News

Shamus Award Reinforces His Place At The Top

1st Mar 2014

Inglis graduate Shamus Award reinforced his position as the top three-year-old in Australia with a thrilling victory in the Gr.1 VRC Australian Guineas over 1600m in Melbourne on Saturday.

The win topped off a big day for graduates from Session Two of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale following the dominant performance of Mossfun in the Gr.2 ATC Silver Slipper Stakes for two-year-olds in Sydney. The Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale also clocked up another stakes winner thanks to Cooldini’s tough staying victory in the Listed VRC Roy Higgins Handicap over 2600m.

Shamus Award (Snitzel x Sunset Express) produced a similar performance to his W.S. Cox Plate victory earlier in the season leading from start to finish in today’s Group 1 feature at Flemington. The highest rated three-year-old in the country held a one length margin at the finish on placegetters Criterion and Thunder Fantasy.

The Australian Guineas win takes Shamus Award’s prize money to $2,453,500. The colt is certainly one of the hottest stud prospects in the Southern Hemisphere.

“To win the Cox Plate as a three-year-old then to come back and win the Guineas puts it puts him in very rare air,” said trainer Danny O’Brien.

A $230,000 purchase from Vinery Stud at the 2012 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Shamus Awards joins an illustrious list of Easter graduates to win the Australian Guineas including Mosheen, Miss Finland, Al Maher and Reset.

Shamus Award was offered as Lot 540 in Session Two of the Easter sale, a session that is growing in stature year after year.

Fellow Easter Two graduate Mossfun maintained her unbeaten record with a dominant four length win the Gr.2 ATC Silver Slipper Stakes over 1200m at Rosehill earlier today.

Mossfun (Mossman x Eye For Fun) had to overcome a deteriorating track due to ongoing rain, but nothing could dampen the filly’s dash as she scooted clear in the straight over Press Report and Risen From Doubt.

The smart juvenile was an $85,000 purchase by owners Emirates Park from the draft of Fairview Park Stud in Session Two at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Mossfun was a winner of the $250,000 RL Inglis Nursery on debut in December before stepping up to Group 3 level in the Widden Stakes last month. The daughter of Mossman keeps improving with every run.

“From day one she just kept improving. Some people under-rated her on the Inglis Nursery win but she is exposed now. She is an athlete and may not need to run again [before the Golden Slipper],” said co-trainer Michael Hawkes.

Mossfun is now second favourite for the world’s richest two-year-old race, the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper, which will be run on Saturday 5 April 2014.

The 2014 edition of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale is due to start at 12 noon tomorrow, Sunday 2 March. Sale graduates were amongst the stakes winners again today with Cooldini taking out the 2600m Listed VRC Roy Higgins Handicap at Flemington.

Cooldini (Bernardini ex Eliza Dane) was a $40,000 purchase by Cameron Cooke Bloodstock from Three Bridges Thoroughbreds at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. The Robert Smerdon trained galloper has earned over $300,000 for his prizemoney to date.

Today’s tough win over Prince Of Penzanace and Outback Joe was Cooldini’s sixth win from 17 starts.

775 lots have been catalogued for this year’s Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, including 50 in Monday’s ‘Blue Riband’ Session aimed at top level middle-distance gallopers and stayers. Online Bidding and Inglis’ Make-An-Offer services will be available over the next four days.

This year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale will then be conducted on 8, 9 and 10 April at Newmarket in Sydney. Siblings to today’s Group 2 winners Mossfun and Dissident are among the 550 lots catalogued.