Australian Review by James Harron Bloodstock

The Autumn racing carnival is beginning to heat up in Australia, and the team at James Harron Bloodstock will provide an alternating weekly recap of one of the major divisions, this week focussing on the 3-year-old fillies.

Recent weeks have seen the majority of the leading contenders for honours in the 3-year-old fillies division take their first steps on Autumn campaigns.

Feb. 13 saw the 1200 metre G2 Light Fingers S. at Rosehill, and a breakthrough stakes victory for Perignon (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), who held off the strong challenge of Stonestreet Stables's Kangarilla Joy (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}). Perignon is a daughter of Snitzel, who is rapidly emerging as the heir apparent to his own sire, Redoute's Choice (Aus), three times a champion stallion. Starting from a relatively humble fee of A$33,000 upon his retirement in 2008, Snitzel stood for a fee of A$88,000 in 2015, placing him in the top five stallions by fee. This rise is not surprising given that the 2014/15 racing season had seen him double his tally of Group 1 winners to six with Wandjina (Aus), Sweet Idea (Aus) and Hot Snitzel (Aus) joining Snitzerland (Aus), Sizzling (Aus) and Shamus Award (Aus). Most impressive is that from this group he has three sons standing at stud in the heart of the Australian breeding industry–the Hunter Valley. With three seven-figure colts at January's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, including the sale-topping A$1,600,000 colt along with another A$700,000 colt to Hong Kong interests who was the sale topper at the recent Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Snitzel's status near the top of the tree looks assured.

Perignon was an absentee in the next of the Sydney 3-year-old filly group races, the G2 Surround S. at Randwick Feb. 27, but none of those behind her in the Light Fingers were able to get past Godolphin's unbeaten Lonhro filly Ghisoni (Aus), who took the step up to group company in her stride, breaking her mother Portillo (Aus)'s (winner of this race in 2009) class record in running the 1400 metre distance in 1:21.83, though it is worth noting that this was a day of fast times–Solicit (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) would go on to break the 1400 metre track record when running 1:20.34 in the next race, the G2 Guy Walter S.

Ghisoni is one of 33 group winners for her shuttling sire, and on this performance looks capable of adding to his tally of seven Group 1 winners so far.

A great loss to the Australian breeding industry has been the untimely demise of G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Northern Meteor (Aus), who died from colic complications in 2013, leaving behind just four crops. From those he has left six Group 1 winners, including the Gai Waterhouse-trained Speak Fondly (Aus), winner of the 2015 Flight Stakes at Randwick. After being late returning to work this preparation she was an absentee in the traditional filly curtain raisers, but a barrier trial win by daylight Feb. 19 at Randwick suggested that she will be making her presence felt once again. She is scheduled to return in the G2 Challenge S. at Randwick Mar. 5, where she takes on the colts and the older horses at weight for age.

The G3 Vanity S. at Flemington Feb 20. produced another gaining her first group race victory when the Tony McEvoy-trained Don't Doubt Mamma (Aus), by Not a Single Doubt (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), was too strong for her field. She is the 13th group winner for her sire, who has since provided his third Group 1 winner in the shape of Feb. 27 G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Extreme Choice (Aus). A listed winner at two and three on the racetrack, Not a Single Doubt has established himself as a reliable source of juvenile speed, though as in the case of Don't Doubt Mamma, he is getting his fair share of those who train on as well.

Another stallion to be doing well posthumously is former Arrowfield resident Beneteau (Aus), sire of just two crops before succumbing to a sudden neurological condition. A million-dollar yearling in his time, Beneteau was a winner of the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude as a 2-year-old, but failed to train on as a 3-year-old, leading to his premature retirement. His daughter Almighty Girl (Aus) became one of four stakes winners for him when taking the Feb. 26 G3 Typhoon Tracy S. at Moonee Valley. From barrier 11 she endured a fairly wide trip around the tight Moonee Valley circuit but was still too strong for a solid field and looks a good prospect.

Another interesting race for the 3-year-old fillies, the G3 Kevin Hayes S., took place Feb. 13 at Caulfield and produced a win for ex-New Zealand filly Risque (NZ), by Danehill son Darci Brahma (NZ), having her first start for David Hayes and Tom Dabernig, having been previously trained by Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards in her home country. This was a grinding victory over 1400 metres and she looks a top-notch prospect for 2000 metres-plus in the coming months. She will tackle the colts in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington Mar. 5.

The G2 Angus Armanesco at Caulfield Feb. 27 was yet another won by a filly gaining her first stakes victory, indicative of a division still sorting itself out. The winner, Catch A Fire (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}), had broken her maiden at the sixth time of asking just two weeks previously. She was dominant in this maiden stakes victory, though this was a race where it was difficult to make ground after a slow early pace–the best late splits were posted by Alaskan Rose (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and she looks a filly to follow next time after breaking 34 seconds for her final 600 metres here.

Golden Slipper Top Five…

Undoubtedly the most important race in Australasian breeding, the G1 Longines Golden Slipper, takes place in two weeks on Mar. 19 at Rosehill. Here we run through the top five in the order they stand in most pre-post markets.

EXTREME CHOICE (AUS) – current odds just under 3/1

Not a Single Doubt (Aus)–Extremely (Aus), by Hussonet

Trainer: Mick Price

A son of Not a Single Doubt and purchased for A$100,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Summer Book, Extreme Choice emulated his paternal half-sister Miracles of Life (Aus) in winning the G1 Blue Diamond S. at Caulfield Feb. 27. The benchmark for a Blue Diamond winner is breaking 1:09.00 for the 1200 metres, and Extreme Choice joined the elite band of winners to do this, posting a swift 1:08.95 when accounting for his stablemate Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) by almost two lengths, with a further four lengths back to the third horse. Sepoy was the last winner to dip under the 1:09 benchmark, running 1:08.55 in 2011, and he is also the most recent horse to complete the Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper double. That was achieved when there were five weeks between the two races, and he would finish second to Smart Missile (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the Todman S. in between. This year the gap is three weeks, and Extreme Choice will now go straight to the Golden Slipper. A stake in this colt was secured by Newgate Farm prior to the Blue Diamond, and they are also in the ownership of the other leading Golden Slipper fancy:

CAPITALIST (AUS) – current odds around 3/1

Written Tycooon (Aus)–Kitalpha (Aus), by Fusaichi Pegasus

Trainer: Peter & Paul Snowden

Purchased for A$165,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and unbeaten in three starts for a group of James Harron Bloodstock owners, Capitalist has achieved each of his wins by daylight. He began his campaign and became a 'TDN Rising Star' when taking the Listed Breeders' Plate at Randwick Oct 3. The Breeders' Plate is the first stakes race for 2-year-olds in Sydney and has a long history of producing future stallions, including seven subsequent Golden Slipper winners, including in recent years Sebring (Aus), Pierro (Aus) and Vancouver (Aus). Capitalist was a dominant winner of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast Jan. 9, and returned with an impressive barrier trial against older horses at Randwick Feb. 19, finishing under strong hold alongside last year's Golden Slipper runner-up English (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). He has been a long term pre-post Golden Slipper favourite, but was very recently usurped at the head of the market by Extreme Choice.

FLYING ARTIE (AUS) – current odds 8/1

Artie Schiller–Flying Ruby (Aus), by Rubiton (Aus)

Trainer: Mick Price

Connections will have to stump up three times the A$50,000 they paid at Session 2 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale to secure Blue Diamond S. runner-up Flying Artie if they are to run in the Golden Slipper, but all indications are that they intend to do so, and with good reason. Flying Artie's run through the Blue Diamond was a difficult one, forced at least 10 horses wide on the home turn and getting far closer to his impressive stablemate than anything else and completing a quinella for trainer Mick Price. Both he and Extreme Choice will be attempting to become the first Melbourne-based winner of the Golden Slipper since Crystal Lily in 2010.

ASTERN (AUS) – current odds 10/1

Medaglia d'Oro–Essaouira (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus})

Trainer: John O'Shea

Like last year's winner Vancouver–another son of Medaglia d'Oro–Astern was a tidy winner of the G2 Silver Slipper at Rosehill Feb. 13, beating Defcon (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) by a half-length, with the slow-starting Mount Panorama (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) back in third. Bred and raced by Godolphin, Astern is yet to be fully tested and has shown good natural speed in both his winning starts, making all in the Silver Slipper and winning with his ears pricked. He has his next start in the Mar. 5 G2 Todman S. at Randwick, where he will face Capitalist.

HONESTY PREVAILS (AUS) – current odds 12/1

Redoute's Choice (Aus)–Flavoured (Aus), by Hussonet

Trainer: Rick Worthington

Having one filly on a list of five looks risky when the Golden Slipper has been won by fillies two of the last three years, including the first seven finishers in 2014. That said, the one inclusion does look a filly out of the very top drawer. A $720,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling purchase trained by Rick Worthington, Honesty Prevails looked well up to living up to her price tag with a couple of impressive trial wins in fast times and proved up to the mark taking out the Jan. 30 G3 Widden S. at Rosehill on debut by a widening degree of daylight. The time was faster than the colts in the G3 Canonbury S. and her sectionals compared very favourably with the Group 2 sprint later on the card, with her split between the 600 metres and 200 metres of 22.80s the fastest of the day. She will be a warm favourite for the G2 Reisling S. at Randwick Mar 5.