Ellerslie 3 Year-Old Features: Impressive Quinella

Although contrasting performances, the winners of both three-year-old features at Ellerslie earlier today look set to be leading players in Pattern company this season.

A comprehensive Taupo winner on debut earlier this month, Spellbinder (O'Reilly - Scenic Sprint by Scenic)was even more impressive today in the Listed Soliloquy Stakes over 1400m, idling outside the leader till the turn before quickening away effortlessly, dashing away to win by six lengths, which could have been substantially more had rider Mathew Cameron not taken hold of her over the closing stages.

A tall, long barrelled filly with a decent dindquarter and plenty of scope, the scary thought for her counterparts is that physically she is far from the finished article.

Spellbinder continues the tremendous run of her sire who has gone to a new level over the last couple of seasons. With the first progeny of his very large books of mares just reaching racing age there is unlikely to be any slowing of the O'Reilly juggernaut.

Although the scratching of Gobi Ranger robbed the race of some interest, a field of promising three-year-olds lined-up in the 1400m Group 3 Bonecrusher Stakes. While the race was run nearly two seconds slower than the Soliloquy there was still plenty of merit in the winning performance of Sacred Park (Thorn Park - Dosh by Danske).

Despite being hampered in the early stages by Kings Rock and racing greenly near the 600m, the impressive looking Thorn Park colt showed a turn of foot to put a length and a half on his rivals turning for home, and although appearing under pressure with 200m to go he drew away again near the line for a three quarter length win. The Tony Pike/Mark Donoghue trained colt carried some condition in the parade ring prior to the race which gives connections plenty of options leading into more important engagements.

There was some nice runs in behind Sacred Park off a slow early pace. Burnt Orange made ground well over the closing stages and third place getter Pajaro, a good looking Align gelding, looks an early winner back in maiden company.

King's Rock (Fastnet Rock - Nureyev's Girl by Nureyev) should not be dropped on his run. He appears a bit of a handful judging by the headgear he displayed in the parade ring, then he threw his head around in the opening stages of the race but ran home well enough when appearing like he was not entirely comfortable coming between horses, to suggest the step to 1600m is going to suit him.

Both winners look genuine candidates for their respective Guineas assignments in Christchurch.

Maiden Performance of The Week: I'mdaone

Franking his debut second to the well regarded Sir Andrew, the impressive looking I'mdaone (Fully Fledged-Cape Merlot by Cape Cross) ran out a narrow but impressive winner of a 1200m maiden event at Avondale on Monday.

Slowly away, the leggy, long striding gelding was inclined to race a little greenly in the early stages, although some of this may have been due to feeling uncertain of his footing on the Heavy 10 surface. Still well back on the point of the home turn, once balanced by rider Mark Du Plessis he was switched back to the centre of the track and despite giving the leaders a conservative 5 lengths with 200m to go and having to come between tiring horses, he hit the front just short of the line to post a strong win.

Although brown in colour and not the chestnut of his sire, I'mdaone is a tall, long barrelled type who bears a strong physical resemblance to his father.

Stole My Thunder's (Fully Fledged-Copious by Racing Is Fun) debut win on Thursday at Gisborne franked a good week for the Fairdale Stud sire. With last season's promising two-year-olds Constellation and Dufellforte due to return to the race track shortly, Fully Fledged has some nice prospects for the spring and beyond.

I'mdaone was bought from Masterton's Ardsley Stud 2012 Karaka Select draft for $75,000 by his trainers Keith and Brendan Hawtin. His younger half sister by two years is the dual juvenile stakesplaced filly Elusive Red, and they hail from the black-type laden Bourbon Lass family whose latest headline horse is last season's Group 1 2000 Guineas and Doncaster Handicap winner Sacred Falls.

There is sufficient scope in I'mdaone's profile to suggest that this weeks win will not be his last.

I Am Invincible: Quickly Into Stride

There would have been a large number of investors with differing reasons for being excited about the all the way win of Vinnie Eagle (I Am Invincible-Sweet Maggie by Danehill Dancer) in the two-year-old event at Ruakaka on Saturday.

Vinnie Eagle is the first runner to the races by freshman stallion I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit - Cannarelle by Canny Lad), an Adelaide Group 3 winning sprinter who has been well supported by punters to win the Australian First Season Sires Title and by breeders who have already sent over 400 mares to the impressive looking grandson of Green Desert.

Another encouraging sign for his supporters is Vinnie Eagle's female pedigree which suggests he may well be more than just a jump and run type. His maternal family is a black-type European family which is covered off in more depth in an article written on this blog earlier this year on his close relation Nashville.

Vinnie Eagle is the second foal of an unraced Danehill Dancer half sister to last season's Group 1 WFA Haunui Classic winner Nashville who showed he is on track for next month's Group 1 WFA Spring classic (Formerly the Kelt) with an authortaive fresh-up win at Wanganui recently.

This display of precocity should not be a surprise because I Am Invincible was forward enough to win his debut as a summer two-year-old at Warwick Farm over 1000m in 57.6. He ran third to the eventual Golden Slipper winner Forensics at his next start in the Listed Kindergarten Stakes after crossing to the lead from a wide draw.

Unfortunately the leg problems that ultimately restricted his career to 13 starts began to flare up after the Kindergarten run and he did not return to the races until the spring of his four-year-old season. His most significant performance came that season when he finished second to the champion Takeover Target in the 1200m Group 1 Goodwood Handicap.

I Am Invincible is the best performed male representative from the 256 live foals left by the champion Irish stallion Invincible Spirit during his four seasons shuttling to Victoria. Triple Group 1 winner Yosei is his only Group 1 winner from that sojourn.

The female family of I Am Invincible is a tough and fast Woodlands Stud family that has produced Mamzelle Pedrille and O'Lohnro amongst others.

Vinnie Eagle looks a nice sort to kick-start the business end of the stallion career of his sire I Am Invincible.

Three-Year-Old's: In Perspective

A well known racing website forum last week contained a post lamenting the lack of talent in our male three-year-old ranks. This seems a rather misplaced statement given the number of impressive performances already witnessed this season, the latest of these coming at this weeks Taupo meeting.

Justification for the post centered on last seasons Two-Year-old Free Handicap and the fact that there were four fillies ranked above the highest male, Al Strada - since sold to Hong Kong.

Aside from the fact that Rudd Awakening, Recite and Bounding happened to be as good a bunch of juvenile fillies as we have seen in years, the poster overlooks that there is rarely any relevance between those handicaps and three-year-old performance.

Last season's top rated three-year-old filly and colt, Habibi and Sacred Falls, had one raceday start between them as juveniles for a back-end season Te Rapa win for the O'Reilly colt.

Ironically this seasons male three-year-old ranks look to have more depth than they have had in some time.

Unfortunately Cauthen may have gone by the wayside, for a while at least, but the likes of the unbeaten Cosmic Cube, All Decked Out, Lord Turbo and El Roca, along with Salamanca, Franzac, Orion and Beauty's Beast, have all shown real potential.

The Taupo meeting may have uncovered some more contenders. Wolfwhistle (O'Reilly - Legs by Pins)who had some private reputation prior to two disappointing runs last season, showed that earlier confidence was not misplaced with a strong win over 1300m.

In contrast to Wolfwhistle, Sacred Park came into the new season with his reputation squarely intact following a very impressive win at his only run at two. And while he only managed third on Monday there was sufficient merit in his performance to suggest he can still figure in some of the better races this spring.

The Thorn Park colt seemed a little at sea around the undulating Taupo home bend, then he ducked to the inside rail after the leader and subsequent winner started racing greenly shortly into the home straight, before doing his best work over the last 50m.

This weekends three-year-old event at Ruakaka has the depth of quality to determine favouritism for the semi-classic the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas which will be run on the last day of the Hastings Carnival. Last years Ruakaka quinella of the winner Sacred Falls and Southern Lord went onto quinella the Guineas in the same finishing order.

While form from Ruakaka is sure to again be relevant at Hastings, it is worth remembering that Tell A Tale when he won the Hawkes Bay Guineas in 2007 defeating Fully Fledged and subsequent Group 1 winner Altered Image, was coming off a single lead-in race, a second place finish in a Rating 70 1100m at Taupo. Very good trainers work to a program and form lines are about as relevant to many of them as a Free Handicap.

Guillotine: Building Momentum

The flashing light that flicked on the Montjeu stallion Guillotine late last season has continued to brighten with impressive wins to start the new season from two members of his oldest crop three-year-olds - Daniel (Guillotine - Tina by Danasinga) in Singapore and Beauty's Beast (Guillotine - Black Beauty by Black Minnaloushe) at Ruakaka.

And he looks to have another promising type in an unnamed gelding from the Volksraad mare Alleyrun who won easily at the Te Teko trials a fortnight ago.

It may only have been a 800m Catchweight trial conducted on a heavy track but there was something about the belligerent manner in which the three-year-old dealt to his eight rivals that indicated he is well above average. The strongly made gelding from a moderate female family cost his co trainer Tony Pike $50,000 from the Mapperley draft at the 2012 Karaka Select Sale.

Brilliant Terror (Guillotine - by Brilliance), who was the inaugural winner for his sire when successful over 1350m at Rosehill in June has since been sold to continue his racing in Hong Kong, while Guillotine's other two-year winner Daniel franked that seven length debut win in Singapore with an almost equally comprehensive win at the same venue at his next start in late August.

This relatively early show of form for a son of Montjeu shouldn't be a complete surprise because Guillotine was very prominent in pre post betting markets for the Golden Slipper of his year following an impressive debut win at Canterbury in January 2007.

Luck deserted Guillotine when fifth in the traditional Slipper lead up the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes, which instead saw connections target the Group 1 Champagne Stakes, where after getting back and suffering interference, he made ground strongly to finish fourth behind the winner, the ill fated Meurice.

Subsequently the aftermarth of EI and injury saw his career total just 14 starts however he was able to show his juvenile form was no flash in the pan when in his final season of racing as a four-year-old he defeated a high class field to win the 1600m Group 2 Dato Tin Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Interestingly Guillotine has thrown more on type to his maternal sireline through Defensive Play and Fappiano. He is not as upright and is slightly longer through the barrel than many of the Montjeu stock and his deep shoulder and strong front end are characteristic traits of his maternal sireline.

Guillotine and his half brother the outstanding VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup winner Efficient are two of our four live foals left by their dam the stakesplaced Refused The Dance.

The promising start made by Guillotine will have encouraged supporters of Montjeu's two other commercially domiciled sons at stud in N.Z - Windsor Park's shuttler Pour Moi and Fairdale's Nom Du Jeu. While both also won at two years they did not have the precocity of their paternal full brother so it will be an interesting exercise in a couple of years time to line-up the relative records of all three stallions.

With many breeders still to finalise their matings the momentum generated by Guillotine of late could hardly have been more opportune for Windsor Park and one imagines it won't be long before the book full sign goes up on Kaipaki Road.