News

Exciting 3YOs ready to step up to Group 1

22nd Apr 2013

Over a busy weekend in Australia and Asia exciting three-year-olds Better Than Ready and Stepitup put their hands up as the ones to beat when they aim higher at Group 1 events next month.

Better Than Ready ($140,000 2011 Easter, 3c More Than Ready-Sally’s World) will be aimed at the Group 1 BTC Cup on 11 May following his impressive win in the Listed BRC Mick Dittman Plates over 1000m at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Trainer Kelly Schweida, who purchased the colt from Newgate Farm’s draft at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, said Better Than Ready was a way off peak fitness as he works towards the BTC Cup then hopefully onto the Stradbroke.

“He's a long way from being at his best right now, but I'm happy where he's at. He has to lift a bit to be winning a race like the Stradbroke, but he got the job done and in the end it was pretty soft,” said Schweida.

Better Than Ready has netted over $325,000 in prizemoney during his career which has featured six wins and two placings from 10 starts.

On Sunday in Singapore fellow Inglis graduate Stepitup ($90,000 2011 Premier, 3g Hussonet-Ain’t Seen Nothin’) maintained his position as the horse to beat in the Group 1 Singapore Guineas on 17 May after taking out the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1400m at Kranji.

The owners of Stepitup have already secured an S$50,000 Bonus thanks to the galloper winning the first two legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge; Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) and Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m).

An extra S$100,000 Bonus is up for grabs if Stepitup can bag the Guineas next month, thus making a clean sweep of the series, as completed by Better Than Ever, Gingerbread Man and Super Easy the last three years.

“It’s all about the horse. The Triple Crown dream is still alive, but we’ll have to see how he pulls up first,” said trainer Sonny Yeoh.

Stepitup, which was purchased for $90,000 from the draft of Bellerive Stud at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, has now earned over S$470,000 thanks to six wins and a second placing from seven career starts.

The galloper’s main dangers in the Guineas are likely to come from Classic placegetters Super Ninetyseven ($50,000 Classic) and Zac Spirit ($150,000 Easter).

Other stakes success by Inglis graduates recorded over the weekend included:
Everage ($20,000 Classic) - Listed ATC Keith Mackay Handicap
Transporter ($16,000 Scone) - Listed BRC Members Handicap
Speediness ($18,000 Premier) – Listed MRC Pink Ribbon Cup
Elderly Paradise ($21,000 Premier) - Macau Group 3 Grand Lisboa Cup
Geely Spirit ($135,000 Easter) – Macau Group 3 Oceanus Cup

Buyers looking to aim higher with an Inglis yearling are afforded three more purchasing opportunities during the 2013 Inglis Select Yearling Sales Series:

2013 VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale in Melbourne on 28 & 29 April

2013 Scone Select Yearling Sale in Scone on 19 May

2013 Classic Yearling Sale Winter Book in Sydney on 23 June

For all Inglis sales dates and information go to www.inglis.com.au