(Credit: Racing Photos)
As Saturdays go, last Saturday proved highly successful for thoroughbreds foaled on the eastern side of the Tasman. Results mean stallion bookings and hopefully fuller books and both Cambridge Stud and Rich Hill Stud enjoyed a very good day.
However, there was another establishment, namely New Zealand Bloodstock, which might literally be rubbing their hands together, such were the results of stakes successes, not only in Sydney and Melbourne but also locally.
Flemington saw three NZ-breds salute. Satono Glow (Satono Aladdin) took out the Cap d’Antibes Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), Shockletz (Shocking) nabbed the Archer Stakes (Gr 3, 2500m) and St Lawrence (Redwood) wrapped up the card when scoring the Vic/Tas Trophy (1700m).
A further treble took place at Rosehill when Anthracite (Mongolian Khan) scored at Benchmark 88 level, Persian Wonder (Hello Youmzain) caused an upset in the Ming Dynasty (Gr 3, 1400m) and Warwoven (Sword Of State) returned to winning form in the Run to the Rose (Gr 2, 1200m).
For good measure, Liberty Park (Ocean Park) won at Doomben while in Adelaide Retourne (Shamexpress) made it back-to-back metro wins, heading a trifecta of Kiwis in the Sportsbet Fast Form Benchmark 78 Handicap.
Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) landed a trans-Tasman double when, at Riccarton, Sweetest Thing somehow got her nose in front in a tough Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) victory while at Hastings Justin Case (Banquo) was too good in the Sir Colin Meads Trophy (Listed, 1200m).
Stakes results provide a boost for auctioneers and vendors alike and are effectively free advertising leading up to any sale. Hello Youmzain’s timely double could well have some effect on the 15 lots scheduled for sale at November’s Ready to Run Sale. The same could be said of the 12 lots by Sword Of State (Snitzel) as well as 12 lots by Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact). Not to be left out, Shocking (Street Cry) will be represented by five lots and Banquo (Written Tycoon) has two lots on offer.
No Stopping Him
(Credit: Bradley Photos)
There appears to be no stopping Hello Youmzain’s current run of results, the last six weeks proving highly successful. Since late July he has added two-year-old Listed winner Back Of The Bus and at Wanganui last month, Perfect Chaos in the Wanganui Guineas (Listed, 1200m).
A week ago on Sunday, Extremely Zain took out the Garrowby Stakes (Listed, 6f) at York and this past weekend Sweetest Thing and Persian Wonder brought his individual stakes winners’ tally to 18, of which nine are racing in Australasia. He is clearly on a roll.
The writer was at Trentham for the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). Although the winning margin for Seize The Day (I Am Invincible) was considerable, there was none more pleased with the performance of Sweetest Thing than part-owner and respected bloodstock agent Chris Rutten. The filly didn’t have the best of runs yet finished strongly after being held up at the 300 metres. In the dismounting yard, Rutten stated that he was very much looking forward to her three-year-old season.
Roydon Bergerson oversaw the filly’s two-year-old season, which resulted in three second placings (including in the Sires’ Produce Stakes) and a good finish for fifth in the Sistema Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), her only four starts. The filly has new owners but keeping things within the family, Sweetest Thing changed stables and is now trained by Te Akau’s Mark Walker and Bergerson’s son Sam.
Sent south to Te Akau’s Riccarton base with the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) the target, Sweetest Thing trialled at Timaru and Ashburton in readiness for the Canterbury Belle Stakes. Ridden by Wiremu Pinn, the filly had one to beat at the 300 metres then took over at the 200. However, inside the 100 metres she was headed by Sword Of Stars (Sword Of State) who was in full flight. No way, said Sweetest Thing, who immediately rallied strongly inside the last 50, finding the line doggedly.
The winner’s cheque of $46,000 brought her earnings to $183,330, so the bank manager will be very pleased. Rutten found Sweetest Thing among the Wentwood Grange 2025 NZB Karaka Yearling draft and in conjunction with trainer Roydon Bergerson signed the docket for $80,000.
Her connections may take comfort regarding her chances in longer races from the fact that her Irish-bred dam Ocean Drive (Sea The Stars) won at 2000 and 2600 metres. Ocean Drive’s half-brother, Indian Days (Indian Ridge), who was successful up to 2400 metres, won the John Porter Stakes (Gr 3, 12f) at Newbury and was twice a Group 2 winner in Turkey.
First in Australia
Several Australian-based Hello Youmzains had recorded Group and Listed placings prior to Saturday but Persian Wonder’s Ming Dynasty Stakes win provided his Australian breakthrough. He becomes his sire’s ninth Southern Hemisphere stakes winner and interestingly, is also the first male as the previous eight are fillies.
The David Payne-trained gelding nearly fell soon after the start when he was jammed against the rail but recovered to settle three back on the fence. At the 300 metres he needed to find a lane but that didn’t present itself until the 200, from where he sliced between runners and charged to the line and a very solid win, his second in ten starts.
Last March at two he recorded a Group second placing in the TL Baillieu Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) and in July scored his maiden win at Canterbury. In his lead up to Saturday he was doing his best work late when finishing fifth in the Up and Coming Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m).
Payne describes the galloper as a big, dumb bugger who is very laidback and worried by nothing. Payne sourced Persian Wonder from the Cambridge Stud draft of the 2025 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $160,000. The Ming Dynasty win took his earnings beyond $290,000 and next will be the Gloaming Stakes (Gr 3, 1800m) followed by the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
Like Sweetest Thing, he is from an imported mare Steer By The Stars (Pivotal) whose five foals to race are all winners. Persian Wonder is her second stakes winner having foaled the English-bred Never Back Down (Kodiac), a Listed winner at Newbury. Cambridge Stud likely chose to mate the mare with Hello Youmzain as Never Back Down is by Kodiac (Danehill), thus producing a three-quarter brother.
Steer By The Stars is a two-year-old winning half-sister to English Listed winner and Group 1-placed Consort (Lope de Vega) as well as American Listed winner Her World (Caravaggio). The mare’s 2024 Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) filly also fetched $160,000, at Karaka last January.
Keeping the pot boiling
Hello Youmzain’s barnmate, Sword Of State, received another worthwhile boost when Warwoven scored nicely in the Run to the Rose (Gr 2, 1200m). Warwoven was already a stakes winner of the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), one of his three wins last season but it would have been heartening to see him return to the winner’s enclosure and keep the pot boiling for his sire.
His solid fifth in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), from last into the straight, was a good primer and he was much improved in the Run to the Rose, holding on after taking the lead approaching the 200 metres. However, his next assignment will be tougher, having to match strides with the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Guest House (Home Affairs) whose performance in the San Domenico looked most impressive.
Nevertheless, he has the score on the board of four wins in seven starts and the $380,000 purchase from the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale has banked more than $550,000. He is the only foal of Ellerslie Royal Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Needle And Thread (Makfi), thus a sister to Savile Row. Savile Row won at Listed level and was three times Group 1-placed before a stud career which came to an abrupt halt when he died recently soon after his purchase to stand at Brighthill Farm.
Flemington riches
(Credit: Racing Photos)
It was Rich Hill Stud’s day at Flemington, where Satono Aladdin’s Satono Glow added a second Group 3 to her resume when landing the Cap d’Antibes Stakes. Apparently she has a distinct liking for Flemington as her maiden stakes success, in the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), was also at headquarters.
Her record is superb with three wins in just four career starts. From second last at the junction, Satono Glow accelerated from the 300 metres and took over the lead inside the 200, then maintained a strong gallop to the line. Make no mistake, this filly could be extra special. The Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) might be an obvious goal but she is bred to get the mile of The Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Caulfield too. Lots of options are available to her connections.
Her older half-sister, Kitty Flash (Ace High), has won four times and Group placed on four occasions. They are two of three winners from Electrode (Pins) whose half-brother So Wotif (Iffraaj) was a dual Group 3 winner and whose half-sister Bonniegirl (Darci Brahma) was a Listed winner. This is a solid stakes family.
Gaining a Golden Ticket to 2026 Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) was Shockletz, the mare by Rich Hill’s Melbourne Cup winner Shocking. Shockletz bagged the Archer Stakes in a top-notch staying effort, aided by the addition of blinkers, according to her trainer Ciaron Maher.
At the 1000 metres she sat midfield but a very long way from the tearaway leader who was caught by the 300 metres where Shockletz took over. From the 200, there was only one winner. Nothing else was going better at the line where she enjoyed a margin of more than two lengths.
The Archer was the mare’s seventh career victory and first at stakes level in 18 starts. Last May she recorded her first piece of black type with a flying third in the Bendigo Golden Mile (Gr 3, 1600m). Saturday’s win was her third victory at Flemington and she is well proven at the distance as it was her third over the 2500 metres.
Despite siring 27 stakes winners, Shocking remains underrated and ranks as the value sire on the Rich Hill roster. Why he continues to be under the radar all this time is a mystery.
Can Shockletz get the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup? Why not? Her sire won the race as a four-year-old and beat the Cup curse by returning at five to land the 1600-metre Makybe Diva Stakes (since promoted from Group 2 to Group 1) as well as the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m). He was no one-dimensional dour stayer.
Shockletz’s brother Horrifying (Shocking) also had a penchant for Flemington with five of his seven wins taking place there, including the Flemington Cup over 2800 metres. A close relative, Dame Claire (Danehill Dancer), a three-quarter sister to Shockletz’s grandam, was successful in Flemington’s Andrew Ramsden Stakes (Listed, 3200m). There is plenty in her bloodlines to suggest that the Melbourne Cup distance is not going to phase her.
