Darley sires enjoyed a red-letter day at Caulfield on Saturday, courtesy of the exciting three-year-olds Whobegotyou and Wilander (pictured), sons of Street Cry and Exceed And Excel who emerged as winners respectively of the Caulfield Guineas and the Schillaci Stakes.
The Caulfield Guineas is, year in and year out, one of the classiest races in the Australian calendar, with its roll of honour including the likes of Weekend Hussler, Lonhro, Redoute’s Choice, Mahogany, Grosvenor, Manikato, Luskin Star, Surround, Vain, Tulloch and Ajax. Whobegotyou, who justified favoritism with an emphatic three-and-a-quarter length victory over the Darley-owned pair Time Thief and Von Costa De Hero, showed that he deserves to be ranked alongside such illustrious names. He is now demonstrably the best of his age in the land, this outstanding G1 triumph more than confirming the promise of his impressive lead-up win in the G2 Bill Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley.
Whobegotyou’s triumph is actually a doubly good result for Darley: not only is he a son of Street Cry, but his dam Temple Of Peace is by long-time Darley stallion Carnegie. Whobegotyou, who proved a bargain buy at $19,500 at the 2007 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in Sydney, has thus become the eighth individual G1 winner for his sire Street Cry, whose eldest offspring are still only aged four. The first of this distinguished octet was the mighty Street Sense, the only horse in history to have completed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile / Kentucky Derby double, and who has subsequently replaced his father on the Darley Australia roster.
Two hours before Whobegotyou’s Guineas victory, Exceed And Excel’s first-crop son Wilander showed himself to be a young sprinter of huge potential by taking the G2 Schillaci Stakes, named in honor of the former champion sprinter prepared by Wilander’s trainer Lee Freedman. Carrying the Darley silks, Wilander came with a well-timed run under Kerrin McEvoy to claim the front-running Lucky Secret in the shadows of the post and win this 1000m event going away. To win at weight-for-age so early in his career is a huge feather in Wilander’s cap, who now looks set to become the latest great sprinter to emerge from Freedman’s stable.
