News

Montefilia wins Flight Stakes as Inglis grads dominate

3rd Oct 2020

Montefilia is set to be given the chance to achieve the rare feat of winning two G1 races in a week following her success in today’s Flight Stakes at Randwick.

Montefilia’s first G1 win capped off another monumental day for Inglis graduates, who again dominated the day’s Stakes races with five back-type wins with September Run, Zoutori, Persan and Khoekhoe also scoring valuable victories.

Montefilia, a Great Southern Sale weanling purchase of Baystone Farm’s Dean Harvey, proved herself one of the best fillies in Sydney with a strong win in the G1 feature for the 3YO fillies.

Trainer David Payne will now likely back Montefilia up in next Saturday’s G1 Spring Champion Stakes against the males over 2000m at Randwick.

“We’ll see how she pulls up but she’s got her G1 now so we don’t have to go to Melbourne to win one,’’ Payne said.

“I’d like to back her up next week, see her at 2000m, but we’ll see how she is in a day or two.’’

Montefilia (pictured) becomes the 51st G1-winning Inglis graduate since 2018, 80% more than the next best Australian auction house.

Harvey, who paid $62,000 for Montefilia (Kermadec x Bana Wu) at Great Southern – where she was offered by Tyreel Stud - knew exactly the style of horse he was buying.

“She was never going to be a walk-up 2YO, I thought she’d need time and she’s been given that,’’ Harvey, who will offer nine horse at this month’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale, said.

“I really liked the stallion Kermadec, he’s one of the nicest-looking horses I’ve ever seen and when we got to Great Southern and I hadn’t bought one all year and I saw this girl in Melbourne, I had to have her.

“She was a well-balanced, attractive filly with really nice scope. I liked her a lot.’’

Baystone’s Ready2Race Sale draft will arrive at Riverside Stables on October 15, ready for inspection when parades begin on Friday October 16.

“They’re all really good, they’re just ticking along nicely,’’ Harvey said.

“We haven’t pushed them, they’ve done what they need to do and they’re ready to rock and roll for sale day.’’

The Inglis Ready2Race Sale starts at 10am Tuesday October 20.

To view the catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Montefilia’s win continued a stunning streak for Tyreel Stud’s Inglis graduates, with Behemoth and Classique Legend both scoring big race wins in recent weeks.

At Flemington today, Inglis graduates won four of the Stakes races on offer.

September Run (Exceed And Excel) made it back-to-back Stakes wins over the Flemington 1100m straight course with a comfortable victory in the Listed Poseidon Stakes.

The win backed up her last-start success over the same track and distance three weeks earlier in the Cap D’Antibes.

Trained by Chris Waller, the Alpara Lodge-bred 3YO filly is a $380,000 Premier Yearling Sale purchase for Hermitage Thoroughbreds, from the Blue Gum Farm draft.

She has now won four of her seven career starts.

The Zoutori team will likely bypass the tantalising temptation of The Everest but conceded they would “sleep on it’’ following his victory in the G2 Gilgai Stakes at Flemington.

It was a second consecutive Stakes sprint win for the 5YO and today’s beaten brigade included confirmed Everest runners Tofane and Santa Ana Lane.

“He wasn’t well off at the weights today but he was strong to the line again,’’ co-trainer Mathew Ellerton said.

As for The Everest: “It’s something we’ll sleep on for now,’’ Ellerton said, admitting the G1 Cantala Stakes at Flemington on Derby Day was the likely spring target.

Ellerton and Simon Zahra purchased the Frank Meduri-bred Zoutori (Zoustar) for $160,000 at the Easter Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Amarina Farm.

Coolmore’s Easter Yearling Sale graduate Persan (Pierro) booked himself a ticket into the Melbourne Cup with a tough win in the G3 The Bart Cummings at Flemington.

The winner of the race gained automatic entry into the Cup, to be run at Flemington on Tuesday November 3.

Today’s performance was the 11th consecutive time the David Bentata-bred Persan, trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, has finished in the top three – a remarkably consistent effort.

And Khoekhoe (Turffontein) pulled off a betting plunge to land the Listed Super Impose Stakes in a fighting finish for trainer Matt Cumani.

The 3YO colt, who won The Showdown earlier this year, was having his third run back from a spell and secured his third career win at just start No.7.

Cumani bought Khoekhoe for $50,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Hollylodge.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong on Thursday night, Inglis graduates filled the quinella in the feature G3 National Day Cup at Sha Tin when Computer Patch (Exceed And Excel) defeated Jolly Banner.

It was a fifth career win and first at Stakes level for the lightly raced Tony Cruz-trained 4YO.

Computer Patch is an $800,000 Easter Yearling Sale buy for George Moore Bloodstock from Segenhoe Stud, who also bred the horse.

And Ingratiating’s (Frosted) Maribyrnong Trial Stakes win was also significant, with Eddie Hirsch purchasing her dam Obsequious (in foal to Frosted) for $27,500 at the recent Godolphin Broodmare sale through Inglis Digital, giving Hirsch a soon-to-be full sibling to an undefeated Stakes-winning 2YO.