Despite the stakes action centring around Group 1 Queensland Oaks day at Eagle Farm on Saturday, a two-year-old fillies race at Flemington is, understandably, generating enormous interest.
The VRC Member Philip Jacobsen Hcp (1100m) features the career debuts of the I Am Invincible x Black Caviar filly Invincible Caviar and the Frankel x Princess Coup filly Argentia.
Both debutants have been uneasy in early betting
For tens of thousands of fans worldwide, the 2012 Royal Ascot meeting provided a lifetime of memories.
From Frankel’s 11-length demolition in the Queen Anne Stakes to Black Caviar’s heart-stopping triumph over the champion Moonlight Cloud in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, racing was on the front page for all the reasons that make it such a great sport.
Both champions went off to stud undefeated, so when their first offspring reached the track, they naturally came under the microscope.
Frankel had his knockers early, but with over 100 foals to reach the track every season, the Juddmonte superstar has established his place among the very best stallion in Europe.
Black Caviar has no such luxury. She had six consecutive foals before missing in 2019. Despite visiting the best in the business, the results thus far have been underwhelming.
Her first three foals are already at stud.
Oscietra (f by Exceed And Excel). Won two of her five starts. She has a yearling colt and a weanling colt by I Am Invincible and was covered by Churchill (IRE) last spring.
Prince Of Caviar (c by Sebring). Won a Bendigo maiden and was second three times from six starts. He covered 51 mares at a fee of $4,400 at Riverbank Stud last year.
Out Of Caviar (f by Snitzel). Unraced. She has a filly foal by I Am Invincible and visited Toronado (IRE) last spring.
Ready For Caviar (f by More Than Ready). Second on debut at Benalla, Ready For Caviar has not been seen out since finishing seventh of 11 in a Pakenham maiden in August last year.
So that brings us to Invincible Caviar, the first of Black Caviar’s progeny to be trained by Peter Moody.
Black Caviar has a weanling colt by I Am Invincible that has already been named I Am Caviar.
After being rested in 2019, Black Caviar was covered by Written Tycoon last year, although the last service date is a worrying December 15.
Frankel filly Argentia will make her debut in the colours of John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds after her purchased by James Harron for $670,000 out of the Evergreen Stud Farm draft at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained youngster is the eighth foal of the champion Encosta De Lago mare Princess Coup.
Purchased by E Thoroughbreds for $3million at the 2009 National Broodmare Sale, Princess Coup has been a reliable producer but is another that has failed to leave one close to her class.
The 4-time Group 1 winner of over $3.8 million has had five winners from six to race. Her lone stakes-winner is the very talented sprinter Thewizardofoz (Redoute’s Choice), a Group III winner in Hong Kong.
Besides her Frankel 2yo filly Argentia, Princess Coup still has more to offer. Her Sebring colt was passed in short of his $500,000 reserve at Easter this year.
After foaling an I Am Invincible filly last spring, Princess Coup was bred back to Dundeel.
