Gary Portelli has already won two Golden Slippers with brilliant fillies She Will Reign and Fireburn and the astute trainer unleashed an Extreme Choice colt on Wednesday at Randwick that he hopes might give him a third success in the world’s richest two year-old race.
Extreme Spirit caught the eye of champion jockey James McDonald when he trialled at Warwick Farm last month to finish fifth and after chasing the ride he was booked to partner the colt when he made his debut in the 1100m maiden.
Extreme Spirit was well fancied by punters and paraded in good order albeit carrying condition to suggest he will be improved for the run.
He jumped well and worked forward to stalk the leader and did his best work over the final furlong, letting down all the way to the post to run right through the line and win by a length.
It was a stylish debut that will have his trainer plotting his next move on a path that may lead to the Golden Slipper.
“He’s a lovely horse and was a beautiful walker at the sales and I knew he’d make into a good two year-old,” said Gary Portelli.
“He still did a few things wrong today and he will get better with racing, so hopefully we can head towards the big ones.
“I’ve got to work out a way to get there, but this is a good start.”
James McDonald was well pleased with Extreme Spirit, who was a $150,000 Inglis Classic purchase for his trainer last year from the Valiant Stud draft.
“He’s till pretty new, but he’s got a good bit of talent there so hopefully they can get him where they need to get him,” McDonald said.
Extreme Spirit was bred by Dr Richard McClenahan of Mullaglass Stud and is the second winner from Miss Spirituality, an unraced half-sister by Starcraft to Group III placed Slumber Party, and she traces back to influential producer Singles Bar, the dam of champion sire Not a Single Doubt.
This branch of the Easy Date family has also produced Group I winners King’s Legacy and Oohood, so Extreme Spirit is going to be a very valuable commodity if Black Type races fall his way.
Miss Spirituality has a yearling filly by Capitalist that made $60,000 as a weanling and was withdrawn from Inglis Classic this week. She also has a filly to follow by Microphone and was covered by Harry Angel (IRE) last spring.
Extreme Spirit is the second winner from seven to race so far from the third crop of just 28 foals by Extreme Choice, who has two entries for Inglis Premier and six for Inglis Easter.
