THREE young stallions were each represented with their first two-year-old winners - the imported Shalaa and Frosted as well as Australian bred Flying Artie last Saturday week.
While I highlighted the win of Shaquero (won ATC Breeders Plate-LR), a first crop son of Irish bred Shalaa (by Invincible Spirit) last week, in Melbourne Darley's grey shuttle horse Frosted - which stands at Godolphin property "Northwood" near Seymour in Victoria, also had an immediate impact.
His impressive winner was Godolphin homebred colt Ingratiating (and produced from dual Group winning Lonhro mare Obsequious) which won its own sponsored VRC Darley Maribyrnong Trial Stakes-LR at Flemington.
A triple US Group 1 winner, Frosted also secured third place with Cloudy, both juveniles prepared by Godolphin's major Australian trainer James Cummings.
Frosted would rate the first sire son of champion US stallion Tapit to stand at stud here and to sire a winner in Australia.
This sireline represents a Danzig outcross, the grey Tapit being by US Group 1 winner Pulpit with his sire and grandsire being great US champions A P Indy and Seattle Slew respectively.
Favourite for that race was General Beau, a colt by another Godolphin Seymour based stallion Brazen Beau (by I Am Invincible), who split Ingratiating and Cloudy for second place.
On the same day in Brisbane, Princess Bojack won her first start at Eagle Farm, and became the first winner for her sire Flying Artie, which stands at Newgate Farm, Aberdeen.
Winner of the VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes-G1 (defeating stallions Astern and Star Turn) Flying Artie is another Danzig free bred stallion, being a son of US bred Artie Schiller, which is by Sadler's Wells sire son El Prado.
While no winners, Vinery Stud's Star Turn was represented with two placegetters on the same day. Like her sire a flashy chestnut, Star Turn filly Stellar Magic (a $100,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale graduate) finished an eye-catching second to Princess Bojack.
In Sydney, $300,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Star Turn colt Astrologer finished third to Shaquero and Construct, in the ATC Breeders Plate-G3.
Vale Bob Ingham
THE Australian Thoroughbred industry recently lost passionate racehorse owner and breeder Bob Ingham AO, who passed away at age 88.
Bob Ingham - along with his brother Jack, established one of Australia's largest thoroughbred empires of recent times - Woodlands Stud, breeding and racing their own horses.
The Inghams' distinct cerise colours were regularly seen on racetracks being worn by jockeys riding their champions including the memorable Octagonal and his son Lonhro, which both became Australian Horses Of The Year, as well as highly successful stallions at the Inghams' breeding property.
Enthusiasts should recall the excellent Inghams/Woodlands home-bred stakes winning stallions including Baguette horse Crown Jester (and his Golden Slipper winning son Guineas), Street Café, Strategic and his half-brother Clang, Arena, Viscount, Dracula, Dodge, Planchet, and Over.
Guineas won the 1997 Golden Slipper Stakes, but remember when second placegetter Encounter ran sideways close to the post, which arguably cost the Tierce colt the race?
Some other notable racehorses include Freemason, Sports, Flavour, Boreale, Donar, Booked, Yell, Tenor, Manana, Hosannah, Waikikamukau, Dextrous, Whistle Up, Prairie, Upwards, Lease, Hire, Heather, and Holy Roller.
As well as his contribution to the Thoroughbred industry, Mr Ingham's generosity stretched to provide an independent specialist centre for a health and medical research facility in Liverpool which was initiated in 2012, when the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research was opened.
Highlighting mischief
IT is interesting to see two (of the 226 catalogued) juveniles by champion US stallion Into Mischief, listed for Inglis' Ready To Run Two-Year-Old Sale scheduled at its Riverside Stables next Tuesday. With a service fee hike to $US225,000 at his home of Spendthrift Farm, Kentucky, Into Mischief had the notoriety of recently siring Authentic, this year's Kentucky Derby-G1 winner, which followed with a second in the Preakness Stakes-G1.