The Sportsbet Goodwood (Group 1)
THE Capitalist colt Reserve Bank won the Group 1 Goodwood at Morphettville last Saturday to close out the Adelaide Racing Carnival.
The A$1 million 1,200 metre sprint was anybody’s 200 metres from home with 12 of the 13 starters within three lengths of the lead. Second in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes at Flemington last October, the Mick Price and Michael Kent-trained colt came into the race off wins in the Listed Redelva Stakes and Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes against three-year-olds at Morphetville.
Sent out the second favourite and ridden by Jamie Melham (née Kah), Reserve Bank came from the middle of the pack to edge ahead of rivals to his inside and just withstand the late finish of the 2022 Everest winner Giga Kick who was third, a nose behind the Sir Prancealot gelding Sir Sway, the pair a length from the winner.
Missed start
“Nothing went to plan,” said Melham. “He reared out of the gates, missed the start, but I just got a dream run. Giga Kick was on our outside, and I thought if I drag back now and get on his backside, he’s going to be too sharp. So, we just rode for luck. The gaps came and I was just a passenger.
“Mick’s got this horse absolutely flying, that was a very impressive win. It’s a very special race to win, and nothing’s like winning a race back home in Adelaide. My aunty is here, Aunty Jan, my family are here – it’s very special.”
The win was Melham’s second consecutive Goodwood win, having scored on Benadetta last year.
South Australian Derby (Group 1)
SETTLED near the rear of the 16-horse field, the Dundeel filly Femminile was ridden patiently by Lachlan Neindorf to win the Group 1 South Australian Derby over 2,500 metres at at Morphettville on May 5th.
Pegged back on the rail, Neindorf had to wait aboard the Philip Stokes-trained filly. Progressing forward as more runners rolled off the rail in search of better runs, Femminile was presented with a ‘saloon passage’ to hit the front at the top of the straight without having to go around a single horse.
Kicking clear, Femminile needed to press home her advantage as Johnny Allen was swooping late on the D’Argento gelding Statuario, the pair closing to a half-length on the line. Third was Godolphin’s Microphone gelding Lavalier, a further two lengths in arrears.
“We’re just so proud,” said Philip Stokes’ son Tommy Stokes. “This horse has been prepped up an absolute treat leading into today. Full credit to the team at Pakenham and Morphettville, it’s a big operation now.
“The team puts in a lot of work, Mum and Dad, she spends a lot of time on the farm there. We were doing a bit of a rain dance before today, but she didn’t need it. Lachie gave her an absolute peach. It was quite an effortless watch in the end. I’m just very proud, especially another winner for (owners) OTI (Racing) being a Group 1, it’s really special.”
Bought out of Inglis Easter for A$150,000 from the draft of Vinery, Femminile has been entered for the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale (lot 561) where she will go under the hammer on day one, May 27th.
Right time
“It is obviously the right time of year to sell these fillies and we race her with a commercial breeder so it’s a combination of what some partners wanted to do,” explained OTI’s Terry Henderson.
“But to be honest we put her in the (Queensland) Derby because all the ducks lined up and she ran well in the previous race, so we thought there was no harm going to the race. We’ll still keep her in the sale at Magic Millions and the Derby is four days after the sale. She will be either racing for us or racing for the new buyer in the Derby.”
THE Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale closed last week to bookend a gross of A$77,060,150 that was generated from the Australian Weanling Sale, the Chairman’s Sale and the Australian Broodmare Sale. That figure sailed through the previous record of A$65,973,000 set in 2023.
“To gross over $11m more than the record for this week of sales is really quite incredible, let alone the fact turnover increased A$17.5m year-on-year off what was a very successful series of sales last year too,” said Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch.
Bella best
The highlight across the four sessions was last Thursday night’s Chairman’s Sale where the Ciaron Maher-trained seven-year-old mare Bella Nipotina, the 2024 Everest winner and four-time Group 1 winner sold for A$4.2 million to her breeder and part-owner Longwood Thoroughbred Farm who bought out their fellow owners.
“It’s a big thrill and we did what we needed to do. At the end of the day, it’s a lot of money but we owned half of her and now we own 100%.
“It’s a big commitment but hopefully over the next 10 or 12 years we’ll be repaid financially but also with the joy that we’re going to get watching her progeny,” said Longwood’s Michael Christian.
Coolmore purchases
Coolmore were not far behind with Tom Magnier going to $3.8m for the five-year-old Group 1 winning Siyouni mare Amelia’s Jewel. “We’ll get her an airplane ticket and send her to Justify in America now,” said Magnier.
“She’s such a quality mare, she’s a household name and we’re lucky to be able to call her our own now. Chairman’s is such a great night, full credit to Inglis, they’ve done a great job again.”
On its own, the Chairman’s Sale grossed $54,430,000 from 77 lots sold that averaged $706,883 with 14 mares selling for seven figures.
“This sale is about celebrating the careers of elite fillies and mares and having their merit recognised in a commercial environment, while also creating an occasion that allows for special memories to be made,” added Hutch, a native of Kanturk, Co Cork.