News

Santa delivers again as Inglis grads dominate Stakes Day at Flemington

10th Nov 2018

Santa Ana Lane laid claims to being the best sprinter in the land with a dominant victory in today’s Group 1 VRC Sprint at Flemington.

In beating In Her Time to score a quinella for Inglis graduates, Santa Ana Lane secured his fourth Group 1 victory in the past 13 months, a feat no other sprinter in the world has achieved.

Santa Ana Lane (Lope de Vega x Fast Fleet), who represented Inglis in The Everest at Randwick last month, was bred by Patinack Farm and is raced by The William Street Syndicate.

Justin Bahen, who purchased the now 6YO under Flemington Bloodstock for $80,000 from the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, described the horse as “undoubtedly a world-class sprinter’’.

“That’s four Group 1s in a year basically, it doesn’t get any better than that,’’ Bahen said of Santa Ana Lane, who was offered by Rosemont Stud at the 2014 Melbourne Premier sale.

“It’s a tragedy the rain came as hard as it did on Everest Day because he would have won that too but today certainly goes a long way to making up for that.’’

Winning trainer Anthony Freedman was concerned about Santa Ana Lane’s ability to handle the Flemington straight, but those fears soon disappeared.

“I was just saying it was a shame the way Sydney (The Everest) panned out because I thought he was spot on for Sydney,’’ Freedman said.

“He just didn’t get his chance there in The Everest. This race was not an afterthought but we were always dubious about him up the straight because he’d had a couple of failures there.

“The owners are a great group of guys and my staff have done a great job with the horse. They’re a great team and credit to them turning the horse out today. I just turn up and take a bit of the credit but all the work is done behind the scenes and you couldn’t do it without them.’’

Santa Ana Lane became the fourth consecutive Inglis graduate to win the VRC Sprint following the recent successes of Redzel (2017), Malaguerra (2016) and Delectation (2015).

Santa Ana Lane may have been the headline act but Inglis graduates dominated the Stakes races at Flemington today, winning four of the six black-type events on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The other two were won by homebreds.

RINGERDINGDING (Sebring x Maybe I) will be set for the Group 1 Australian Guineas in the autumn – possibly via next weekend’s Sandown Guineas - following his breathtaking last-to-first win in the Listed Springtime Stakes.

Bred by Gary Johnson and Three Bridges Thoroughbreds – who offered the colt at the 2017 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale – Ringerdingding was purchased by B2B Bloodstock for $170,000.

It was his third career win and first Stakes success from just 10 starts and he led in a trifecta of Inglis graduates, beating Scottish Rogue (Classic Yearling Sale) and Secret Vega (Premier Yearling Sale).

DREAMFORCE (Fastnet Rock x Eskimo Queen) booked himself a trip west for next month’s Group 1 Railway Stakes in Perth with a tough on-speed win in the Group 3 Chatham Stakes.

A Kitchwin Hills offering at the 2014 Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Dreamforce led in a First 4 of Inglis graduates as he beat Widgee Turf (Great Southern Sale), Perast (Classic Yearling Sale) and Mr Sneaky (Premier Yearling Sale).

Dreamforce was bred by Joy Luck Discretionary Trust.

And Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale graduate KENEDNA beat Australian Easter Yearling Sale youngster Miss Siska in a Company quinella in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes.

Kenedna (Not A Single Doubt x Miss Dodwell) is an $80,000 buy for her trainer Darren Weir, John Foote and MDR Bloodstock, from Arrowfield Stud, who also bred the mare.

In Perth, Boomer Bloodstock’s Inglis Classic purchase Prize Catch scored his first Stakes victory with a comfortable win in the Listed Ascot Gold Cup.

Following a false start which saw a significant delay to the race, Prize Catch (Zoffany x Abalone) proved far too strong.

He is a $42,000 Classic buy, where he was offered by Amarina Farm.

SANTA ANA LANE (Lope de Vega x Fast Fleet)

Group 1 win: VRC Sprint

Sale: Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale

Price: $80,000

Vendor: Rosemont Stud

Buyer: Flemington Bloodstock

Breeder: Patinack Farm

Trainer: Anthony Freedman

Owners: William Street Syndicate (Mngr: MA Ramsden)