In today's Straight Shorts, Flemington stakes winners for two exported stallions, a new addition for Woodside Park, a share in Zoustar to be offered online, bet365 runs afoul of regulator and David Hayes' Sprint hopes rising.

Highvol
Jamie Melham guides Highvol to victory in the Anzac Day Stakes. (Photo: Bronwen Healy - The Image Is Everything)

First stakes winner for Microphone

Darley’s Microphone may be on his way to Brazil to continue his stud career, but he marked a milestone at Flemington with first starter Highvol winning the Listed Anzac Day Stakes.

The Nick Ryan-trained gelding became the first stakes winner for his sire, defying his rivals under a well-rated ride from Jamie Melham to score by a narrow margin from Cosmic Force colt Stay Cosmic and Just Kick, a daughter of Staphanos.

“He’s just a bit revvy, very typical of a Microphone, I think. So, we gelded him, gave him a lot of jumpouts,” stable representative Damian Kefford said.

“Nick decided, ‘look, we’ll roll the dice here’. Nick always thought he’d be a 1400m-plus horse.

“It is a big task to come to Flemington for your first start over 1400m, but the raps that we had on him were warranted today.”

A $100,000 Inglis Premier purchase, Highvol was bred by Noorilim Park.

Zoustar share on Inglis Digital  

A share in champion stallion Zoustar will be offered through a capacity Inglis Digital April (Late) Online Sale, one of 554 lots on offer.

The Zoustar share is being offered on account of Qatar Bloodstock and represents just the second time a share in the Widden star will be offered at public auction.

Last year, a 1.6 per cent share in Zoustar sold on Inglis Digital for $1.4 million, valuing the stallion at $787 million.

Zoustar has already sired 65 stakes winners, including this season’s Group 1 winners Schwarz and Joliestar. He is favoured to claim his first Australian Sires Championship and he currently sits a close second behind Pride Of Dubai in that race.

The April (Late) Sale includes 232 broodmares, 189 racehorses (96 race fillies), 66 racehorse shares, 36 yearlings, 29 weanlings and two stallions, Lord Of the Sky and Unite and Conquer.

Another highlight is the three-year-old Natural Laws (Capitalist), a four-and-a-half length last start winner for trainer Peter Snowden who will be sought after by the Hong Kong market.

There are also seven lightly raced Godolphin 3YOs, two breeding rights in leading sire Bivouac and the dam of Group 3 winner North England.

The digital auction closes on Wednesday.

Wolf on top in epic St Leger finish

Tivaci gelding American Wolf prevailed in a thrilling finish to the Listed VRC St Leger at Flemington.

Prepared by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young and ridden by John Allen, American Wolf staged a memorable dual with Litzdeel, the half-sister to Melbourne Cup winner Vow and Declare, over the final 300 metres before edging out his rival by 0.3 of a length. Kicking King was six lengths back in third.

A last start Ballarat maiden winner, the G1 South Australian Derby now awaits the winner, who was a $110,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase from Waikato Stud.

“Definitely if he pulls up well, eats up, all the usual things, you might as well, you’re only three once, " Young said of the eight day back-up.

“You don’t have to do much with him, he’s run 28 (hundred metres) today, he’s going to run 25 next week, so you’ve just got to tick him over basically."

American Wolf is a half-brother to Group 2 winner Zee Falls and is out of Zabeel mare Zelitist, a half-sister to Group 1 winner Warhorse.

Tivaci was exported to China ahead of last breeding season.

Woodside Park to stand Celestial Legend

Dual Group 1 winner Celestial Legend will join the Woodside Park roster for the 2025 season.

Woodside Park confirmed on Friday that the son of Dundeel, a winner of the Randwick Guineas and the Doncaster Handicap during a dominant three-year-old campaign in 2024 for trainer Les Bridge, would stand for $27,500 (inc GST).

Celestial Legend’s owner Bon Ho attended the Victorian farm as part of the launch of the stallion who will headline a roster that also contains Benbatl ($22,000), Shalaa ($19,800), Rich Enuff ($13,200), Vancouver ($8800), Foxwedge ($8800) and Delaware ($7700).

Woodside Park has built up its stallion offer substantially since Eddie Hirsch took ownership of the property in 2021.

Twin Hills roster confirmed

Smart Missile’s fee for 2025 will remain unchanged at $13,200 (inc GST), as Twin Hills looks to build off the back of the Group 1 success of his son Briasa.

While he will be entering his 14th season at stud and did attract his lower ever book of 23 in 2024, demand is expected to increase for the son of Fastnet Rock, who marked his second Group 1 winner thanks to Briasa.

Daumier still headlines the Cootamundra-based stud’s roster and will enter his third season at an unchanged $16,500.

Peltzer’s price has been reduced from $16,500 to $11,000 while Group 1 producer Hallowed Crown stays unchanged at $8,800.

Peltzer’s first winner

Twin Hills resident Peltzer secured his first winner as a sire with his fourth runner, with Tom Vegas winning at his home track of Bathurst.

The son of So You Think has only had a small number of his first crop to the track and his first winner came in some style with Tom Vegas winning by two lengths for trainer Dean Mirfin over 1100 metres.

Hayes’ hopes rising ahead of Chairman’s Sprint

David Hayes has every confidence that Ka Ying Rising will continue his winning run when he steps out as a hot-price favourite on Sunday’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin.

The four-year-old son of Shamexpress will come out of barrier four and is expected to take his record to 13 wins from 15 starts.

“He’s drawn perfectly,” Hayes said. “It is the first time he has had a single draw for a long time so if he jumps well, it will take the luck out of it and I’d say Zac (Purton, jockey) will be thrilled.

“He’s a bit faster than the three drawn inside him, so he should get the rail and there is a bit of speed on his outside, so he has just got to jump and he should be OK.

“Having a $1.10 chance is quite rare in our racing at the elite level and you’re anxious before the race, you just want to get it over and done with because with these great horses you don’t want to be making excuses.”

Hayes’ sons Ben, Will and JD will saddle up Mr Brightside in the Champions Mile.

Bet365 fined over licence breach

The Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission has fined bet365 over $13,000 after it was found to have breached one of the conditions of its licence.

In a hearing earlier this month, Hillside (Australia New Media) Pty Ltd, the company under which bet365 operates its Australian licence, received a fine of 85 penalty points, equating to $13,430, for a breach of responsible gambling code practices from an issue with a customer in 2021.

It was also ordered to repay $999 in deposits to the customer, who had closed and reopened his account several times.

The Commission found that the repeated closing and reopening of the account should have been recognised by Bet365 as an indication of problem gambling activities. A web message sent to the account holder advising him of his responsible gambling options was not sufficient.

“The Commission finds that bet365’s reliance on the web message alone was inadequate and that a more comprehensive, multi-channel approach was required to effectively identify and intervene in this situation,” it said.

“The delay in action and the Complainant’s need to self-identify as a problem gambler underscores the need for a more proactive interaction to have been taken by bet365. In the Commission’s view, it is unacceptable that it took the Complainant to self-identify as a problem gambler before any substantial responsible gambling action was taken.”

Bet365 was found to have contravened condition 16 of its licence by not complying with the 2019 Code in that it did not initiate an appropriate level of customer interaction with the Complainant. The eventual fine, based on 2021 penalty levels, was half of the maximum.

The complainant had sought repayment of the $4096 he had deposited in the final month before he eventually closed the account, but the Commission ruled only those deposits made after the breach on March 26, 2021 would be eligible for a refund.

shorts