There was a hint of spring in the air at Rosehill on Friday morning with Emirates Park’s Fastnet Rock colt Hilal winning the opening heat for Group and Listed horses while a big contingent of stakes class juveniles tuned up for the start of the new season.
Some lovely fillies engaged in this heat with the Annabel Neasham trained I Am Invincible filly Mumbai Jewel having her second trial this prep and finishing just in front of Blue Diamond runner-up Revolutionary Miss with unraced blueblood Snitzel filly Dear Jewel an encouraging third.
Stakes-placed at two, Mumbai Jewel looms as a likely improver at three, while Russian Revolution filly Revolutionary Miss was terrific last preparation and just needs to keep doing what she’s done to be a serious force in the Princess Series.
Trained by Team Hawkes, Dear Jewel is a half-sister to Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet and Group I placed Group III winner Proisir and on this trial it’s tough not to see her breaking a maiden pretty quickly.
Also from the Annabel Neasham stable, stakes-placed Overshare filly Lady Laguna was having her second trial this prep and looked very professional leading all the way with unraced Lomandra again impressing with her second placing.
Lady Laguna missed a placed only once last season from six starts and that was the Golden Slipper and looks to be going well again, while Lomandra, the unraced half-sister to Group I winner Tagaloa, is one we are keen to see on race day after liking everything we have seen of her at the trials so far.
A $900,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Arrowfield raft for Badgers Bloodstock / Glentree Thoroughbreds, Lomandra is from the second last crop of much missed Not a Single Doubt.
Zakiyya, a big brown filly in the Star Thoroughbreds colours also caught my interest both on the trial and on her pedigree. She was ridden very quietly and did everything right well held together, so will be interested to see what happens when she’s off the bridle and tried over further.
Has a seriously good European pedigree being by Siyouni from Zerkela (Fr), a Cape Cross winner at 2000m, whose dam is a half-sister to 2008 European Horse of the Year Zarkava.
Impressive return for exciting Capitalist colt Sebonack, who steamed to the line out wide after settling back in the field to win by three-quarters of a length under a hold.
Trained by Team Hawkes, Sebonack won the Group III MRC Chairmans Stakes on debut and was then fourth in the Group I MRC Blue Diamond before failing in the Golden Slipper on the heavy track.
A $260,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Sledmere Stud draft, Sebonack had terrific form on good tracks at his first two starts so connections will no doubt be praying for the sun to shine.
We saw a Shalaa (IRE) quinella in this heat with unraced Sir Ming upstaging his stakes-winning stablemate Semillon to win by a head with Trapeze Artist’s brother Master Showman in third place.
It was the first trial this prep for Semillon, who went to the spelling paddock after winning the Group III MRC Kindergarten Stakes and the second for Sir Ming, who looks ready to test his mettle on race day.
A $725,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Arrowfield draft for E Koundouris, Sir Ming is the second foal of unraced Snitzel mare Dame Pattie, a daughter of champion filly Alinghi.
Doing his best work over the last furlong was the Chris Waller trained unraced Redoute’s Choice colt Ignacio, who was green as grass in his second trial. He’s another likable horse with a pedigree that suggests further being from Japanese winner La Fouine (Jpn) a grand-daughter of Sunday Silence from a female family packed with staying stakes-winners.
Other juvenile heat winners were: Theremin (Impending), Great Southernland (Fastnet Rock), Seiryu (Zoustar) and Philos (Shalaa (IRE).
Click here to see all the trial results at Breednet with Sale Mail and at Racing NSW with video.
