With our current season two year-olds about to turn three there were loads of them in action at the Randwick trials on Tuesday with 10 of the 20 heats won by juveniles highlighted by the return of Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside, while two unraced winners by I Am Invincible caught the eye and a daughter of Frankel.
Sent to the paddock after winning the Golden Slipper, Extreme Choice colt Stay Inside looked in great order for his return.
He trailed the leader for Tommy Berry and slipped away to win his 900m heat by more than a length in 56.28 seconds with Australian Horse of the Year elect Verry Elleegant surging home under a hold for fourth.
The next two heats were also for Group and Listed horses with classy juvenile fillies Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel), Glistening (Zoustar), She’s All Class (I Am Invincible) and Xtremetime (Extreme choice) also tuning up for their spring return.
The remaining juvenile heats produced some interesting winners with progressive colts In the Congo (Snitzel) and Mazu (Maurice (Jpn) fighting out the finish of their heat after pulling well clear of their rivals.
Of the unraced brigade, $1million I Am Invincible colt Journalism was having his fourth trial and second this preparation, so he looks ready to go to the races.
Revved up from the gates by Brenton Avdulla, Journalism held the fence and surged to the lead. He kept up a good gallop right to the line to win his 1045m heat by three-quarters of a length over the stakes-winning I Am Invincible filly Najmaty.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Journalism was bred and sold by Rosemont Stud at Magic Millions and runs for a syndicate headed by Go Bloodstock with Rosemont retaining a share.
He is the second foal from Northern Meteor’s Group I winning daughter Amanpour, who was bought by Rosemont Stud for $1.5million at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Another expensive unraced I Am Invincible heat winner was the filly Californiasilencer, who travelled deep all the way albeit on the pace and was strong at the finish under a hold to win her 735m heat by half a neck over Von Trapp.
A $600,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Yarraman Park draft for Asian Bloodstock Services, Californiasilencer is a half-sister to South African Group III winner Muwaary.
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained filly is from stakes-winning Anabaa (USA) mare Silently, a half-sister to $7million earner Criterion and Group I winner Comin’ Through as well as Group II winner Varenna Miss.
The same connections have enjoyed multiple stakes wins with I Am Invincible filly California Zimbol and will be hoping for similar success with this girl.
Finishing second to Californiasilencer in her heat was a blueblood Frankel filly having her first public trial for Mark Newnham and she did enough here to suggest a bright future.
Von Trapp is a homebred for the Hutchinson family and carries the colours made famous by Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy.
She was withdrawn from Inglis Easter and retained which may well be a good move.
Von Trapp is bred on the same cross as Epsom Derby winner Adayar being from Chortle (GB), a winning Dubawi mare that is a full sister to triple Group I winner Hunters Light, who was successful up to 2250m.
Chortle was bought by bloodstock agent Neil Jenkinson from the Arqana December Mares Sale in 2016 for 220,000 euros and subsequently sent to Frankel with Von Trapp the result of the mating.
The female family is absolutely A grade European Black Type that screams Oaks filly and in Mark Newnham, Von Trapp has the right trainer.
See all the trial results at Breednet with Sale Mail and at Racing NSW with video.
