Royally-bred Redoute’s Choice colt Mission River finally shed his maiden status at his sixth attempt in a 1000 metres maiden at Gosford on Friday.
Taking advantage of an inside barrier draw, Josh Parr had Mission River travelling sweetly behind the pace set by the odds-on favourite Heroess (Snitzel) and Hajime Naoki (Time for War).
After a brief scare when a run closed on him in the straight, Parr maneuvered back to the rails when Heroess rolled off and Mission River hit the line strongly to defeat Hajime Naoki by a half-neck with Heroess one and a quarter lengths back in third.
Trained by the newly former partnership of Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, Mission River is a homebred for Sun Stud.
He began his career in January when second to Rulership at Randwick then split Supreme Idea and Dame Giselle in the Listed Lonhro stakes at Randwick on February 15.
He found the opposition a bit hot in the Group II Skyline Stakes and Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes which brought the curtain down on his 2yo season.
Backed into odds-on favouritism on his resumption at Newcastle on August 13, the son of Redoute’s Choice looked ring-rusty and half disinterested in the early stages of 900m maiden and clocked in third.
Mission River is the second winner for the top-class Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Yosei who was something of a Group 1 snob.
Three of her four wins came at the highest level in the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes, Tattersall's Tiara and MRC Thousand Guineas, with Michelle Payne in the saddle.
Yosei also placed in the AJC Doncaster, MRC Toorak handicap and SAJC Robert Sangster Classic.
Sun Stud purchased her for $850,000 out of the Morning Rise Stud draft at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when she was carrying the twice winning Deep Field colt King’s Champ.
Yosei has a 2yo filly named Bay Of Naples who comes from the penultimate crop of Redoute’s Choice.
After foaling a Fighting Sun filly last spring, Yosei was covered by Trapeze Artist.
