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So You Think, Vancouver and Pride Of Dubai sire new stakes winners
Coolmore Stud stallion’s So You Think (High Chaparral), Vancouver (Medaglia d’Oro) and Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) all sired new stakes winners at Rosehill on Saturday, capping off a great day for the New South Wales-based operation.
So You Think (High Chaparral) was provided with his 33rd stakes winner on Saturday when the Matthew Smith-trained Nimalee (4 m ex Dezign by Zabeel) landed the Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Last seen winning over 1400 metres at the same track on February 20, the four-year-old mare camped off leader Greysful Glamour (Stratum) and showed great tenacity to get the better of her by three-quarters of a length with last start Sunline Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Quantum Mechanic (Deep Field) finishing another head away in third.
The mare nearly had her autumn campaign thwarted after being found to have a stone bruise after her last-star win and Smith said he was happy to take the patient approach with her.
“I definitely would have mucked it up a few years ago but you get a bit better at what you do and you’ve just got to make sure you get them right,” Smith said.
The trainer confirmed the mare would now head to the Coolmore Legacy (registered as Queen Of The Turf Stakes) (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick on April 17.
“She can go to the next level, I hope. That was a good effort, six weeks between runs, to win that today.”
Bred by Cressfield, the four-year-old mare was purchased for $270,000 by the Randwick Bloodstock Agency from the Millford Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in 2018, Nimalee is one of four winners out of the unraced Zabeel (Sir Tristram) mare Dezign making her a half-sister to Group 3-placed The Chairman (High Chaparral).
Dezign is herself a daughter of three-time Group 2 scorer Elegant Fashion (Danewin) and she is also the dam of Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Star Fashion (Street Cry).
In 2019 Dezign produced a brother to Nimalee and was covered by Arrowfield Stud-based sire The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) in November.
Nimalee provided So You Think with his eighth stakes winner this season and he is sitting in fourth on the general sires’ table. The stallion has 17 lots catalogued at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, which gets underway on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, So You Think’s barnmate Pride Of Dubai was handed his eighth stakes winner when the Team Hawkes-trained Saif (2 g ex Little Miss Smiley by Husson) took out the Schweppervescence Handicap (registered as T L Baillieu Handicap) (Gr 3, 1400m) at Rosehill.
Saif won his first start at Ballarat and finished runner-up in the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Flemington on his last start.
After trailing the leaders, Saif shouldered his way off the fence to chase down Converge (Frankel) and score by a length and three-quarters, while Gin Martini (Rip Van Winkle) was another length and quarter away in third.
Co-trainer Michael Hawkes said the giant youngster, who stands at over 16 hands, was gelded early due to his size and the stable was confident he had a bright future.
If he pulls up well from Saturday’s Group 3 win, he could back-up in next weekend’s ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Randwick, or head straight to the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) two weeks later.
“We always had the Sires’ and Champagne in mind but it’s all about how he pulls up,” Hawkes said.
“This was a race we thought maybe we might target and if he could win this, whether he runs in the Sires’ or bypasses the Sires’ and heads straight to the Champagne, he is looking like he wants further and he’s a really nice horse going forward.”
Bred by Katom, the gelding is one of four winners out of winning Husson (Hussonet) mare Little Miss Smiley, making him a half-brother to stakes-placed Serious Liaison (Zoffany).
Further back this is the same pedigree as Group 2-winning pair Leonardo De Hinchi (Hinchinbrook) and Jet Spur (Flying Spur).
Coolmore will offer Saif’s brother at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale next week and he is catalogued as Lot 393. Farm manager John Kennedy said they had always thought highly of Saif.
“Saif was always a very highly rated animal as a young horse at Coolmore,’’ Coolmore’s John Kennedy said.
“He caught the eye of Team Hawkes as a yearling and they are great judges.
“His brother possesses many of the same qualities with great scope and athleticism and we expect him to be well found at auction on Wednesday.’’
Crowned champion first-season sire by earnings last year, Pride Of Dubai has one other lot catalogued at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Later on in the afternoon, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Yaletown (3 g ex Marianne by Darci Brahma) provided his sire Vancouver with his fourth stakes winner when he took out the Tulloch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m).
The three-year-old gelding enjoyed an easy time in the lead under Tim Clark and held off the late challenge of Prompt Prodigy (More Than Ready), who just failed to catch the leader, eventually finishing half a length adrift. Young Werther (Tavistock) was a further long neck away in third.
Bott said the gelding would now head to the Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) - a race that is missing from Waterhouses glittering CV.
"He's a lovely, tough horse who keeps giving, as you saw today," said Waterhouse's training partner Adrian Bott of Yaletown.
"We really thought he would excel up in trip today, so we're happy to see him tick that off. Everything we've seen from him at home and in his career to date gave us the indication he would.
"Tim (Clark) gave him a lovely ride, he got into a nice rhythm off the nice even tempo which suited, he's not the most brilliant in terms of turn of foot, but he'll keep giving for you every day.
"I think there was still a bit more there and it was great to see him respond when under pressure. I'm sure he'll continue to do that over a little further."
Yaletown has raced four times for two wins, earning $150,615 in career prize-money. The gelding won on debut at Kembla Grange last October and finished fourth behind Hungry Heart (Frankel) in the Phar Lap Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) on his last start and that form was franked later on in the day, with the daughter of Frankel (Galileo) taking out the Vinery Stud Stakes (registered as Storm Queen Stakes) (Gr 1, 2000m).
Bred by Whitby Bloodstock, the gelding was purchased for $320,000 by Tom Magnier and his trainers at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Kitchwin Hills draft, the gelding is out of the Listed-winning Darci Brahma (Danehill) mare Marianne, who was purchased by Tom Magnier for $1.1 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2018.
Further back this is the same family as dual Grade 2-winning Dylan’s Promise (Dylan Thomas).
After missing to I Am Invincible (I Am Invincible) and Vancouver’s barnmate Justify (Scat Daddy) in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Marianne was covered again by the unbeaten Triple Crown winner in September.
Yaletown joins South African Grade 2 winner Mount Pleasant and Listed-winning duo Night Raid and Madone as the stallion’s other stakes winners. The stallion has seven lots catalogued at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, which gets underway in Sydney on Tuesday.