Sunday, February 16, 2020 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX EVERY MORNING Gytrash gives trainer Read Tomorrow's Issue For: Richards his first Group 1 The Week Ahead What's on Race meetings: Dubbo (NSW), Nowra in Lightning Stakes upset (NSW), Colac (VIC), Werribee (VIC), Nature Strip’s campaign far from over despite shock Sunshine Coast (QLD), Albany (WA), odds-on Flemington defeat Bordertown (SA), , Ashwood (NZ) International meetings: Sha Tin (HK) LATEST NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND'S RACING International Group races: Sha Tin (HK) - Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (Gr 1, 1400m), Hong Kong Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) SINGAPORE NEWS Dubai beckons as Gytrash SPORTPIX Countofmontecristo storms year-old was upstaged by Adelaide gelding home in Chairman's Trophy BY TIM ROWE | @ANZ_NEWS Gytrash (Lope De Vega), who won his first Short-priced favourite Countofmontecristo hris Waller and James McDonald race at the highest level in the $750,000 (Echoes Of Heaven) took out the $400,000 have urged punters not to give weight-for-age sprint when overhauling the Chairman’s Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m) as expected up on sprinting enigma Nature evergreen Redzel (Snitzel) to score by a length yesterday, but what was probably less expected Strip (Nicconi), who was coming in a one-two finish for the rails-side runners. was the come-from-behind manner of the win offC a career-high spring campaign, after Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) ran down in the nine-horse field. performing well below his best in the Black Nature Strip on the grandstand side to finish The Michael Clements-trained smart Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) as a a head away in third. Nature Strip, the $1.50 galloper’s previous eight wins – between 1200 short-priced favourite yesterday. favourite, finished fourth in the field of metres and 1400 metres – were mostly recorded The three-time Group 1-winning five- seven. Continued on page 2>> after settling in the first few, but it is also true that as a younger horse, his natural speed was then YESTERDAY'S STAKES RESULTS FROM | FLEMINGTON | PAGE 13 being fully tapped on. Continued on page 11 >> Follow us @anz_news: click here | 1 | Brought to you by Gytrash gives trainer Richards his first Group 1 in Lightning Stakes upset | 2 | Sunday, February 16, 2020 << Continued from page 1 Nature Strip also ran fourth first-up "Jason Holder rides him fast work over there and he said this horse last spring in the Concorde Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Randwick but bounced frightens him he goes that fast, but you can’t tell everybody that before the back to take out the AJ Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at Moonee Valley three race because if he goes like a busted arse, you look like an idiot." weeks’ later. Redzel’s co-trainer Peter Snowden and jockey Kerrin McEvoy “He was on the ball, flew out and wanted to get going, albeit he considered lodging a protest after he and Gytrash raced tightly in the wasn’t miles in front, he was just coasting and doing it strongly,” jockey closing stages, but the pair elected not to proceed to the stewards’ room. McDonald said. "He just got crowded over that last furlong but it was a great run," “He just got tired the last furlong (200 metres). He was leading all the McEvoy said. way up to then. "He's shown that he's come back in great order. He fought really hard." “It’s what happened last prep as well, he failed first up and then got better Gytrash (4 g Lope De Vega - Miss Barley by Fastnet Rock) was with a bit of racing under his belt.” purchased for $40,000 at the 2017 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale Waller said: “He was a bit fresh and will improve with the run, he just by Richards from the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft. From 15 starts, he has jumped and charged for the first two furlongs (400 metres).” won seven and placed a further seven times for prize-money earnings of It is perhaps unfair that the focus for most was on the beaten brigade when $886,750. the consistent Gytrash - whose Flemington record now sits at three from three - The sprinter had first been offered at the 2016 Inglis Great Southern provided his Morphettville trainer Gordon Richards with his first Group 1 victory. Weanling Sale where he made $70,000 to the bid of New Zealander John "I am 68 and I’ve won my first group 1," said Richards, who has the chance Corcoran. to double his Group 1 tally with Bold Star (Needs Further) in Saturday’s Gytrash was bred by Packing Investments Australia and Haltrow Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m). and Glastonbury Farms, who consigned him as a weanling at Oaklands "If ever I was going to win one, this horse was going to do it. He’s just Junction. a machine. All these lunatic owners were standing here waiting for the “He was always a lovely type as a weanling, a big, strong chestnut just instructions and I just said to Mark (Zahra), you’ll work it out. as he is now, and for a Lope De Vega to make $70,000 as a weanling back "Two of them go hard and you’ll be coming over the top of them as then, he really did stand out in that sale,’’ Glastonbury Farms’ Duncan long as we can keep up. Grimley said. Continued on page 3>> Consign with Results We have sold mares for $825,000, $850,000, Glenesk $925,000 and $1.1 million, and have consistently placed Thoroughbreds amongst the top Trustworthy & Uncompromising - selling consignors. Clearance rate of We always put our client’s interests first over 90%. Now accepting entries for the Inglis Chairman’s Sale (8 May) and Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale (26-29 May) For more information please contact Brett Howard on 0403 037 773 or [email protected] or visit www.randwickbloodstock.com.au Follow us @anz_news: click here | 2 | Brought to you by Gytrash gives trainer Richards his first Group 1 in Lightning Stakes upset | 3 | Sunday, February 16, 2020 << Continued from page 2 “He might have surprised the punters a bit today but he didn’t surprise us. He’s always been a quality sprinter and it’s great to see him win a Group 1. “That’s what you breed them for, to make nice money and to see them go on and win at the top level, so it’s a fantastic result for everyone.” Luke Anderson of Maluka Thoroughbreds said: “We’re really proud to see Gytrash do what he did today. He was always a lovely type and this is what it’s all about for us, presenting quality yearlings to sell that we believe can go on to Group 1 success.” Gytrash is one of five named foals and two winners for the unraced mare Miss Barley, who is a half-sister to the Listed winner Strawberry Storm (Thunder Gulch). Strawberry Storm is also the dam of the stakes-placed Movie (Red Alligator Blood (rail) SPORTPIX Ransom), who in turn is the dam of Listed winner Goodfella (Snitzel). Miss Barley was sold for just $4,000 to Perth trainer Justine Erkelens Lonhro (Octagonal) duelling with Sunline (Desert Sun), both at Caulfield, at the 2017 Magic Millions Perth Winter Mixed Sale and she has Gytrash’s are synonymous with those great races and now Alligator Blood and unraced three-year-old half-sister Outlaw Miss (Rubick) and two-year-old Catalyst’s C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington can be talked about long after filly Pouakai (Demerit) in work. they are retired. She was covered last November by Universal Ruler (Scenic) after The $160,000 contest was not the feature on the Flemington card when missing the previous year. the program was released, but it was being billed as a potential classic Gytrash is the tenth Group 1 winner for former shuttler Lope De Vega between two emerging stars in the lead-up, and they did not disappoint. (Shamardal), who stands at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland for a fee of €100,000. Ryan Maloney, an adopted Queenslander who made the Sunshine State home in 2018, immediately took Alligator Blood to the front, while Alligator Blood prevails in a James McDonald pushed forward on Catalyst to sit on his outside to C S Hayes for the ages ensure the favourite did not gain a significant break on his rival. Queensland’s rags-to-riches gelding Alligator Blood (All Too Hard), The duo paired off before the 400 metres, going head and head for the the unwanted yearling, and New Zealand’s shining light Catalyst (Darci entirety of the famous Flemington home straight before it was Alligator Brahma) evoked memories of Australia’s great match races with a thrilling Blood who nosed out New Zealand’s rising star by a short-head. duel in the C S Hayes Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) earlier on the Flemington card. Lightly raced three-year-old Chenier (Medaglia d’Oro), who missed Yesterday’s three-year-old race - narrowly won by Alligator Blood after the spring through injury, made an encouraging return to finish a length a stirring performance to hold off a sustained challenge from Catalyst, away in third. previously unbeaten this season in his home country - can justifiably Maloney said Alligator Blood “wanted it more” in the final strides stand alongside the 1986 Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m), the 1999 Caulfield and the stature of the race was not lost on Alligator Blood’s trainer David Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and the 2002 Yalumba Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) among Vandyke as the horses returned to scale.