Classic Season For Australian Breeding

3 minute read

Australian-bred three-year-olds have captured every one of the eight Group One classic races for the age group in Australia this season.

Ace High got the ball rolling with his victory in the Victoria Derby in the spring at Flemington, followed by the locally-bred and US-owned Pinot in the VRC Oaks.

Levendi (ATC Australian Derby), Unforgotten (ATC Australian Oaks), Sopressa (SAJC Schweppes Oaks), Leicester (SA Derby) and Youngstar (Queensland Oaks) preceded Dark Dream’s final classic win in the Queensland Derby at Doomben.

Six of the eight winners were offered at Australian sales while Dark Dream was retained to race by his breeder. Unforgotten was the exception, being sourced from New Zealand.

Ace High: $130,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale – won $1,853,075

Pinot: $200,000 Australian Easter Yearling Sale – won $733,275

Levendi: $140,000 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale – won $1,653,950

Leicester: $10,000 Easter Weanling Sale – won $535,730

Sopressa: $70,000 Great Southern Weanling Sale – won $433,420

Youngstar: $200,000 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale – won $478,562

Dark Dream: Retained by breeder – won $594,643

• FASTNET Rock gelding Sambro recorded his second black type win in Saturday's G2 Queensland Guineas at Doomben.

Sambro (Fastnet Rock x Eau De Joie by Encosta De Lago) was an impressive winner of the Hawkesbury Guineas in April and was an unlucky second in the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington in the spring.

Racing for a syndicate that purchased him as a Magic Millions yearling for $420,000, Sambro advanced his record to three wins and seven placings from 16 starts with earnings of $475,707.

He is the third winner from the stakes-placed Eau de Joie, a half-sister to Golden Slipper winner Polar Success out of the stakes-placed Covetous mare Patou who is a daughter of Polar Maid.

Eau De Joie died in 2016, leaving an unraced two-year-old filly by Redoute’s Choice.

Sambro is the 136th stakes winner by Fastnet Rock, who was responsible for the highest-priced lot at the recent Australian Easter Yearling Sale at $2.3 million.