The gutsy win by Arrowfield-bred Inglis Easter graduate Stronger Sunday’s HK$12 million Gr1 HKJC Centenary Sprint Cup brought up the eigthieth individual Gr1 graduate in Arrowfield’s 36-year history.
Stronger wins the Gr1 Centenary Sprint on Sunday
It was all the more merit-laden as it’s only six weeks since he was badly hampered and injured in the calamitous running of December’s Gr1 Hong Kong Sprint, won by Sunday’s runner-up Sky Field (Deep Field).
Bred by Arrowfield & long-time breeding partner Planette Thoroughbred, Stronger is one of three winners so far left by Star Pupil, a winning Starcraft daughter of the fine racemare and excellent producer Ain’t Seen Nothin’. Star Pupil has a yearling filly by Pariah and a 2021 filly by Snitzel.
Arrowfield and Planette are also breeding from two other daughters of Ain’t Seen Nothin’: Farsight (by All American) and Taste of Honey (by Dundeel), while Glentree has bred Dundeel’s talented son Ain’tnodeeldun from a fourth daughter, Star Pupil’s stakes-winning sister Ain’tnofallenstar.
Stronger brought up several other milestones; he is:
- Not A Single Doubt’s sixteenth individual Gr1 winner and his sixth stakes-winner this season.
- 13-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey Douglas Whyte’s first Group 1 winner as a trainer.
- The second Group 1 winner (after Instant Celebrity, also by Not A Single Doubt) among 15 stakes-winners out of emerging broodmare sire Starcraft.
- The fourth Group 1-winning graduate of Arrowfield’s yearling Class of 2018, following Castelvecchio (sold at Inglis Classic).
- The fourth Arrowfield graduate Group 1 winner this season, after Profondo, Yearning and Hitotsu.
- The fifth Group 1 winner bought for A$1 million+ from Arrowfield at Inglis Easter since 2007 – after Estijaab, Mustaaqeem, Wandjina and Master Of Design.
- Breeding & Racing
