A week that ranks as his best in Australia has capped an outstanding few months worldwide for Darley’s Golden Slipper-winning stallion Sepoy.
Sons and daughters of Sepoy have won 47 races since 1 June, a tally that includes Sepoy’s first Classic winner, Unforgetable Filly, who took out the G2 German Guineas in Dusseldorf in June.
Trained by Hugo Palmer in Newmarket, Unforgetable Filly is one of a growing list of Sepoy’s progeny who are demonstrating the versatility of a stallion who made his name as one of Australia’s all-time greatest sprinters.
Palmer is now looking at G1 targets at 1600m and beyond in Ireland and the United States for Unforgetable Filly.
Similar ambitions accompanied the victories in the past week of some of Sepoy’s most recent Australian winners.
Alizee, a half-sister to G1-winning sprinter and Darley stallion Astern, has already begun her three-year-old campaign in good style and looks capable of adding some Black Type to her record.
Trainer James Cummings said, “Alizee was a narrow runner-up in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes last month and will step out next in the G2 Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick on Saturday week. We would like to think that there is further improvement to come in Alizee as her preparation continues to unfold during the Spring.”
Melbourne trainer Danny O’Brien is confident his Caulfield winner Watchmespin will be effective in better and longer races.
"She's a beautiful style of filly and we've always had a really big opinion of her," O'Brien said after Watchmespin won impressively over 1400m on 6 September.
"We were just waiting until she turned three and we're really looking forward to getting her out over probably a mile and further.
"On all that we’ve seen at home she'll step out to 2000m and possibly a mile and a half when she gets a bit more seasoned.
"It's early days but she's certainly got that sort of potential," O'Brien said.
Fellow trainer Brad Widdup is also hopeful this week’s Warwick Farm winner Acqume can give him his first Stakes success.
“I've always had in the back of my mind that she's not too far away from Stakes company," Widdup said.
"Her work is definitely up to that sort of grade but you don't want to throw them in the deep end too early."
Acqume, who had also won at her previous start, was joined on the winners’ list at Warwick Farm by another daughter of Sepoy, the Chris Waller-trained Canberra.
Over the past two months Sepoy, winner of 10 races including the Golden Slipper Stakes among his four G1s, has had winners in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Spain, Switzerland, Italy and France.
Sepoy stands at Darley’s Kelvinside Stud in NSW for a fee of $16,500 inc GST.
