Six heats for juveniles at Randwick on Monday morning and we saw some of the pre-Christmas stars in action and whether they can take it to the next level in the autumn remains to be seen or will the up and comers go straight past them?
The first of the two year-old heats over 850m featured the winners of the G3 Breeders Plate (Espionage), G3 Gimcrack Stakes (Manaal) and $1million Golden Gift (Shangri La Express) and none that trio were first past the post with that honour going to the Waterhouse Bott trained Snitzel colt Prost. Third in the Breeders Plate on debut, he was having his second trial back and had a cosy run on the fence before sneaking through to take a long neck win.
Shangri La Express is two for two and looked good here, albeit will take plenty of benefit for the blow out, Manaal found the line well and Espionage was very quiet in a very unlike Gai and Adrian trial.
A $650,000 Magic Millions purchase from Baramul Stud for Kia Ora Stud Pty Ltd/TFI /Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing, Prost is a three-quarter brother-in-blood to Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Exhilarates, so is going to be a very attractive stallion prospect if he goes the right way.
He has a yearling half-brother by Toronado (IRE) from Samarmeteors that sold for $325,000 at Magic Millions to TFI.
Running slightly slower time in the other 850m heat was the John O’Shea trained Super Seth colt Linebacker, who went very nicely at his second trial ro forge clear of the Newgate China Horse Club owned I Am Invincible colt Kingdom Underseige.
Linebacker was a $160,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase for John O'Shea Racing / Suman Hedge Bloodstock from the Haunui Farm draft and has obviously pleased his trainer John O’Shea as he purchased his full brother at Magic Millions from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft for just $80,000.
Linebacker and his baby brother are from well related import Garden of Swans (GB), an unraced half-sister to Group I winner Mukhadram from the family of Group I winners Kirklees and Mastery. Pedigree says these guys should be better at three and over ground, so any result this season at two a bonus.
The 1050m juvenile heat saw $1.6million I Am Invincible colt Bodyguard step out and the spring stakes-winner looked in good order finishing a close second to Pierata colt Fearless as he did in his first trial back on January 9. Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden as is Bodyguard, Fearless was fourth in the Breeders Plate on debut and has obviously come back well.
A modest $220,000 Inglis Classic purchase for the James Harron Colts Partnership from Highgrove Stud, Fearless is from a winning half-sister to the dam of Champion Sprinter and Group I sire Starspangledbanner.
The Newgate / China Horse Club colours are seldom not seen with a juvenile trial winner and they had one here in the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Deep Field colt Counteroffensive, who led all the way to win at his second trial this prep after a debut third last year behind Sovereign Hill in a midweek maiden.
A $425,000 Magic Millions purchase from Mill Park for China Horse Club/Newgate/Go/Trilogy, Counteroffensive is a half-brother to South African Group I winning sprinter Run Fox Run and three-quarter brother to stakes-winner Guard of Honour from good producer Victory Cry.
There were two heats run over the shorter 741m trip and both were won brilliantly by Waterhouse and Bott trained fillies Alinea and Lady of Camelot.
Written Tycoon filly Alinea was fifth in the Gimcrack at her only start and was having her second trial here and gave nothing else a chance leading and kicking clear to win easily.
Alinea was a $420,000 Magic Millions purchase from Edinbugh Park for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel Thoroughbreds and her yearling half-sister by Snitzel from Serena Bay sold at the same sale this year for $1.25million.
Also by Written Tycoon, Lady of Camelot was having her second trial back and was fast out from a wide gate and led all the way to win on her own with ears pricked.
A close fourth on debut in the Group III ATC Gimcrack Stakes in the spring, she has obviously come back in great shape and looks set to become a stakes-winner for her breeder Sir Owen Glenn like her older half-sisters Platinum Jubilee and Queen of the Ball, who was also a trial winenr at Randwick this morning..
Click here for trial results at Breednet with Sale Mail and at Racing NSW with video.
