The Autumn Sun Gets The Job Done in Hobartville
It may not have been the dominant win fans were hoping for, however, The Autumn Sun made a successful return to racing in Saturday's Group II Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill.
Given plenty of time to find his feet under Kerrin McEvoy, The Autumn Sun came from the tail of the six-horse field to run down a defiant Vegadaze by a long-neck, handing the Lope de Vega gelding his first defeat in four starts. (image Steve Hart) .
John Messara's Arrowfield Stud had acquired a 50 per cent interest in the Redoute's Choice colt on the eve of the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last October, which he won by four and a half lengths, his third win at the highest level.
Arrowfield bred and sold the handsome colt in partnership with The Aga Khan Studs.
"It's hard to make up ground today on the soft track and he has done what he had to do," Waller told AAP.
Booker wins the G1 Oakleigh Plate
Melbourne Premier star Booker (Writte Tycoon ex Noondie) became the sixth individual Inglis graduate to win a Group 1 race in 2019 when successful in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.
The 4YO mare secured her maiden Group 1, having won two other Stakes races previously, defying a wide barrier and little luck in running to win first-up from a spell.
Booker joins In Her Time (Oakleigh Plate), Manuel (Orr Stakes), Beat The Block (Centenary Sprint Cup), Enzo's lad (Telegraph Hcp) and Atyaab (Cape Derby) as Inglis graduates to win at the top level this year.
She also becomes the second consecutive Inglis graduate to win the Oakleigh Plate following Russian Revolution's success in 2018.
Booker, trained by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, was a $230,000 buy for Barry Griffiths from the 2016 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Mill Park Stud.
"It's a fantastic result for the farm and a fantastic result for loyal clients of ours in Liz and Tony Freebairn and Bill Rigg,'' Mill Park's Chris Watson said.
"Booker was always an absolute powerhouse of a filly from day one. She was always going to be an early-running type, which she turned out to be, and to win a Group 1 so early in her career is amazing.''
Inglis Premier graduate Booker won the G1 Oakleigh Plate
Sudden Passing of Sebring
Widden Stud are in mourning tonight following the passing of Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring, who died quietly of a heart attack on Saturday afternoon.
Bought for $130,000 from the Magic Million in 2007 by Denise Martin's Star Thoroughbreds, Sebring was the syndicators dream horse come true. Prepared by Gai Waterhouse, Sebring won five of six starts including the Group I ATC Golden Slipper and Sires' Produce Stakes to be crowned Champion 2YO of 2007/2008.
Bred by George Altomonte of Corumbene Stud, Sebring earned in excess of $2.5 million in prizemoney for his adoring owners before embarking on a lucrative stud career at Widden that would prove every bit as successful as his racetrack achievements.
"Sebring was the horse of a lifetime, as a racehorse and a stallion, he changed lives," said Antony Thompson.
It Takes A Team
Welcome to TDNAusNZ’s ‘It Takes A Team’, brought to you in conjunction with Thoroughbred Industry Careers. Here we highlight and celebrate some of the heroes of our industry. The strappers, riders, stud-workers and people behind the scenes of our champions. The people who are up late into the night foaling or up at the crack of dawn to trackwork, working tirelessly to keep the industry running.
Today we talk to a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start program, who has used all of the contacts and experiences offered to him through the course to gain a leg up in the industry. Dane Robinson is the Racing Manager of Highclere Racing and attributes the success in his career so far to the Flying Start course and the mentors he has met along the way.
Dane Robinson - Highclere Racing Manager
TDN: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in the industry?
Dane: I grew up in a family of horse men and women on the South Coast of NSW. My grandfather Kevin Robinson and father Terry have been training for decades. Pop was a legend in his day in harness racing and along with the help of his family, steered the stable towards thoroughbreds in the 90’s, before his passing in 2005. Dad still trains thoroughbreds out of his Shoalhaven Heads property where we have access to Seven Mile Beach to work the horses. In my opinion, it’s one of the world’s best surfaces and environments to train a racehorse.
While sport and school took priority, I got involved doing weekend stable shifts and took every opportunity to be at the races with either Dad or my uncle Robert Price, who trains with my cousin Luke out of Kembla Grange.
A much-anticipated Royal debut
A new formula is making racing accessible to hundreds of new owners. We sat down with CEO Steve Brown to find out what that formula is and to hear about 500 new owners' journey to the Magic Millions.
Over 500 owners, many of whom have never owned a horse before, will embark on what miRunners CEO Steve Brown hopes will be the journey of a lifetime when Not a Royal Doubt (Not A Single Doubt) debuts in Saturday's Magic Millions Clockwise Classic at Ballarat.
miRunners' unique model breaks horse ownership down into 1000 units, with buyers able to purchase as little as one unit for a small initial outlay and an ongoing monthly fee.
In the case of Not A Royal Doubt, it has given a wealth of small-time owners the opportunity to have a share in a $250,000 (ex-gst) filly, trained by the legendary Gai Waterhouse and her co-trainer Adrian Bott.
Not A Royal Doubt is co-trained by Gai Waterhouse
