Global powerhouse Godolphin and the increasingly influential Phoenix Thoroughbreds fought out the finish of last Saturday's Dubai World Cup at Meydan with Godolphin's Helmet 5yo Thunder Snow nosing out Phoenix's Lonhro 4yo Gronkowski and those owners go toe to toe again in Saturday's $1 million Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
Godolphin will be at a numerical advantage with the Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi and runner-up Microphone backing up as is Tenley whose run was too bad to be true.
Phoenix will rely on Loving Gaby and we will be backing the daughter of I Am Invincible to improve on her Golden Slipper fourth following a month layoff. (image Grant Courtney)
Remarkably, in this global age, both Loving Gaby and Microphone trace back to a mare imported to Australia back in the
She is Cornelia a daughter of the taproot mare Manto.
A century after her importation, Cornelia's descendent The Begum earned her place in history as one of the all-time great broodmares in New Zealand leaving four stakes-winners led by the great High Caste who was a remarkable performer during the years of the second world war (google him).
So, we will fast forward another seven decades when Kia Ora Stud's powerfully made I Am Invincible filly out of the stakes-placed Maastricht was led around the ring at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
A daughter of Danehill Dancer's Irish Two Thousand Guineas winning son Mastercraftsman (IRE), Maastricht was purchased as a yearling for $220,000 out of the Curraghmore Stud draft at the 2013 NZB Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka.
Bred by the mother/daughter combination of Raywyn Ramage and Shelley Frost, Maastricht is a half-sister to the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap winner
Trained by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, for Allan Bell and Kia Ora Thoroughbreds, Maastricht showed ability from day one. She won her first two starts at Echuca and Bendigo, before losing her unbeaten tag when runner-up to Fontein Ruby in the Group II Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington.
She was second again when beaten by Set Square in the Listed Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield before that daughter of Reset captured the Group 1 Victoria Oaks.
Maastricht raced consistently without winning again. She placed in the Group II Alister Clark won by Stratum Star and the Group III Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick but when she failed in the Let's Elope Stakes at Flemington the pin was pulled on her 12-start career.
Loving Gaby (pictured right as a yearling) is her first foal. Phoenix Thoroughbred purchased the daughter of I Am Invincible for a not inconsiderable $500,00, which was still a fair whack cheaper than the $1.6 million Phoenix shelled out, in association with Aquis Farm, for Sizzling's brother at the Magic Millions the same year.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Loving Gaby made a winning debut in the Group III Chairman's Stakes at Caulfield on February 2 then didn't see much daylight when beaten less than two lengths when sixth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes won by Lyre.
She then went into the Group 1 Golden Slipper after a four-week break and was caught three and four wide the trip, lost her near-fore plate in running, but still battled on gamely to finish fourth, a length and a half behind the winner Kiamichi.
From barrier five and with James McDonald in the saddle, she can turn it around on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Maastricht does not have a yearling to grace the arena at the Easter Yearling Sale this year having missed to More Than Ready (USA) in 2016 but Maastricht's half-sister Attractive (Zabeel) has a More Than Ready (USA) filly in the draft of John Muir's Milburn Creek Stud. (lot 368 pictured left)
Maastricht has a filly foal by Sebring and is carrying a full sibling to Loving Gaby.
