D'argento - New Winner

Trainer Liam Birchley has long earmarked the Listed TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) for highly promising juvenile Dream Roca, and the daughter of El Roca took another step in the direction of the Ellerslie feature with a dominant win at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

With his current crop of three-year-olds exceeding expectations on what they achieved last season at two, Group 1 winner D’Argento (So You Think) will remain at a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST), with live foal payments terms applying for the upcoming breeding season.

With six previous black type placed performance, it was a fantastic result for the connections of the Philip Stokes trained Dansili (GB) gelding Taramansour (IRE) as the 9yo charged away to win the $300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) by three and a quarter lengths.

Former Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Sharp ‘N’ Smart returned to the scene of that 2023 triumph to take out the Gr.3 SKYCITY Hamilton Waikato Cup (2400m) in a thrilling three-way finish to the Te Rapa staying feature.

A $575,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Newgate Farm for PR Funds, Snitzel gelding Yorskhire took another leap forward at Randwick on Saturday when taking out the $2million Group II ATC The Ingham (1600m) earning automatic entry for next year’s Group I ATC Doncaster Mile.

He’s a dashing grey just like his sire and blessed with an electric turn of foot which we saw today when he stepped up to 1400m for the first time.

One of five black type performers for his G1 Rosehill Guineas-winning sire D’Argento (So You Think), the Emma-Lee and David Browne-trained Statuario became the first stakes winner for his sire, relishing the step up in trip to claim the Listed MRC Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.

A tick under two hours after stablemate The Black Cloud recorded her first black type victory in Queensland, trainer Joe Pride saddled up fellow 5yo mare Weeping Woman in the $200,000 Listed ATC Razor Sharp (1200m) at Randwick where the daughter of Lonhro impressed as the race favourite.

While it may have taken Kobayashi mare Midnight In Tokyo 30 starts to record her first stakes victory, it only took until her very next start to record her second, winning the $160,000 Listed BRC Just Now (1300m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday for Annabel and Rob Archibald.

A winner two starts back in the Group 2 VRC Linlithgow Stakes (1400m) before fifth in the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m), the drop back to 1400m for Saturday’s $1m Supernova at Pakenham returned a windfall for the Ciaron Maher trained Warnie (IRE).