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Hey Doc's G1 success caps big weekend for Inglis grads

24th Oct 2020

The “ageless warrior’’ Hey Doc secured a fourth career G1 win in Friday night’s Manikato Stakes, the highlight of another big weekend of spring results for Inglis graduates.

The Adrian Hall-bred Hey Doc took his career earnings past the magical $3m mark with the win, which came three years after he won his first Manikato Stakes.

His win capped off a successful 24 hours for Inglis graduates which also ran the quinella in the G3 The Nivison (Positive Peace and Wandabaa) and won the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes (The Bopper) and the Listed Inglis Banner (Sneaky Five).

Hey Doc is one of 51 G1-winning Inglis graduates since 2018.

Trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy purchased Hey Doc for $85,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Rosemont Stud.

His win began a big weekend for Rosemont, who also race today’s $500,000 Inglis Banner winner Sneaky Five, having purchased him from this year’s Premier Yearling Sale.

“What an ageless warrior he is, an absolute beauty. I’m so proud of him,’’ co-trainer Tony McEvoy said.

“It’s really a tremendous team effort. To have an older horse, a 7YO, at the peak of their powers after what he’s been through is just a true example of commitment from my staff.

“I loved him as a yearling at the Premier Sale. He was quality, powerful, had a great engine room, big deep girth on him. He was a standout, one of our favourite horses at that sale.

“We thought we might get him for $40,000 but had to go to double that but given he’s now ticked over the $3m in earnings, I think it was a pretty handy buy still!’’

Hey Doc (pictured) will next race in the G1 VRC Sprint Classic at Flemington on the final day of Melbourne Cup Week before heading to Perth for the G1 Winterbottom Stakes, a race he won last year.

At Randwick today talented 3YO The Bopper (Nicconi) led his rivals a merry dance with a dominant all-the-way win in the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes.

A winner of the Inglis Challenge at Scone earlier this year, the lightly-raced Kris Lees-trained gelding secured a third career win at just start No.4 – his other run finished with a narrow second placing.

The Bopper – a $30,000 Scone Yearling Sale buy for Lees from Widden Stud – will target the $1m Inglis Sprint at Randwick on February 6.

The Bopper was bred by Jeannie Harris.

The Bopper’s win capped off a big day for the Scone Yearling Sale after Sneaky Five’s win earlier in the day.

Sneaky Five’s dam Small Minds was a $48,000 Scone graduate in 2008 – she went on to win the G1 Schweppes Oaks as a 3YO filly and now as a broodmare she has produced three foals to race, all of which are winners and two of which are Stakes winners.

In the G3 The Nivison at Randwick, Stratum mare Positive Peace led in an Inglis graduates quinella, defeating Wandabaa.

It was a ninth career win and second Stakes success for Positive Peace, a $260,000 Easter Yearling Sale buy for her trainer Bjorn Baker and Blandford Bloodstock, from the draft of Kia Ora Stud, which also bred her.

And it was an Easter Yearling Sale quinella in the Sydney 2YO feature, the Kirkham Plate, as the colt Tiger Of Malay (Extreme Choice) defeated the filly Cerda (Snitzel).

Bred by Bridie O’Bree, Tiger Of Malay is a $255,000 purchase for China Horse Club and Newgate Bloodstock from the Tyreel Stud draft.