The $2m Inglis Millennium is at the top of the agenda for untapped colt El Padrino (Street Boss) following his win in today’s feature $400,000 Listed Inglis Nursery at Randwick.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained 2YO was having just his second career start, following a narrow defeat on debut last month.
But today the juvenile proved too strong, defying an at-times wide run to defeat the Snowden Racing-trained Calgary Stampede (Snitzel), with Athletica (Exceed And Excel) for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in third.
Maher and Eustace purchased El Padrino for $210,000 at this year’s Premier Yearling Sale at Oaklands, where he was offered by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds.
The colt was bred by Peter Murray’s Murray Thoroughbreds.
The fact the Nursery has produced so many quality youngsters that developed into feature G1 winners over the years was not lost on Maher’s assistant trainer in NSW Jack Bruce.
“Good horses win this race. She Will Reign won it and then won the Slipper, as did Mossfun, Wild Ruler and Extreme Choice have also won it and went onto win feature G1s as colts etc so it’s a great race to win. It’s a formula that’s tried and true and now El Padrino joins the list,’’ Bruce said.
“You’ve got to have a serious look at the Inglis Millennium with him now, with the prizemoney on offer and it being a genuine lead-in to the Golden Slipper with some of the prizemoney now counting too for Slipper qualification, so that’s the obvious consideration next.
“We’ll take him home and see how he is first and foremost.
“It’s very exciting for a huge group of people to get involved in this horse and get the ultimate reward.
“We’ve taken him through the system quite quietly and he’s really improved going into that Cranbourne run on debut and he’s gone to a new level today.’’
Breeder Murray described El Padrino (pictured) as a “classic-looking yearling’’.
“He was always a nice colt, strong and forward from the day he was born,’’ Murray said.
“Toby and Peter Liston and the team at Three Bridges did a great job with him, he was very well liked at the Inglis Sale, a real classic-looking yearling and he sold accordingly.’’
Murray owns “around 13 or 14 mares’’, all of which are farmed at Three Bridges.
Murray purchased El Padrino’s dam Misty Rock for $30,000 at a 2018 Inglis Mixed Sale, sent her straight to Street Boss and El Padrino is the resulting colt.
He then sold the mare in an Inglis Digital Sale last November, with today’s result providing a major update for her purchaser and current owner, Murray Shaw.
“I’ve sent a lot of horses to Street Boss over the years, I’ve always loved him as a sire,’’ Murray said.
“I’ve been breeding since around 2007 and this result sits very high up the ladder of satisfaction. To breed a great-looking yearling that develops into a great-looking 2YO that wins a feature Stakes race at his second start, it’s very satisfying.’’
Three Bridges’ Toby Liston added: “This was the first horse we raised for Pete, he’s such a great fellow and for him to win a race of the standard such as the Inglis Nursery, it’s awesome.
“I remember [Ciaron Maher’s bloodstock manager] Will Bourne loved this colt at the farm and then Ciaron himself loved him at Oaklands heading into the sale, and they got the one they wanted.
“He did so well during that Prem prep, everyone there liked him and many wanted him.’’
El Padrino is raced by a syndicate led primarily by James Wilson, with partners including his father, Glentree Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Wilson, whose colours the horse carried today for jockey Jason Collett.
Winning trainers Maher and Eustace will receive a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars as part of the Inglis Race Series.
El Padrino joins Inglis Banner winner Semillion as the two horses alive in the Inglis Triple Crown.
Should either colt progress to win the Millennium and G1 Inglis Sires next year, they would earn a $2m bonus for their connections.
Later on the Randwick program, Classic Yearling Sale bargain buy Brutality (Shamus Award) booked his berth in next year’s $3m G1 Doncaster Mile with a strong win in the G2 Villiers Stakes.
It was a sixth career win for the 5YO and took his career earnings to more than $800,000.
Trainer Joe Pride purchased Brutality for $40,000 at the 2018 Classic Sale, where he was offered by Bhima Thoroughbreds.
“What a fantastic result,’’ a jubilant Pride said.
“He wasn’t an expensive horse from the Classic Sale, it’s always the cheaper ones I talk my wife Kylie in to going in so she’s very happy as a part owner too.
“He was rock hard fit today this horse and raced accordingly so we’ll take the same approach into the Doncaster and if he can get some rain in the lead-up, he’ll be in with a good chance.’’
Brutality is bred by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock.
And Nigel Chaplin’s dream run with consistent 7YO Totally Charmed continued when he was victorious in today’s Listed Bribie Handicap at Eagle Farm.
Chaplin purchased a 5% share in Totally Charmed in this year’s Inglis Digital April (Late) Online Sale for just $1250.
Since then, the horse has earned a cheque at all five subsequent starts, equating to more than $7500 for Chaplin’s share.
It capped a big weekend for the Inglis Digital platform, which produced another Stakes winner on Friday night when Charmmebaby (Charm Spirit) won the Listed Brisbane Handicap at Doomben.
Charmmebaby is a $14,000 buy from last year’s May Online Sale for Glen Milligan.
