News

Acrobat outperforms rivals to score stunning Nursery victory

12th Dec 2020

The Inglis Millennium/Golden Slipper double looms as the most favourable option for regally bred Coolmore colt Acrobat following his impressive debut win in the $500,000 Listed Inglis Nursery at Randwick.

By Fastnet Rock out of G2 winner and proven producer Hips Don’t Lie, Acrobat settled just behind the speed set by Annabel Neasham’s filly Asheema but asserted his authority midway up the home straight to prove too strong.

Asheema (I Am Invincible) held on for second, ahead of Mission Value (Capitalist) for Mark Newnham.

The scintillating time of 56.02 broke Extreme Choice’s race record from 2015 and was only 0.71secs outside Redzel’s track record for the Randwick 1000m course.

Coolmore, who also bred the colt, offered the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Acrobat at this year’s virtual Easter Yearling Sale and will now target autumn riches with their blueblood 2YO early next year.

“With a colt like that, you have to dream about Golden Slippers and the Inglis Millennium seems a huge and logical option along the way because prizemoney counts for a lot,’’ part owner James Bester said of the $2m Millennium, to be run at Randwick on February 6.

“The Millennium has already proved itself a top-class race so the Millennium en route to the Slipper would be the obvious and logical target now.

“For such a beautiful looking animal that is so well bred, today is a big result.

“To win a Stakes race first start with a pedigree and physique that this colt has, a lot of good horses have won this race in Extreme Choice, She Will Reign, Mossfun, Wild Ruler, we’re very excited to be in that bracket now and hopefully we’re the next big thing.’’

Coolmore will also offer Acrobat's I Am Invincible half sister at next year’s Easter Yearling Sale.

Winning co-trainer Maher held high expectation for Acrobat heading into today’s feature.

“James [McDonald] came and rode him Tuesday morning and said he didn’t want to be on any other horse, he just had a sense of timing about him,’’ Maher said.

“He trialled well and I thought he would improve off that.

“He was very good today, very dominant, very strong. He’s a horse that has improved through the preparation and what better way to kick off than in a race like that.’’

Acrobat joins his stablemate Sneaky Five (Inglis Banner winner) as the two horses alive in the $2m Inglis Triple Crown.

Should one of those horses win the Millennium and Inglis Sires, they will earn a $2m Inglis Triple Crown bonus.

Maher and Eustace will receive a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars for being the winning trainers of an Inglis Race Series race.

Meanwhile in the Flemington 2YO race Capitalist debutant Profiteer proved too classy with an impressive win for trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Junior.

The colt is a $165,000 Classic Yearling Sale purchase for Roll The Dice Racing and Jeremy Rogers, from the Newgate Farm draft.

He will also now be set for the $2m Inglis Millennium, as will yesterday’s Scone debut 2YO winner Harlem Groove (Flying Artie) for Paul Perry, continuing a spectacular start to the season for Inglis-offered 2YOs.