News

Inglis Graduates Dominate History Making Day at Sandown

13th Nov 2010

Zipping joined an elite few to win a feature race four consecutive times when he dug deep to claim yet another Sandown Classic today, completing the Group 2 feature double for Inglis graduates.

Earlier, Group 1 winner Pressday found his best form to take the Sandown Guineas. Inglis graduates then completed the Sandown quadrella, with Viking Hero scoring a fast finishing Group 3 Eclipse Stakes win and Happy Hippy finishing best in the Listed Summoned Stakes.

ZIPPING ($190,000 2003 Easter, 9g Danehill-Social Scene) further enhanced his reputation as one of racing’s most durable stars, with this being the most comprehensive of his four Classic wins.

He joins Lord (Memsie Stakes), Manikato (William Reid Stakes – 5 times) and Tie The Knot (Chipping Norton Stakes) as the only horses to win a Group race four years in a row.

Remarkably, 2010 has been the most productive year in the career of the now nine-year-old. Today’s win was preceded by Group 1 successes in the Australian Cup and Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. He also notched a Cox Plate placing and Melbourne Cup fourth for the third times.

He added another notch to his belt today, with this being his first official win on a Slow or Heavy rated track.

The Williams family gelding has now amassed earnings topping $4.5million, with 16 wins in 46 starts.

Earlier, Pressday bounced back to his best form in the deteriorating conditions.

After his Group 1 Derby Day plans went awry, Chris Waller’s consolation plan came to fruition today when Pressday proved too classy in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas.

PRESSDAY ($38,000 2009 Classic, 3c Domesday-Kaaptive Empress) was set for the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes first up, but missed the start and was never in contention.

However, he jumped cleanly today and relished the step up to 1600m in beating the Octagonal gelding Chasse.

Pressday was a graduate of Glenarvon Park and now boasts earnings of $830,000 with five wins in eight starts. He was a Group 1 winner earlier in the year of the T.J. Smith at Eagle Farm.

Pressday’s sire Domesday (Red Ransom) was a $420,000 purchase for Woodlands Stud from the 2004 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and is now a popular resident of Darley Australia.

Belated Stakes Success for Elvstroem Gelding

Viking Hero had initially broken through for a stakes win at just his fourth race start during last year’s Melbourne Cup carnival. But stewards denied him the win, taking the race off him on protest.

Connections have had to endure a frustrating 12 months, with the son of Elvstroem going winless since then, but he repaid them in kind today with his powerful finishing win in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes.

VIKING HERO ($160,000 2008 Easter, 4g Elvstroem-Gypsy Dollar) has returned a more mature horse this time in, having placed at each of his three previous runs this campaign. The Mike Moroney trained gelding has now taken his earnings beyond the $150,000 mark.

He becomes the fourth stakes winner for former international star Elvstroem. Viking Hero hails from the family of AJC Derby winner Innocent King, Flight Stakes winner Unearthly and Sandown Cup hero Royal Snack. He was chosen out of the Yarraman Park draft at Easter by Paul Moroney.

HAPPY HIPPY ($32,000 2007 Winter Weanling, 4m Shamardal-Springburn) added a second stakes success to her scorecard when proving too strong in the Listed Summoned Stakes. The Patinack Farm owned mare has amassed earnings of more than $250,000 after being sold by Edinglassie Stud as a weanling.

Inglis 2YO’s Set for Bigger Targets

Gerald Ryan has his eye on next year’s Golden Slipper with impressive filly Saramenha, who made it consecutive big margin wins at Rosehill today.

SARAMENHA ($70,000 2010 Premier, 2f Snitzel-Speedy Topaze) posted a 6.5 length winning margin over the Rosehill 1100m last month and today won by the best part of five lengths over the same course and distance. Her only defeat came on debut when she bombed the start badly.

Ryan is toying with the idea of backing the filly up next weekend and then turning her out until the autumn, where he intends to give Saramenha just the one lead-up run into the Slipper.

The filly was prepared for sale by Bellerive Stud and is a daughter of Ryan’s Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner Snitzel.

In Brisbane, Patinack Farm unleashed impressive debutante PANE IN THE GLASS ($32,000 2010 Classic, 2f Testa Rossa-Lyrics).

The Testa Rossa filly, who was sold by Sledmere Stud, is now likely to head back south to contest next year’s $250,000 Inglis Classic (1200m) at Rosehill on January 22.

Pane In The Glass upset a plunge on runner-up Belle D’Amour.

Group 3 Update For Easter

An important update to the Inglis sales series came with the Group 3 Zaidee's Rainbow Foundation Sandown Stakes win by LARRY'S NEVER LATE.

New Zealand's Little Avondale Stud will offer a Pins half-brother to Larry's Never Late (Pentire-Laebeel, by Zabeel) at Easter in 2011. The Jim Conlon trained gelding is now a dual Group 3 winner and has been stakes placed five times up to Group 1 level.