An hour after watching their champion sprinter go down by an agonizing nose to the Kris Lees-trained Le Romain in the G1 Canterbury S. on the same card, Team Hawkes enjoyed a role reversal when their rising 3-year-old Inference bested the Lees-trained filly Invincible Gem in the Randwick Guineas. That pair bookended the field early, with Invincible Gem setting the pace from the fancied Man From Uncle (Aus) (Uncle Mo), while Inference trailed about 10 lengths behind. Swinging wide to get to the preferred stretch of track on the stands' side as the field straightened, Inference worked his way up the rail and got through on Invincible Gem's inside in the dying strides.
A winner on his second of two outings as a juvenile last year, Inference took a pair of races at the benchmark 70 level in the spring before finishing third in the G3 Ladbrokes Classic and G1 Victoria Derby. He could manage only fifth over 1400 metres behind Man From Uncle first-up in the G2 Hobartville S. on Feb. 18, but relished the mile on Saturday. Co-trainer Michael Hawkes was full of praise for his charge post-race, telling racenet.com.au, “he's a super horse in the making. He really wasn't ready for today. He's a superstar, he's a rockstar. He's so immature. He doesn't know the ability he's got. Rosehill Guineas now then onto the [Australian] Derby.”
Pedigree Notes…
Inference is the first foal for the two-time winner Pontiana, whose two stakes placings include a third in the G2 Dane Ripper S. Pontiana, a daughter of the listed-winning Liberty Rose and a full-sister to the listed-winning Grand Jardin (Aus), has a yearling full-sister to Inference and a colt foal by Pierro (Aus).
Inference becomes the second Group 1 winner, and first in Australia, for his 10-time Group 1-winning sire So You Think, who is also responsible for last season's G1 NZ 1000 Guineas winner La Diosa (NZ). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Randwick, Australia
RANDWICK GUINEAS-G1, A$1,007,000, ATC, 3-4, 3yo, Open Set Weight, 1600mT, 1:40.91, Heavy.
1–&@#INFERENCE, 56.5, c, 3, by So You Think (NZ)
1st Dam: Pontiana (GSP-Aus, A$129,050), by Redoute's Choice
2nd Dam: Liberty Rose, by Royal Academy (USA)
3rd Dam: Cherry Garden (NZ), by Sir Tristram (IRE)
O-L P Maxsted, P C Maxsted, G P I Racing Syndicate (Mgr: G P
Ingham), S J Tuxen, Ms K N Cooper, P K And Mrs C Allen & G J
Hayes; B-Mr GP Ingham NSW; T-M, W & J Hawkes; J-Tommy
Berry; A$592,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-1-2, A$842,950. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating:
A+.
2–Invincible Gem, 54.5, f, 3, I Am Invincible–Diamond Day, by
Marwina. O-C A Hill & P R Tonkin; B-Mr TC Hill NSW; T-K A
Lees; J-B Avdulla; A$190,000.
3–Comin' Through, 56.5, g, 3, Fastnet Rock–Mica's Pride, by
Bite the Bullet (USA) . O/B-Go Bloodstock (Mgr: Sir O G Glenn);
T-C J Waller; J-J Moreira; A$100,000.
Margins: 0.2 len, 2.0 len, 2.7 len. Odds: 8.50, 4.50, 3.80.
Also Ran: Impavido, Man From Uncle, Harper's Choice, Hardham, Acatour, Manolo Blahniq (NZ), Malaise, Captain Duffy.
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
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