News

It's a 2YO domination for Inglis graduates Australia-wide

7th Feb 2026

In an extraordinary showing of 2YO class, Inglis graduates made a clean sweep of today’s feature juvenile races, winning both Blue Diamond Preludes at Caulfield as well as the Lonhro Plate at Randwick.

The debutant colt Closer To Free (Street Boss) began the rout by winning the G3 Prelude (C&G) for Danny O’Brien, before Streisand (Magnus) proved too strong in the G2 Prelude (Fillies) 40 minutes later for Clinton McDonald.

In between, trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott made it back-to-back Lonhro Plate victories with Inglis graduates as Agrarian Girl (Tassort) proved an impressive winner, 12 months after Bellazaine won the race.

The Closer To Free story is as unlikely as it is remarkable.

Trainer Danny O’Brien was at the Caulfield barrier trials nine days ago and spotted Closer To Free in the mounting yard with his then-trainer Adrian Corboy, who had purchased the colt for $60,000 at the Classic Yearling Sale from the draft of his breeder Milburn Creek.

After Closer To Free (pictured) won the trial impressively, O’Brien approached Corboy and within minutes, had purchased the horse, who today raced in Sean Buckley’s Ultra Thoroughbreds colours.

“Adrian is one of the best – if not the best – horse breaker in the country so I asked him what he was doing… and before the horse left the mounting yard after it had won the trial I walked back with him, saw how easily he’d taken in the trial and as he was hosing the horse down I bought him,’’ O’Brien said.

“He’s a beautiful colt and he’s got a proper pedigree, he’s by a tremendous stallion in Street Boss and his first three dams are all 2YO Stakes winners so there’s plenty there to like about him.

“He’s got an amazing nature, he’s such a relaxed and sensible colt, he was challenged and he found plenty. I think he’s well above average.’’

Corboy added: “Danny approached me and asked about the horse and I told him he could win a Blue Diamond so let the games begin.

“He’s a nice horse and got the job done. The main aim was to trade him and that’s what we did. To Danny’s credit, there’s not too many people in the country that would take on a horse from a horse breaker and put it straight into a Blue Diamond Prelude with the full faith of a horse breaker’s recommendation.

“I don’t look for any credit at all, we’ve just got to get the job done, that’s what we do for a living.’’

Closer To Free firmed into a $7 third favourite for the G1 Blue Diamond with Ladbrokes, to be run at Caulfield on February 21.

In the G2 Fillies division it was Streisand surging into Blue Diamond contention with a tenacious victory for trainer Clinton McDonald.

McDonald teamed up with Shane McGrath to buy Streisand – which was already twice Stakes placed prior to today – from Northmore Thoroughbreds for $100,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale.

Northmore had pinhooked the Eldon Park Stud-bred filly with Waterford Livestock, purchasing her for $22,000 at the Great Southern Sale as a weanling from the Yarran Thoroughbreds draft.

“She’s done all the hard yards,’’ McDonald said.

“She was there for the first 2YO race of the season and got beat a short half head, she was there for the Spring Carnival and got beat a short half head again. She’s seasoned, she’s got the toughness on her side whereas a lot of these other horses are still learning their craft.

“We bought her at the Premier Yearling Sale with Shane McGrath and well done to Inglis once again, they’ve produced another good horse. I think she’ll go a long way in the Diamond, I think she has the mental aptitude for it and the toughness.’’

McDonald won the Blue Diamond two years ago with another Inglis graduate in Hayasugi.

Streisand is an $8 fourth favourite in the Blue Diamond with Ladbrokes in a fortnight.

And at Randwick it was Agrarian Girl that proved too strong on debut in the Listed Lonhro Plate, completing the juvenile clean sweep for Inglis graduates.

The filly’s trainers Waterhouse and Bott teamed up with Bruce Slade to purchase Agrarian Girl for $280,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, where she was offered by her breeders Emirates Park.

Agrarian Girl was scratched at Canberra yesterday to contest today’s black type race, a decision that ultimately proved fruitful for connections.

“She would have started a short-priced favourite at Canberra but Adrian made the call that we were going to stay here for this race instead, he showed that confidence in her which was great and she did the rest,’’ Slade said.

“She would have been in the top 10% of fillies at Premier last year in terms of price, she was well found, bred off a beautiful farm in Emirates Park… she was just a cracking sort and we were lucky enough to have enough power to get her and as soon as she was bought, Rod Russell from WA, he and his mates jumped in and bought the filly.’’

And talented 3YO Alpha Sofie (Capitalist) resumed in the best way possible, scoring a strong first-up win in the G3 Peter Le Grand Stakes at Caulfield.

The Peter Moody-trained filly has now won four of her five career starts and looks set for a big autumn.

Bred by Dan and Linda Alford and Mary Anne Holland, Alpha Sofie is a $150,000 Classic Yearling Sale buy for Tosh Murphy’s Munetos, from the Davali Thoroughbreds draft.