The Group III SAJC RN Irwin Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville on Saturday featured the return of champion sprinting mare Sunlight taking on local hero Gytrash, fresh from a super successful Melbourne campaign mixing it with the best sprinters in the country.
Sunlight looked big and strong in the yard and ran a great race to finish second, but the fit and in form Gytrash was in a class of his own today.
A brilliant winner of the Group I VRC Lightning Stakes and placed in both the Group I VRC Newmarket Handicap and Group I MVRC William Reid Stakes, Gytrash stalked the pace and powered away at the finish to win by more than three lengths.
Trained on the track by Gordon Richards, Gytrash has only been unplaced once in his career which was last year in the Group I SAJC Goodwood Handicap, a race Richards will no doubt now be seeking to win.
“To win is good. To win so arrogantly is very satisfying,” Richards said.
“To win so easily shows he’s the real deal.
“I’ve got nothing in the stable that can go with him.”
A $40,000 purchase by his trainer out of the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft at the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Gytrash advances his record to eight wins and nine placings from 18 starts with prizemoney in excess of $1million. He was pinhooked out of the 2016 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale for $70,000.
The same year his dam Miss Barley was sold to Einoncliff Park for $26,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Gytrash is the best of two winners out of the Fastnet Rock mare Miss Barley who is a half-sister to the Listed winner Strawberry Storm, the dam of the stakes-placed Movie (Red Ransom) who is in turn, the dam of stakes-winner and $1.1 million earner Goodfella.
Miss Barley has a 2yo filly by Demerit named Pouakai. Not served in 2017, Miss Barley missed in 2018 and was covered by Universal Ruler last spring.
Gytrash is from the fourth and final Australian crop of his sire Lope de Vega (Fr), who stands at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland at a fee of 100,000 euros in 2020.
