Boom international sire Street Cry came up with his latest Group winner with the success of the hugely-exciting three-year-old Predatory Pricer (pictured) in the G3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill on Saturday. A half-brother to the great sprinter Takeover Target, Predatory Pricer is clearly able to get over more ground than his famed sibling, but he possesses similar acceleration, as he demonstrated once his jockey Glyn Schofield pulled him to the outside in the straight: off a sedate early pace he displayed an astonishing burst of speed to sweep to the front and justify favoritism with an impressive success. Predatory Pricer, a son of the Archregent mare Shady Stream, is raced by a partnership headed by his breeder, Meringo Stud, and has now won three of his five starts. He has won two Stakes races, his most recent success having been preceded by a win in the Listed Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill the previous weekend.
Predatory Pricer was conceived by Street Cry during the great stallion’s 2004 stint at Darley NSW. He has since been replaced on the shuttle roster by his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby-winning son Street Sense, who is currently in his first season at Aberdeen.
Further metropolitan success came on Saturday at the feature race-meeting at Caulfield where Exceed And Excel's three-year-old son Excelltastic defied top weight to post a decisive success over 1700m. A member of Exceed And Excel’s first crop, Excelltastic did not contribute to the tally of victories which made his father champion first-season sire last season, but he has quickly made up for it this term, having won at Flemington in the first week of the new season. With his record currently standing at two wins, a second and a third from only five starts, Excelltastic, a son of the Lear Fan mare Fantail, is clearly going to be a horse to follow during the Spring Carnival, and looks sure to be placed to further advantage by his astute trainer Peter Moody.
Excelltastic’s victory merely continued a tremendous recent spree for Exceed And Excel. The popular young stallion had been responsible for two more winning three-year-olds at the previous day’s Geelong fixture, Ambergris winning over 1100m and Aston over 1300m.
