NOT A Single Doubt again showed he will be a force with his progeny this season, starting with an impressive and dominating juvenile named Condor Heroes who ran the fastest time of the morning at Sydney’s first official two-year-old barrier trials at Randwick last week.
Trained by Gerald Ryan at Rosehill, Condor Heroes went straight to the front and never looked like being beaten winning by nine-and-a-quarter lengths and running the 850-metre trip in 50.52 seconds.
Condor Heroes was a $190,000 graduate from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, when selling from the Nick Hodges’ managed Riversdale Stud, Scone.
A bay speedster, Condor Heroes was one of nine of the 12 barrier trial winners belonging to the all-powerful sireline of Danehill.
Three winners were by Godolphin’s Danehill champion Australian sire Exceed And Excel – two colts, and a home-bred filly, Jorda, who ran the fourth fastest time of 50.97 seconds.
Coolmore Stud’s Danehill champion Australian sire Fastnet Rock, and Arrowfield Stud’s Danehill champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice featured with a winner each – filly Greater Good and colt Misty Lad, respectively.
Like Arrowfield Stud’s Not A Single Doubt, being a grandson of Danehill, via Redoute’s Choice, is his stable companion and leading sire Snitzel, who was represented with two winners – Invader and Bowerman, who was a $525,000 Magic Milliions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate.
Trained by Gerald Ryan at Rosehill, Condor Heroes went straight to the front and never looked like being beaten winning by nine-and-a-quarter lengths and running the 850-metre trip in 50.52 seconds.
While Invader was a $475,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate, a close second to this colt was Chauffeur, the $1.6 million sale’s topper at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Second fastest trial winner – with 50.58 seconds – was Conservation, a colt by Coolmore Stud’s honest and reliable sire Choisir, a son of outstanding Danehill sire son Danehill Dancer.
The other three trial winners were the Godolphin home-bred colt Astoria, by Medaglia d’Oro, a grandson of Sadler’s Wells; home-bred filly Tiki Bar, by Australian bred Mr Prospector linesire Sepoy; and Chain Of Fools.
Chain Of Fools was a $145,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate by Vinery Stud’s champion sire More Than Ready who belongs to the Hail To Reason sireline.
First season two-year-old glamour sires Pierro, by Lonhro at Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains, and All Too Hard, by Casino Prince at Vinery Stud, Scone, were each represented with third placegetters – Noviero, China Gale, and Mystic Empire, respectively.
Sydney’s first two-year-old races – the Breeders Plate and Gimcrack Stakes will be among the star studded program at Randwick this Saturday.
The juvenile races are among nine program events which also includes three group 1s headed by the time-honoured Epsom Handicap which dates back to 1865.
While Randwick has the luxury and benefits of a metropolitan style racecourse, its country counterparts have been suffering from cancelled and abandoned race meetings due to recent heavy rain across the state.
Annual meets at Pooncarie (due to be held October 1) in the state’s south west, and Mungery (October 2) have been cancelled.
Montecchio on North Coast
QUEENSLAND’s new high profile stud, Aquis Farm, has two youngsters belonging to the first crop juveniles of new Irish-bred stakes-winning sire Montecchio for the Magic Millions Ready To Run Two-Year-Old Sale at the Gold Coast next month.
One is a colt listed at lot 216, and was produced from Black Minnaloushe mare Hula Moonlight.
This is interesting news for stud operator Diane Cheetham, who has introduced Montecchio to her North Coast property Dalrio Stud, at Spring Gove, this season.
Another current viewpoint for Montecchio is the emergence of family member and talented Melbourne trained Tom Melbourne, an Irish-bred galloping son of Danehill’s Dylan Thomas racing in Australia, and who has won five races and more than $255,000.
Australians are well aware of this female family due to the presence of group 1 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente, and Tom Melbourne, winner of this year’s celebrated Listed Albury Cup.
Fiorente was produced from Desert Bloom, a half-sister to the dam of Tom Melbourne, who is currently on the spring cups trail in Victoria.
Winning as a two-year-old over 1400 metres in Ireland, Montecchio then finished fourth in the group 2 Beresford Stakes, to multiple group 1 winner St Nicolas Abbey.
Continuing his race career in Hong Kong under new name Sparkling Power, he won on debut in that country before he trained on to take the group 3 Hong Kong Macau Trophy next season.
Racing in group 1 company several times, the horse finished fourth in one of them beaten only one and a half lengths.
A son of impressive young sire Acclamation, who belongs to the iconic Northern Dancer line, Montecchio’s grand-dam is out of a half-sister to group 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Hellenic, dam of six stakes horses including group 1 winners Islington, who won four group 1 races, Mountain High and Greek Dance.
