Axle grinds them into the ground at Geelong

Making his racetrack debut, the David Brideoake and David Feek-trained Hard Spun colt Axle became the fifth southern hemisphere winner for his sire on May 22, defeating Magnus gelding Magnus Reign by a nose, with a further three-and-a-quarter lengths to the third placed horse.

Settling in a mid-field position, jockey Daniel Stackhouse urged the colt along the rails to take the lead as the field headed for home, holding off the late challenge of the runner up, a half-brother to G1 winner Red Dazzler.

Bred by Ealing Park and Gerald Gleeson, Axle is out of the Stakes placed Volksraad mare Volkiss, a daughter of the G2-winning, G1 placed Kiss, from the family of Wagga Cup winner Call Me Lily and the Singapore G2 winner Fire House. Volkiss has a yearling colt by fellow Darley Stallion New Approach, and then returned to Hard Spun for the following two season, resulting in a Hard Spun weanling colt.

The very next race on the Geelong card was taken out by Exceed And Excel two-year-old colt Fringed, giving the Darley stallions back-to-back juvenile winners. Out of the G2-winning Sir Tristram mare Sashed, Fringed is a half-brother to the three-time G1 winner Freemason and comes from the family of Lonhro’s recent G3 winner Mental.

The sire of 20 Stakes horses including G2W Red Duke, G3W Hierro and the G1-performing filly Hard Not To Like, Hard Spun will stand the forthcoming breeding season at Darley’s Victorian base Northwood Park at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST).