Stradbroke Handicap (Group 1)
RELISHING the ‘heavy 9’ conditions at Eagle Farm last Saturday, Spicy Martini, ridden handy to the pace in the 18-horse field, improved on last year’s 15th in the Stradbroke Handicap to win this year’s A$3 million edition in style for 60-year-old trainer Toby Edmonds. Challenging for the lead at the 250-metre mark of the 1,400 metre Group 1, Spicy Martini cruised away under her 51.5kg to win by a length over the Calyx gelding Sepals and the Savabeel gelding Von Hauke, both trained by Cliff Brown.
“It’s very exciting. Quite emotional, to be honest. Just a great effort from everyone involved. Most of all the horse. She’s a beautiful horse,” said Edmonds.
“It’s a 12-month build-up and to get it done today is unbelievable. I’ve got to give mention to my farrier, who works tirelessly on this mare. Taylor Marshall had a great ride, all my owners, they’ve all been fantastic and supported me the whole way through. And most of all, Spicy Martini, she’s a star.”
Digital platform
A four-year-old Justify filly, Spicy Martini, bred and raised at Coolmore, found her way onto the Inglis Digital platform, where she sold for $8,000.
Her owners later entered her for the 2026 Inglis Chairman’s Sale, but in an inspired choice, they withdrew her and decided to race on. She has now won six of her 12 starts for over $2.69 million in earnings.
Spicy Martini was ridden by Taylor Marshall, the son of John Marshall who won the 1999 Melbourne Cup on Rogan Josh and passed away in 2018 from pancreatic cancer aged 60.
“I didn’t know how I was going to react. I was choking up a little bit just pulling up there. What a thrill. I do just want to thank Toby (Edmonds) for placing faith in me and sticking solid, because I’ve had a terrific affiliation with her. What a feeling,” said Marshall.
“I think every jockey needs that one horse to sort of put them on the map, so to speak. I’m hoping that she’s that one.”
Trackside NZ J.J. Atkins (Group 1)
THE Toronado colt Tron Bolt has justified his sale-topping A$900,000 Inglis Ready 2 Race purchase, with a Group 1 win in Saturday’s $1 million J.J. Atkins for juveniles over Eagle Farm’s 1,600 metres.
A winner of his past two starts in Sydney, Tron Bolt went into the race as a hot favourite, having drawn eight in a field of 12.
James McDonald, wearing the Hermitage green and red chevrons, settled with cover, rounded the turn three lengths from the lead. Taking to his task, the Toronado colt levelled up with Cormier before easing clear to post a valuable Group 1 win.
Home by a half length, Tron Bolt defeated the Maurice colt Cormier with the Wootton Bassett colt Stormy Marco third.
“It’s the race that we picked from a long way out. It’s an integral part of the Queensland Winter Carnival, it’s been a massive stepping stone for a lot of our great horses, this race in particular.
“Even without winning it, Brazen Beau ran second, Zoustar ran second, they’ve come out to be multiple Group I winners and champion sires,” said trainer Chris Waller.
“He’s a real cool dude. Nothing worries him. He really is a special horse for that reason and obviously he can run fast as well, but that attitude, that’ll take him a long way.
“He’s a lovely type and that suggests to me that he is a miler. He’s not an out-and-out sprinter, but he is good enough to win shorter races as well, so it’ll be exciting to see where he heads.”
THE Irish-bred Royal Supremacy (Make Believe), a Group 1 winner of last year’s Metropolitan with Robbie Dolan up, has taken out the A$1.2 million Group 2 Q22 over Eagle Farm’s 2,200 metres for trainer Ciaron Maher and jockey Mark Zahra.
With Pride Of Jenni withdrawn on race morning, the complexion of the race changed entirely. Pushing forward, Zahra eventually took up the running to sneak a break in a slowly-run affair.
Sprinting clear at the top of the straight, Royal Supremacy saw his advantage shrink, but still had enough to win by nearly two lengths as the race favourite Half Yours, disadvantaged by the mild tempo, could only manage fourth.
“He never completely drops the bit,” said Mark Zahra. “He was good enough out front, but from the 700 or 600, I thought there was no way anything can beat me the way he quickens. It was a very good win and he could have gone another lap, too.”
Fifteenth in last year’s Melbourne Cup, the Make Believe gelding has won six of 19 and nearly $2 million, having initially been bought by Andrew Balding at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 for 65,000 Guineas before Australian Bloodstock stepped in and formed a syndicate.
AN Anamoe weanling filly out of the Pierro mare Femme Fireball has sold for A$825,000 to Yulong to top the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale at Oaklands the previous Friday.
Overall, 305 weanlings sold, up 78 from 2025, for an aggregate of $15,690,500.
The clearance rate of 81% matched last year’s whilst the average of $51,444 was a 14.9% increase.
In all, 55 weanlings sold for $100,000, up from 27 last year.