Second up from a spell, Reset three-year-old filly Set For Fame continued her winning ways, taking out G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes at Caulfield on February 20.
In stark contrast to her previous start in which she led throughout, jockey Luke Nolen let the filly settle back in the field this time. Rounding the home-turn she had many lengths to make up, but as the race caller announced “Set For Fame has been set alight”, the Peter Moody-trained filly came down the outside of the field to take the race by a long-neck from the Darley Australia-bred Dubai Destination filly Gigas.
Also putting in an excellent effort was Shamardal filly No Evidence Needed who finished fourth, indicating that she is definitely on track for a tilt at the G1 South Australian Oaks in a few weeks’ time.
Highlighting his faith in Set For Fam (pictured, courtesy of Bronwen Healy), Moody had previously stated that he felt she would have won the G1 Thousand Guineas in the spring, but suffered a bleeding attack and was forced to spell. Ironically, she relegated last season’s Thousand Guineas winner Irish Lights into third place here. The trainer indicated that Set For Fame will be headed for her biggest test to date when she takes on Group One winner Denman at her next start in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.
Bred by Victorian Mr Robert Crabtree, the filly is the first foal of the winning Dehere mare Northpoint and was purchased from the Inglis Premier sale for $75,000. This year’s Inglis Premier yearling sale is set to commence on March 1, and amongst numerous lots available by Darley stallions, Reset has a stellar offering of seven yearlings.
Not to let fellow third-season sire Reset take all the limelight at Caulfield, current division-leader Lonhro was responsible for producing the very next winner on the eight-race card. Less than 40 minutes later, his star galloper Denman was in action in the G2 D’Urban Stakes. Jumping from an inside gate, the three-year-old colt missed the start slightly before working his way through the field to take up the running. With the result never looking in doubt at any stage of the race, jockey Kerrin McEvoy asked Denman for an effort as the field entered the straight and he responded in a matter of strides.
In what appeared to be little more than a track gallop, Denman was eased down on the line for a three-and-a-quarter-length win.
Trainer Peter Snowden has produced last season’s G1 Golden Rose winner for three unbeaten runs so far this campaign and, like Set For Fame, he will head into the G1 Australian Guineas at his next start.
“I’ve done my job with him now,” Snowden said. “He’s just about there. He’ll just take a little bit of improvement from this but he’s pretty much ready to go for the Guineas.”
Bred by Woodlands Stud, Denman is the third Stakes winner from the Vain mare Peach, along with his Canny Lad half-sisters, Preserve and Rio Osa. Peach has a yearling colt by Lonhro and is also currently in foal to the 11-time Group One winner and Horse of the Year.
Splitting Lonhro and Reset on the third-season sires’ table is Champion Group One-winning sprinter Exceed And Excel, who also struck at Stakes level today with the lightly-raced filly Hooness.
Lining up for her second run back from a spell, the Jason Petch-trained speedster recorded a length-and-a-quarter victory in the Listed Redelva Stakes in Adelaide. Bred by the Western Australian based Wylie Group, the Aaron Spiteri-ridden filly has recorded three wins from seven starts. Happy Hippy (Shamardal), owned by Patinack Farm, worked home well to finish in third place.
The Listed H C Nitschke Stakes, the next race on the Morphettville race program, was taken out by Elusive Quality three-year-old filly I’m Discreet, who defeated Exceed And Excel’s daughter Baby Corn by half a length.
I’m Discreet is out of the Group Three winner She’s Discreet and is a half-sister to triple Stakes-winning Exceed And Excel mare Very Discreet. She’s Discreet is currently in foal to World Champion three-year-old Bernardini.
Rosehill Gardens was the venue for racing in Sydney and Deltona provided his sire Commands with a new Stakes winner with an all-the-way win in the Listed Parramatta Cup. Taking out the race won 12 months ago by Vision And Power (Carnegie), who went on to take out two Group One wins during the autumn, Deltona was a deserved Stakes winner for breeders Don and Val Storey.
Out of the Brief Truce mare Raindrops, the Kevin Moses-trained six-year-old has won on seven occasions for connections, amassing in excess of $300,000 in Stakes earnings. Moses indicated that Deltona was likely to have his next run in the G3 Randwick City Stakes in three weeks’ time.
While on the other side of the Tasman, Dubawi two-year-old colt Cellarmaster continued his recent excellent form when finishing a narrow third in the G3 2YO Classic at New Plymouth.
