News

Bargain buy Lunar Fox wins G1 Australian Guineas

27th Feb 2021

Small-time breeder Travis Kelly was in “a bloody big state of shock’’ after he and his wife Rebecca’s homebred Lunar Fox (Foxwedge) won today’s stallion-making $1m G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

“What do I feel? I’m numb. I don’t know what I feel to be totally honest,’’ Kelly said as the reality started to sink in that he was now a G1-winning breeder.

“I’m just a small-time breeder and we’ve bred a Group 1 winner. It’s the ultimate.’’

Lunar Fox beat many of the best and most valuable 3YOs in the land today and as a colt, he’s now one very valuable proposition himself.

Not only is he a G1 winner at three, he also won the G2 Sires Produce Stakes at two.

Travis and Rebecca Kelly sold Lunar Fox for $40,000 at the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale, to Terry and Karina O’Sullivan, under their Kelly Thoroughbreds banner.

He was also offered at the Premier Yearling Sale two months prior.

“We bought him to Premier but things didn’t quite work out as planned and in the time between that sale and Gold, he really furnished again,’’ Travis Kelly said.

“We’ve been breeding for eight or nine years, Rebecca trains a small team at Sale and we realised years ago that we couldn’t afford to buy top level yearlings so we thought we’d try breeding a few ourselves.

“We keep some, we sell some, that’s how it goes, but to have bred a Group 1 winner now, it’s unbelievable, it really is.’’

Lunar Fox (pictured) becomes the 56th Inglis graduate to win a G1 since 2018, 29 of which could have been purchased for $100,000 or less.

The Kelly’s are offering a select draft of three yearlings at this year’s Premier Yearling Sale, which begins at Oaklands at 10am tomorrow.

To view the Premier catalogue, CLICK HERE.

At Randwick today, for a second consecutive Saturday, a Chris Waller-trained and Coolmore part-owned Easter colt surged into Golden Slipper calculations, this time with O’President (Fastnet Rock) winning the G2 Skyline Stakes at Randwick.

Last week it was Home Affairs in the Silver Slipper but today O’President was the star, securing a second career win at just his third start and announcing himself one of the leading Golden Slipper prospects.

James Bester paid $520,000 for O’President at last year’s Virtual Easter Yearling Sale, where he was offered by his breeder Kia Ora Stud.

“It’s very exciting, it was a really good win, he’s a very well bred horse and a very good looking horse who has confirmed himself a home at stud somewhere down the line after today,’’ Bester said.

“It would be nice to win a Group 1 now to just frank that completely so all eyes head to the Golden Slipper.

“He and Acrobat (Inglis Nursery winner) stood out to us at Easter as the two Fastnet Rocks that had the qualities to be speedy 2YOs and then later progress on from there at three. Unfortunately Acrobat has met with a setback but O’President has taken up the baton and we’re very excited by that.’’

Kia Ora will also offer O’President’s I Am Invincible half sister (ex O’Marilyn) as lot 458 at April’s Easter Sale at Riverside.

To view the Easter catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Earlier on today’s Flemington program untapped Capitalist filly Tycoon Humma made it two wins from two starts with a strong victory in the Listed 2YO Plate.

Trainer John McArdle bought the youngster for $240,000 at last year’s Premier Sale, where she was offered by Flinders Park Stud.

As a Stakes-winning 2YO by arguably the hottest young sire going around, Tycoon Humma is also now a very valuable proposition.

Flinders Park is also offering Tycoon Humma’s Zoustar half sister (ex Humma Mumma) as lot 87 on Day 1 of the Premier Sale tomorrow.

“She’s a strong, correct, athletic filly, beautiful mover, she knows she’s good and I don’t think I’ve ever had a more popular filly on inspections she’s been very busy,’’ Flinders Park’s Mick Cumming said of the Zoustar filly.

“We’re thrilled to see Tycoon Humma win obviously and how the stars are all aligning with the timing of that win and the half sister selling tomorrow.’’

Tycoon Humma, bred by Bridsan Bloodstock’s Brian Coyle, becomes Capitalist’s second Stakes winner from his first crop to race – the other is Inglis Millennium winner and Golden Slipper favourite Profiteer, a Classic Sale graduate.

There are 16 progeny of Capitalist at the upcoming Premier Sale.

And Easter Yearling Sale 7YO Morvada (Mossman) made a last-minute bid for an All Star Mile berth with an all-the-way win in the G3 Shaftsbury Avenue at Flemington.

It was a third Stakes win and eighth overall success for Morvada and took his earnings to almost $650,000 – his trainer Peter Jolly bought him for $200,000 at Easter in 2015 from Vinery Stud.

The $5m All Star Mile will be run at The Valley on March 13.

The five All Star Mile Wildcard entrants will be announced next week.