of him and we lost our trust in him because he let us down a couple of times. We fiddled around with a bit of gear for no other reason than to just try and get him to do his best," Price said.

Bred by Robert Crabtree, Maximillius hails from one of the most famous and sought after families in the Stud Book. The colt is out of Group 2-winning Fastnet Rock mare Scandiva and she is herself out of Scandinavia (Snippets).

Sylvie and Robert Crabtree | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Scandinavia is best known for being the grandam of unbeaten Champion mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and her multiple Group 1-winning brother All Too Hard (Casino Prince).

The victory handed Written Tycoon with his 48th stakes winner and he will stand at Yulong Stud for an unchanged fee of $165,000 (inc GST).

The Amazonian emerges as a bright staying prospect

Meanwhile, Price is confident he has an exciting staying filly on his hands in the shape of 3-year-old filly The Amazonian who showed her class to win the G3 SA Fillies' Classic and in the process handed the Goldin Farms resident Akeed Mofeed (GB) with his third stakes winner.

The Amazonian showed her class to win the G3 SA Fillies' Classic at Morphettville | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Having raced no further that 2040 metres in nine-start career, The Amazonian showed an electric turn of foot to scoot away from her rivals to post a 3.8l victory over Lady Chant (War Chant {USA}), while Great Mystery (Redoute’s Choice) was another 0.3l away in third.

"I think we've found a natural staying filly, it's beautiful to get a Group 3 win," Price told Racing.com. "She's proven herself as a staying prospect, so we'll work with that."

The filly was purchased by her trainer and Suman Hedge for $140,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the Goldin Farms draft and she is out of dual-winning and stakes-placed Snitzel mare Saramenha, making the filly a sister to stakes-placed Sunset Watch.

"I think we've found a natural staying filly, it's beautiful to get a Group 3 win... She's (The Amazonian) proven herself as a staying prospect, so we'll work with that." - Mick Price

Akeed Mofeed stands at Goldin Farms for a fee of $8800 (inc GST) and he is one of three sons of Darley’s lynchpin sire Dubawi (Ire) to shuttle to Australia, with Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB) the others, while another of his sons, Time Test (GB), shuttles to Little Avondale Stud in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, for good measure, Price and Kent Jnr also sent out a winner on the Flemington card when Natural Mystic - who is by Price’s former dual Group 1-winning stable star Tarzino (NZ) - landed the TROA Supports NJT H.

Fourth stakes win for Seradess

The Mark and Levi Kavanagh-trained Seradess (Astern) proved she was one of the best 3-year-old fillies in Australia when she chalked up her fourth career stakes victory and booked her ticket to the Queensland Carnival with a win in the G3 Proud Miss S. at Morphettville on Saturday.

Last sighted landing the G2 Tobin Bronze S. on May 7, the daughter of Darley’s Astern produced yet another fine performance to beat I Am Bene (I Am Invincible) by 2.8l with Gimmie Par (Not A Single Doubt) another 0.8l back in third.

Seradess strides away to claim victory in the G3 Proud Miss S. at Morphettville | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

The filly won the Listed Cinderella S. as 2-year-old, while she kicked off her 3-year-old year with a triumph in the G3 Scarborough S. and she has now won $447,595 in career prizemoney.

Kavanagh told Racing.com he had considered running the mare in the G1 The Goodwood, but said she could head to the Group 1 next year.

“She was dominant. I was considering that (The Goodwood) but if she couldn’t win this today she couldn’t win The Goodwood,” Kavanagh said.

“She was having her 10th start and we might come back and have a look at it next year.”

Bred by The Quality Thoroughbred Breeding Joint Venture, Seradess was purchased by Mark Kavanagh Racing for $50,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from the Mill Park Stud draft and she is out of stakes-placed mare Obsidian Dragon (Hidden Dragon).

Astern | Standing at Darley

Obsidian Dragon herself is a half-sister to Danedina (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Astern will stand at Darley Kelvinside in 2021 for a fee of $11,000 (inc GST) having stood last season for $16,500 (inc GST) and Seradess is one of his three stakes winners.

High-priced Snitzel colt gets off the mark

A drop down in class seemed to eke out improvement in the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Brosnan (Snitzel), with the colt finally managing to notch up a maiden victory on his fourth attempt when he won a race over 1400 metres at Flemington on Saturday.

Last seen running seventh in the G1 Inglis Sires’, Brosnan was having his first start out of stakes company and he proved too good for his rivals, beating Anphina (Rebel Dane) by 0.4l and Lethal Thoughts (So You Think {NZ}) was a further 0.2l away in third.

Purchased for $1.05 million by Kitchwin Hills from the Newhaven Park draft at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Brosnan is out of multiple Group 2-placed Domesday mare Supara and she is a daughter of stakes-placed Unabated (Encosta De Lago) who has also produced stakes-placed pair Zac Casa (Reset) and Win For Layla (Flying Spur).

Brosnan’s Written Tycoon half-sister was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis for $800,000 at this year’s edition of the Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Mick Price
Michael Kent Jnr
I Am Invincible