News

Chautauqua Strikes In The Lightning

20th Feb 2016

The lightning bolt colours of prominent owner and great industry supporter Rupert Legh were first past the post in the VRC Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington today, carried to victory by Dwayne Dunn aboard Inglis graduate Chautauqua (Encosta de Lago x Lovely Jubly) in a thrilling finish to Australia's fastest Group 1 race.

The Hawkes-trained gelding swooped down the outside and won in the last stride ahead of four other Group 1 winners, once again proving his sprinting dominance. This was Chautauqua's third victory at the highest level, taking his earnings to just shy of $4 million for Legh and other owners, G P I Racing, Gurners Bloodstock Co, Mr G Pulitano, Mr S W Kay, Ms M A Keating, Wright Racing, Throsby Racing.

With a possible trip to Hong Kong then Royal Ascot on the cards, Chautauqua will hope to emulate feats of fellow Inglis graduates Black Caviar, Takeover Target and Choisir, which each captured the VRC Lightning Stakes before heading north and winning in front of the Queen at the Royal meeting in June. Other Inglis graduates to win the Lightning include Fastnet Rock and Snitzerland.

Chautauqua was bred by Edwina Throsby’s Woodbury Pty Ltd, and was the result of winning a service fee to Encosta De Lago in an auction in support of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal in 2009. The resulting colt was foaled down at Neale Bruce’s Berkeley Park Stud on 20 September 2010. Edwina commented “the circumstances were fitting that the resulting progeny created a fire in Chautauqua.”

“The mare hadn’t had much luck with some really promising progeny, so I guess the charitable aspect of the mating gave us the good karma we needed,” added Bruce.

Chautauqua failed to reach his $400,000 reserve at the 2012 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale when offered from the draft of Berkeley Park Stud, but has since won ten times and placed in seven of his 19 racetrack starts.

Also part-owned by Rupert Legh, Tivaci (High Chaparral x Breccia) was declared winner of the Group 3 VRC CS Hayes Stakes over 1400m at Flemington after a dramatic finish under the guidance of Craig Williams. After finishing a close second to Palentino, stewards ruled that interference had cost the Michael Moroney-trained colt the race and he was upgraded to first place.

This is the first stakes-victory for the son of High Chaparral, which was a $250,000 purchase by Moroney’s brother Paul from the draft of Princes Farm at the 2014 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Moroney is positive about Tivaci’s chances to complete the CS Hayes/Australian Guineas double, replicating the 2015 feats of fellow Inglis graduate Wandjina, and cementing his place as a stallion prospect.

Along with connections of Chautauqua and Tivaci, vendors of yearlings nominated for both the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale are celebrating following black type updates to their pedigrees. The yearling half-brother to Tivaci, from the first Australian crop of Group 1 producing stallion Dalakhani, will be offered as Lot 141 by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds in the Blue Riband Session, on the first day of Premier on Sunday 28 February 2016.

Attunga Stud will offer a half-sister to today’s dominant Group 2 ATC Hobartville Stakes winner Press Statement at this year's Easter Sale. The filly, by Street Cry, is also the half-sister to Pressday and will be offered as Lot 359.