ARGENTIA - PAGE 17 Thursday, June 10, 2021 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here TBA FAST TRACK STUDENTS GRADUATE - PAGE 16 HONG KONG NEWS - PAGE 19 Acrobat bounces back from Read Tomorrow's Issue For life-threatening illness to Maiden of the Week target Coolmore Stud Stakes What's on Race meetings: Gosford (NSW), Ballarat Exciting Fastnet Rock colt on way to Melbourne to start spring (VIC), Pinjarra (AUS), Rockhampton (QLD), preparation with Maher and Eustace New Plymouth (NZ) International race meetings: Haydock (UK), Newbury (UK), Nottingham (UK), Yarmouth (UK), Leopardstown (IRE), ParisLongchamp (FR), International Sales: OBS June 2YOs and Horses of Racing Age (USA) SALES NEWS Member’s Joy sells for Acrobat SPORTPIX $800,000 to shine bright Inglis Millennium (RL, 1200m) raceday at on Inglis Digital BY TIM ROWE | @ANZ_NEWS Randwick, Acrobat suffered a cut to his left Segenhoe Stud are revelling in an inspired crobat (Fastnet Rock), a one- hock while on the walker at trainers Ciaron decision to have stakes-producing time Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, Maher and David Eustace’s Warwick Farm broodmare Members Joy (Hussonet) act as 1200m) favourite and this season’s stables. the shining protagonist in the June (Early) forgotten juvenile, will be given Initially, the injury was not thought to Inglis Digital Sale, as the mare smashed the Athe chance to make up for lost time as a three- be serious and plans were still being made previous Inglis Digital record, and became year-old after winning a remarkable life-and- for the Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) winner to the most expensive mare in foal to sell online death battle with illness. be aimed at the Sydney series of rich feature in the southern hemisphere, when making In what seemed like a fairly innocuous juvenile races, the Slipper being the number $800,000 in Inglis’s latest digital auction that incident in February, on the eve of the one target. Continued on page 2>> concluded yesterday. Sales News page 14 >> Follow us @anz_news | 1 | Brought to you by Acrobat bounces back from life-threatening illness to target Coolmore Stud Stakes | 2 | Thursday, June 10, 2021 << Continued from page 1 But, as Acrobat’s breeder and co- were on hand at Emeran Park owner James Bester explained this week, things went from bad to worse yesterday to see Acrobat’s final HE WAS HOSPITALISED AND BANDAGED WHILE for the colt as veterinarians struggled to get on top of a subsequent piece of work before heading THEY WERE TREATING infection in his hock. south for “his ultimate goal of THE INFECTION FOR “The cut itself was not an issue, but he developed an infection there the Coolmore”. SOME TIME AND THAT that proved very resistant to antibiotics and at one stage he was in a fair bit “He was hospitalised and PUT PAID TO ALL GOLDEN of trouble,” Bester said. bandaged while they were SLIPPER OR QUEENSLAND “Thankfully, they found an antibiotic, about the fourth one they tried, treating the infection for some CARNIVAL ASPIRATIONS, that knocked out the bug. time and that put paid to all SO THE LONG-TERM “The process was uneventful from there on in, but he’d spent a lot of Golden Slipper or Queensland GOAL WAS SET AND HE IS time in hospital immobile, so we sent him to Emeran Park for rehabilitation carnival aspirations, so the ABSOLUTELY ON TRACK on a treadmill there. long-term goal was set and he FOR THAT NOW “He did a couple of months walking and trotting on the treadmill and is absolutely on track for that - JAMES BESTER then he was put under saddle. now,” Bester said. “Again, he started with trotting and he is now cantering under saddle “Ciaron will take him along, but all things going well, he will be set for and he has completed his rehab. a couple of trials during September and then in early October starting off “He is 100 per cent sound, in great physical and mental shape and he probably down the straight at Flemington. There’s an 1100-metre Listed travels on Thursday.” race (the Poseidon Stakes).” The Coolmore-raced Acrobat, a son of top-class producing mare Hips Bester has no doubt that Acrobat, who has only been seen once Don’t Lie (Stravinsky), will be sent to Maher and Eustace’s Melbourne in public via his two-and-a-quarter-length victory in the $500,000 stables today to begin what is hoped will be a Group 1-winning spring Inglis Nursery at Randwick on December 12, has the credentials to campaign. win a Coolmore, the same race another son of Fastnet Rock (Danehill), Bester and Coolmore Australia’s racing manager Rob Archibald Merchant Navy, won in 2017. Continued on page 4>> Follow us @anz_news | 2 | Brought to you by Acrobat bounces back from life-threatening illness to target Coolmore Stud Stakes | 4 | Thursday, June 10, 2021 << Continued from page 2 That belief is backed up by the returns to his best and lines up in statistics, which show the progeny of champion sire Fastnet Rock who are the Coolmore.” able to race well prior to Christmas in their two-year-old season generally Acrobat, a brother to stakes develop into elite performers on the track. winners Lake Geneva and Ennis They include Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Catchy, New HIll, is the seventh foal out of Zealand’s champion Avantage, HIps Don’t Lie, the 2008 Reisling Group 2 winners Smart Missile Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner. WE’RE OBVIOUSLY VERY and Anaheed, and Missrock, Her eighth foal, a daughter HOPEFUL BECAUSE WITH who placed three times in Group of I Am Invincible (Invincible ... THE OBVIOUS SPEED 1 company. Spirit), brought $1.95 million THAT HE SHOWED IN “Those that have done that at this year’s Inglis Australian THE INGLIS NURSERY, had a very high strike-rate of Easter Yearling Sale. HIS PRECOCITY TO RACE continuing on to becoming very The filly was bought by agent BEFORE CHRISTMAS, good horses,” he said. Sheamus Mills, who referenced COMBINED WITH HIS “We’re obviously very Acrobat’s ability when extending LOOKS MAKE HIM A VERY hopeful because with ... the the budget to buy the valuable EXCITING POTENTIAL James Bester INGLIS obvious speed that he showed in yearling. STALLION. WE’RE VERY the Inglis Nursery, his precocity But the past two years have proven tough going for Hips Don’t Lie, HOPEFUL THAT HE to race before Christmas, slipping and missing in both 2019 and 2020. RETURNS TO HIS BEST combined with his looks make “We’re hoping to get her in foal early this coming season,” Bester said. AND LINES UP IN THE him a very exciting potential “We haven’t set a mating for her yet, but obviously Wootton Bassett is COOLMORE stallion. our hot new kid on the block and he would probably be favourite to cover - JAMES BESTER “We’re very hopeful that he her, but Justify’s always there, another horse we have enormous faith in.” Follow us @anz_news | 4 | Brought to you by Morning Briefing -Sponsored by Woodside Park Stud Thursday, June 10, 2021 MORNINGSIDE WORLD - CLASS THOROUGHBRED PROPERTY MORNING BRIEFING defeating Celtic Harp (No Nay Never) by a was able to produce him late for an explosive AUSTRALIA nose in the 1100-metre two-year-old handicap. finishing burst. That run shot him to the top Six for Maurice Trained by Team Hawkes, Almighty Rising of the Stradbroke betting and Gollan believes Maurice (Screen Hero) sired his sixth contested the Blue Diamond Prelude (Group he will be even better this weekend. "I didn't individual winner from his first Australian 3, 1100m) on debut, finishing at the tail of make any secret of the fact we had a minor crop when Sharp Response (2 g ex Marli the 11-runner field having led them up to setback from the 10,000 in. Even looking at him Magic by Host) got off the mark on his the 400-metre mark, but co-trainer Michael on Kingsford-Smith day he had improvement racecourse debut with a victory in a two- Hawkes said the fact he debuted in the Prelude in him. I think he's found it," Gollan said. "I year-old maiden over 1108 metres at Sale was an indication of the ability of the Almighty think he's at the top of his game now. It was yesterday. The Julius Sandhu-trained gelding Rising. "Obviously in Melbourne, Wayne had a always the plan to get to the Stradbroke as scored by a head under Beau Mertens with bit of an opinion of this horse and we put him good as we could and I feel that's where we got Tranquil Bay (Cable Bay) filling second spot. in the deep end and it just didn't come to hand him. It took a little while to get him into shape. The Art Of Flying (Flying Artie) finished a that day," he said. "He went to the paddock, we He's in great shape now and he's out to his length behind the winner in third. "He was gelded him and tried to make a racehorse of right distances in the right races." Vega One a nice-looking horse and he went a little him. He's still wanting to learn a bit. He's still firmed in Stradbroke betting after drawing cheaper than I thought as he had some running around a little bit in the straight but barrier four on Tuesday night. Gollan also has growing to do," Sandhu said of the $70,000 when he gets his mind to it and gets his mind Outback Barbie (Spirit Of Boom) as the first buy out of the Flinders Park Stud draft at the on the job, I think he's going to be a nice horse." emergency in the Stradbroke.