The 3YO filly Femminile (Dundeel) scored a stunning victory in Saturday’s Gr1 South Australian Derby as Inglis graduates had a day out Australia-wide, winning seven Stakes races across four States.
Femminile was the headline act, leading in an Inglis graduates quinella in the day’s feature at Morphettville, defeating race favourite Statuario.
Femminile (Lachlan Neindorf) wins the SA Derby at Morphettville (Pic – Inglis)
The Phillip Stokes-trained filly is now a Stakes winner at two and three, having won at Listed level at just her second career start as a juvenile.
Bred by Simon Delzoppo’s Aralet Pty Ltd, Femminile was purchased by Stokes and Rick Connolly for A$150,000 at the Easter Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Vinery Stud.
She becomes the 107th individual Gr1-winning Inglis graduate since 2018.
Delzoppo described the victory – his first Gr1 as a breeder and he also retained 50% of the filly as an owner – as “incredible’’.
“I’ve been breeding for 10+ years, this is my first Gr1 win as a breeder, it’s just the most unbelievable feeling,’’ Delzoppo said.
“It was amazing to watch. When she hit the front a couple of hundred metres out we were like ‘she’s in front, she’s in front’ and then she showed so much fight to hold off the favourite.
“I was confident we were a place chance, Phillip has been building her up nicely and this was her grand final but to win the race, it’s unbelievable.’’
Vinery’s Adam White added: “We sold a few Dundeel fillies out of that Easter draft and one of them was Polymnia, which ran an unlucky 3rd in the Gr1 Australasian Oaks last weekend so it could have been a back-to-back Group 1 double for the Dundeel fillies out of our 2023 Easter draft.
“That said I’m over the moon for Simon, who bred Femminile and still owns a good chunk of her and for Neil Jenkinson, who does a lot of Simon’s work, it’s fantastic to get a result like this for them.’’
Vinery will offer a draft of 10 weanlings at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale at Riverside on Monday and Tuesday, which have been parading the past couple of days.
“Parades have been going really well, we’ve got some good pedigreed weanlings in the draft, an Ole Kirk, a Toronado, they’ve all been very popular,’’ White said.
The Australian Weanling Sale begins on Monday.
Femminile becomes the second Inglis-sold filly to win the South Australian Derby in the past two years following Coco Sun’s success 12 months ago.
Inglis graduates have now won 12 Stakes races in Australia in little over a week, following the successes of Dashing, Reserve Bank, Highvol, Spicy Martini and Watchme Win in the seven days prior to Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday’s Morphettville program fellow 3YO filly On Display (Fastnet Rock) scored a deserving first black type victory in the Listed Adelaide Guineas.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained filly finished a luckless 4th in the Gr2 Queen of the South at Morphettville seven days ago but made up for that disappointment with a last-to-first win this afternoon.
Bred by Linda and Graham Huddy’s Peachester Lodge, On Display is a A$1.1m Easter Yearling Sale purchase for Sheamus Mills Bloodstock from the Lime Country draft.
She races in Heath Newton’s colours.
In Queensland on Saturday the 4YO entire Libertad (Russian Revolution) took another step toward a stallion career with victory in the Gr2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm.
It was a third Group victory from just 11 starts for Libertad, who is raced by Trilogy Racing and partners.
His co-trainer Annabel Archibald bought Libertad for A$210,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale, where he was offered by Tal Nolen, who had originally paid A$40,000 for the colt at the Classic Yearling Sale out of the draft of Rheinwood Pastoral, who bred the horse with Somerset Services.
“He’s the most beautiful colt,’’ Archibald, who trains Libertad with her husband Rob, said.
“He’s a magnificent looking horse, he’s very talented and he’s only going to improve off that because he’s still not fully wound up. It’s great for Trilogy and all the rest of the owners and he’s still an entire so to win a Weight For Age Gr2, he’s now a three-time Group winner, it’s very exciting.’’
Libertad, who led in an Inglis quinella in the Victory Stakes defeating Jedibeel, will now likely contest the Gr1 Doomben 10,000 in a fortnight on his way to a possible Gr1 Stradbroke Hcp start in early June.
At Hawkesbury Inglis graduates dominated the program, winning three of the features.
Media World (Written Tycoon) scored a first black type victory when winning the Gr3 Hawkesbury Guineas.
The Peter Snowden-trained 3YO colt is a A$1.4m Easter Yearling Sale buy for Yulong from the Fairview Park Stud draft.
Bred by Francis and Christine Cook’s Mystery Downs, Media World led in an Inglis graduates quinella today, defeating Just Party.
In the Gr3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Punch Lane (So You Think) led all the way to score a commanding victory.
It was a second consecutive victory for Punch Lane, which races in the William Street Syndicate colours worn by other racetrack stars including Santa Ana Lane and Gurner’s Lane.
The William Street Syndicate teamed up with Justin Bahen to buy Punch Lane for A$220,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Bombora Downs.
And the 6YO Dragonstone (Mikki Isle) crashed through the A$1.2m prizemoney barrier with victory in the Listed Hawkesbury Gold Rush.
It was a third career Stakes win for the Joe Pride-trained Dragonstone, a Classic Yearling Sale graduate out of the Holbrook Thoroughbreds draft.
Meanwhile popular mare Pride of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) returned to the winners’ stall with a dominant all-the-way win in Saturdays Listed Anniversary Vase at Caulfield, conceding a minimum 5.5kgs to each of her rivals.
Trained by Ciaron Maher, Pride of Jenni has been one of Australia’s best-performed racehorses in recent seasons, with today’s victory her 10th overall and took her career prizemoney tally to almost Á$10.5m.
Tony and Lynn Ottobre bought Pride of Jenni for A$100,000 at the Classic Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Segenhoe.
She is bred by Trelawney Stud and the Taylor Family Trust.
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