With 18 stakes races around Australia on Saturday, we are hardly limping towards the back end of the season.
The $1million Group 1 Tab Doomben 10,000 (1200m) at Doomben and the $500,000 Group 1 The Furphy Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville take centre stage.
The $250,000 Group II Spirit Of Boom (Champagne) Classic (1200m) for the two-year-olds at Doomben shapes as a fascinating contest.
Some red-hot locals will be looking to repel a strong challenge by the southerners.
The Robert Heathcote-trained Spirit Of Boom gelding Prince Of Boom, a facile four and three-quarter length winner at the Sunshine Coast at his only start, will attempt to do the right thing by the sponsor.
The $425,000 Aquis purchase Maotai (Not A Single Doubt) will have his supporters following a five and a quarter length romp on debut at Ipswich.
Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young’s Siyouni (FR) filly See You In Spring puts her unbeaten record on the line.
The Newgate Farm trio of first season sires, Capitalist, Extreme Choice and Flying Artie, are never far from the action and they will make their presence felt again.
Kalashnikov (Capitalist) and Tiger Of Malay (Extreme Choice) have been given a freshen-up after a relatively demanding spring.
The new boy on the scene is the Flying Artie colt Giannis.
A veteran of just two starts, the Chris Waller-trained colt has found a tough spot to break his maiden.
At his career debut in the Group III Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on January 30, Giannis finished a troubled fifth behind Zethus (Exceed And Excel). He was just one and a half lengths behind the winner that day. A fortnight later, Giannis ran in to a rising star in the Champion 2yo elect Stay Inside in the Pierro 2yo Plate at Randwick.
Despite being beaten nearly five lengths, the son of Flying Artie clocked the best final 800m of the race.
Waller loves to send his up and coming two-year-olds to Brisbane for the winter and everything that Giannis has done to date indicates he is on an upward trajectory.
Pinhooked by Rhys Smith for $67,500 out of the Sledmere Stud draft at the 2019 National Weanling Sale, Giannis is raced by the Smith family after failing to make his $200,000 reserve when offered by Kulani Park at the 2020 Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Giannis was bred by China Horse Club, who purchased his dam Palace Rock for $260,000 out of the Newhaven Park Stud draft at the 2017 National Broodmare Sale.
A talented performer on the track in New Zealand, the daughter of Fastnet Rock won twice and placed in 11 of her 26 starts, including a third in the Group III Eulogy Stakes.
Palace Rock is a sister to the Group 1 ARC Easter Handicap winner Albany Reunion and Listed stakes-winner and Group 1-placed Fast Dragon.
They are three of the seven winners from as many to race out of the winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare Secret Silence, a half-sister to stakes-winner Sunrise Silence (Squill) and stakes-placed Discretion.
A daughter of Canny Lad, Discretion is the dam of dual Group III winner Royal Discretion (Royal Academy) and Listed winner Roulettes. A daughter of Flying Spur, Roulettes is the dam of the stakes-winner Parlophone (I Am Invincible) and Telemon Thoroughbreds handsome, Group III winning Zoustar stallion, Sun City.
The dam of Secret Silence, Nothings Secret (Secreto) is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois and Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp winner Northjet (Northfield).
Ricky Yiu purchased a Hellbent colt out of Palace Rock for $370,000 out of the Sledmere Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January.
After foaling another Hellbent colt last spring, Palace Rock was covered by Russian Revolution.
Led by his Group 1 Blue Diamond winning son Artorius and the stakes-placed The Art Of Flying, Flying Artie has enjoyed a most productive first season.
He sits fourth behind Capitalist, Extreme Choice, and Shalaa (IRE) on the first season sires table earning an increase in fee to $33,000 at Newgate Farm for the forthcoming season.
