News

Hall of Fame's Group 1 glory

15th Jan 2017

Easter colt Hall of Fame proved himself one of New Zealand’s most exciting 3YOs when he took out Saturday’s Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham – the sole Group 1 race contested in Australasia over the weekend.

Trained in partnership by Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, Hall of Fame showed a devastating turn of foot to suggest he will play a leading role in the big summer and autumn races in New Zealand before a potential Australian trip.

It was the fifth win from nine career starts for the son of Savabeel and Around The Clock.

Bred by Michael O’Keeffe, Hall of Fame was a $100,000 purchase at the 2015 Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Newgate Farm draft, before being successfully pinhooked through the Lyndhurst Farm draft as a 2YO for $NZ230,000.

He provided Savabeel with his 12th Group 1 winner and earned his mother Around The Clock, a Galileo mare, her first major.

Hall of Fame is the first foal to race for Around The Clock, who herself was an Inglis Easter graduate in 2009.

She has three other unraced foals on the ground by Ocean Park, Reliable Man and Deep Field.

Winning trainer Autridge was deflated after Hall of Fame could finish only 10th at his main Spring target, the Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas back in early November, but never gave up hope of Group 1 glory.

“He’s always showed plenty of ability, but he’d had enough then and we gave him a break and he’s come back better than ever,’’ he said.

“It’s great for Savabeel and it’s great for [the owners]. We’re absolutely rapt.’’

Hall of Fame is now on a NZ Derby path.

Lot 693 at the upcoming Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale (Feb 26-Mar 1) is a Helmet colt out of As Different As, the dam of who is a half-sister to Hall of Fame’s dam Around The Clock.

The Premier Yearling Sale at Oaklands will continue a busy period for Inglis, which will also hold the Classic Yearling Sale at Newmarket from February 11-13 and then the Easter Yearling Sale in early April.

Hall of Fame’s win capped off a successful run for Inglis graduates, after Red Excitement won the Listed Gosford Cup on Friday and Grande Rosso claimed Saturday’s Listed Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington.

Red Excitement (Excites x Red Obsession), a $32,500 Inglis Classic buy for Glenn and Viive Williams from the Evergreen Stud Farm draft, took his earnings to $882,595 with what his 13th victory.

And Grande Rosso made it three wins from his past five starts with his black-type Flemington success.

Grande Rosso (Written Tycoon x Jestemma) was bought for $220,000 by Glenhuntley Lodge at the 2013 Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne from the Redbank North draft.