Tracked – The Saturday Racing Review – April 6

Tassort has only had 14 runners in his debut season as a stallion, but he is now a Group 1-winning sire after Manaal snatched the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes in the last stride.

In a driving finish to the first Group 1 race of The Championships at Randwick, Manaal got her head down at the right time to collar a game Traffic Warden, who had shot clear with 150 metres to go.

Already a Group 2 winner after her success in the Sweet Embrace Stakes, Manaal is a homebred for Emirates Park, who has enjoyed tremendous success in juvenile Group 1s, through Golden Slipper winners Mossfun and Estijab. 

She is out of the American mare Red Lodge, who since producing Manaal has been visited by I Am Invincible, Zoustar and Justify. 

Thirty-five minutes later, another stallion reached the Group 1 summit for the first time, with Chain Of Lightning’s win in the TJ Smith Stakes giving Fighting Sun his first major race success.

Jockey Damian Lane conserved ground towards the inside part of the track, and was able to repel a sweeping wave of challengers down the outside to take out the 1200-metre feature. 

CHAIN OF LIGHTNING UPSETS THEM ALL IN THE TJ SMITH! ⚡️

PETER MOODY GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN THE RACE AND KATHERINE COLEMAN WINS HER FIRST GROUP 1! @moodyracingpgm @kscoleman @LaneDamian pic.twitter.com/tXWaZ4OnXI

— 7HorseRacing (@7horseracing) April 6, 2024

Stablemate I Wish I Win wasn’t able to repeat his winning effort from last year, finishing third, while Bella Nipotina ran on strongly to grab second.

The victory carried extra sentimentality for Stuart Ramsey of Turangga Farms, having bred both Fighting Sun and dam Magic Art.

Three-year-old Riff Rocket joined an exclusive club with his victory in the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby.

Riff Rocket became the fourth horse to claim the Victoria-Australian Derby double.

The double was completed two seasons ago by Arrowfield Stud’s Hitotsu and Riff Rocket also stands alongside Mahogany and Dulcify as winners of the Classic double since the Australian Derby moved to the autumn.

The gelded son of American Pharoah finished strongly to stave off a challenge from Ceowolf, with the leader Glad You Think So holding on for third.

Celestial Legend made it two consecutive Group 1 victories, parlaying his success in the Randwick Guineas to defeat the older horses in the Doncaster Mile. 

CELESTIAL LEGEND STORMS HOME TO WIN THE DONCASTER!

TYLER SCHILLER GETS DOWN TO 49KG AND RIDES THE RACE OF HIS LIFE!@G1TySchil @BonHo93524033 pic.twitter.com/NTN0rSriZR

— 7HorseRacing (@7horseracing) April 6, 2024

Allocated 49kg, the grey weaved his way through the field throughout the straight to take out the famous mile handicap, with Pericles and fellow three-year-old Militarize filling the minor placings. 

Celestial Legend’s sire, Dundeel, won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2014, the inaugural edition of The Championships.

He has now sired two Group 1 winners within the two-week carnival, with Militarize claiming the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes in 2023.

His half-brother will be offered by breeders Arrowfield Stud at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 260. 

In his third Australian start, British-bred import Circle Of Fire delivered a powerful late surge in the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality to claim his maiden black-type success.

The entire, who is by dual-hemisphere stallion Almanzor, had to knuckle down to catch Hopeful, hitting the line strongly at the end of 2600 metres. 

He is the 14th stakes winner for his sire, who divides his time between Cambridge Stud in New Zealand and Haras D’Etreham in his native France. 

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained colt Espionage added a second juvenile stakes success to his resume, taking out the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes to open the Randwick card. 

Already a Group winner, courtesy of his early-season victory in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate, the son of Zoustar will now be saved for a spring campaign. 

The colt was one of the headline horses at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, having been purchased by the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership for $1 million from the draft of Baramul Stud. 

It was a fruitful day for Baramul across the Tasman, with its graduate Move To Strike winning the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes at Trentham. 

Move To Strike was the first two-year-old Group 1 winner for I Am Invincible.

Widden Stud’s Trapeze Artist notched a double at Randwick, starting with a courageous win from Ducasse in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes 

Ridden patiently by Blake Shinn, the colt shot to the front early into the home straight, holding off a late challenge from Tannhauser to claim his second career victory. 

It’s a timely pedigree update for his dam, Custard, who will have her filly by Zoustar offered by Segenhoe Stud at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, catalogued as Lot 476. 

To close out the Randwick meeting, Trapeze Artist’s daughter Facile made the running to land the the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes, giving jockey Tyler Schiller a double on the program. 

Earlier in the meeting, Tavistock notched stakeswinner No.49, courtesy of a strong late finish by Good Banter in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes. 

Pairing off with Autumn Angel to fight out the finish, the filly pulled away in the concluding strides to record her first black-type success.

Trainer John O’Shea said his preference would be to avoid backing up Good Banter into next Saturday’s Group 1 ATC Australian Oaks. 

Across the three black-type races at Caulfield, it was a clean sweep for New Zealand-based stallions.

Savabeel’s five-year-old son Captain Envious added a second stakes victory in winning the Group 3 Easter Cup in a close finish to the 2000-metre contest. 

The winner of the Listed Ballarat Cup in 2023, the Paul Preusker-trained gelding is a homebred for Sean Buckley’s Ultra Thoroughbreds. 

In the Group 3 Victoria Handicap, Here To Shock greeted the judge in front for the first time in 371 days, winning by a half-length from Seonee. 

It is the second success in stakes grade for the gelded son of Shocking, having previously won the Listed Bendigo Golden Mile.

Tivaci recorded his fourth stakes winner as a stallion at Caulfield, thanks to a gritty performance by the David and Coral Feek-trained Gold Wolf in the Elvis Thurgood Galilee Series Final over 2400 metres. 

Darley Australia’s Frosted chalked up his 10th juvenile stakes winner, and 27th overall, off the back of a strong performance from Bustling in the Listed Perth Stakes at Ascot. 

Bustling now stands as one of the leading chances in the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate, with trainer Daniel Morton suggesting leading rider Blake Shinn may be engaged. 

Rich Enuff took two of the four stakes races in Western Australia, with Oscar’s Fortune too slick the Group 3 Roma Cup, upsetting the hot favourite Amelia’s Jewel.

Earlier in the day, his promising daughter Siren Assault put in a professional performance in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes, sitting wide without cover before putting pay to her rivals in a 1-1/2 length victory. 

Tin Chooks gave the first black-type win to his sire, Hvasstan, with a late finishing burst to win the Listed Old Comrade Stakes at Ascot.

Globetrotting stallion Starspangledbanner enjoyed a debut juvenile stakes winner at Morphettville on Saturday, with his daughter Lincolnshire taking out the Listed Dequetteville Stakes.

She is a homebred for Rosemont Stud, who stood Starspangledbanner before his return to Coolmore.