Australian born Newmarket Bloodstock agent Stuart Boman enjoyed a successful weekend ‘down under’ with a dual state double. Boman acts as a co-host on Ontrack’s Royal Ascot Tours and also plays a role with Ontrack to identify potential European horses in training suitable for the Australian market. An associate partner in Blandford Bloodstock, Stuart attends most of the world's leading thoroughbred sales providing clients with valuable dual hemisphere knowledge. On Saturday, two purchases Boman made on behalf of Blandford Bloodstock clients were in the winner’s stall with Positive Peace completing a hat-trick for Bjorn Baker at Rosehill and Quality Seeker scoring easily at Eagle Farm for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Quality Seeker was purchased by Stuart for Chinese owner Zhiqiang An who races a large number of horses around the world under his Golden East Horse banner. The American bred horse raced formerly in the UK, winning 1 of 8 starts under Ed Walker before being secured as a tried horse by Boman to do his future racing in Australia. Quality Seeker was sent North to Queensland by Maher/Eustace after the training duo established that the horse was no good the Melbourne way of going, having failed badly at Moonee Valley last start. The promising two-year-old Wisdom Of Water (by Headwater) has been another success story for Boman and his Golden East Horse this season. Secured by Boman at the 2019 Magic Millions Sale for just $70,000 from Eureka Stud, Wisdom of Water has been a metropolitan Saturday winner this season in Brisbane, before finishing 4th in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic for Gold Coast trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds. Positive Peace is a mare by Stratum from the Reset mare Warpath and Ontrack bought a half-brother her at the June Magic Millions Yearling Sale. The colt is a grey by Not A Single Doubt and is now a two-year-old. He has had a brief preparation with Toby and Trent Edmonds on the Gold Coast and is now spelling in readiness for a new bout of pre-training in March. Eagle Farm trainers John and Chris Meagher scored their first Group One win in partnership when Pippie lead all the way in the Group One Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield. The Queensland bred Pippie is owned by Queensland owners Heran Racing, in what was a clean sweep for the Sunshine state. Like our smart recent Eagle Farm winner Baroda, Pippie is a product of the McAlpine families Eureka Stud at Cambooya. A daughter of Written Tycoon, Pippie has now won four of her eight race starts and has taken the mantle of best horse in the Meagher training partnership that was previously held by Ontrack’s talented sprinting mare Savanna Amour. The winner of the Group Two Angus Armanasco Stakes and three Group Three events, Savanna Amour retired with a career record of seven wins from 22 starts and stake earnings of $662,523. Savanna Amour did not win at Group One level but was a close fourth in the Group One Tatts Tiara at Doomben. Like Savanna Amour, Pippie has successfully moved between the Eagle Farm and Mornington stables operated by Meagher Racing. It’s proved to be a winning formula with both mares winning in both Queensland and Victoria. The dual state movement for the stable commenced with former popular OnTrack galloper Harada Bay, who moved South from Eagle Farm to narrowly miss a victory in the 2015 Listed Sale Cup. The stable’s two state operation will be again utilised by Ontrack in the months ahead with talented staying mare Arctic Shock about to kick off a new campaign. She will trial in Victoria early next month and have a couple of runs down south before heading to Eagle Farm and a Queensland Winter Carnival campaign. The Meagher Racing Eagle Farm stable is successfully headed by well known horseman Andrew Kermond, a long time member of the Meagher team. In Singapore, Daniel Meagher is also following in the footsteps of his illustrious Melbourne Cup winning, Hall of Fame father. He finished 3rd on the 2019 Singapore trainers premiership with 52 wins. Wins are always hard to come by in racing but Electric Ellyse’s victory at the Gold Coast was a timely tonic for her 87 year old trainer Shirley Batten. Shirley is one of Ontrack Thoroughbreds’ favourite clients and has been a regular and popular member of Ontrack Racing Tours for many years. Included among her several Ontrack 'jaunts' over the past 10 years have been visits to Royal Ascot, Singapore and Hong Kong. On Saturday Shirley saddled up Electric Ellyse to win the opening event at the Gold Coast Turf Club to record her first race day success in 15 starts. Shirley trains the mare at the Turf Club with the assistance of her son David Batten, who is also a part-owner. They race the mare on lease from Jeff Kruger of Lyndhurst Stud and the mare is named after Jeff’s daughter Ellyse who turned 12 the day after the Gold Coast win. More importantly the win was a welcome change of luck for Shirley, who broke an elbow in a fall at the stable. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw she was leading because I had said to her rider Luke Rolls to use her inside barrier but that she might not have enough speed to lead. “We have had so many problems with her and she’s such a diva, but it was lovely to finally win a race with her,” said Shirley. Much of the work on the mare has been done by David as Shirley recovers from her elbow injury. Shirley is on the road to recovered and is awaiting a doctor’s clearance later this week so she can join the Ontrack Hunter Valley Horse and Wine Tour in October. Joining Shirley in the Hunter Valley this year will be another leading local horsewomen in Helen Donnelly, another regular Ontrack ‘tourist’. The Listed Inglis Scone Guineas will be the autumn target for Ontrack’s classy filly Baroda when she returns to racing in the autumn. The $200,000 Guineas is a Listed 1400 metres race at Scone in May that’s restricted to graduates of the Inglis Sale Series. Baroda scored her third win in succession when she handled the step to Saturday metropolitan class with ease in class record time at Eagle Farm on Saturday but is now out in the paddock for a short spell. Baroda headed to the Eagle Farm QTIS 3YO Handicap fresh from two dominant Doomben wins and stepped up to 1400 metres for the first time. “She had to step up to Saturday company and the 1400 metres and she also had to handle Eagle Farm for the first time and it’s fair to say she handled the occasion with aplomb,” said Ontrack Thoroughbreds Managing Director Grant Morgan. “We were pretty confident before the race that she was up to the challenge but it’s always nice to see them step out and get the job done. “She had a torrid time early in the race when she was pushed out three wide but rider Ryan Maloney didn’t panic and she soon settled behind the lead before forging to the lead soon after heading for home and proving too good for her rivals. “It was also good to see her post a new class record time and she’s a filly going to better races. “She can head out to Waverley Park for a break now and her next preparation will focus on getting Black Type form on her resume. “She a graduate of the Inglis Classic Sale so the $200,000 Inglis Guineas at Scone looks a lovely target for her. “The race is 1400 metres and confined to Inglis Sales graduates on May 16 and that track and trip should be perfect at this stage of her career.” Baroda is a daughter of Darley stallion Epaulette and she’s now won three of her five starts for earnings of $144,950, with QTIS bonuses accounting for $64,050. “The QTIS scheme is fantastic for a young horse, especially with the added money for fillies and there’s going to be plenty more opportunities for Baroda over the season. “Trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds have done a great job to have her at peak for these rich QTIS races and she paraded in terrific order at Eagle Farm. “She’s one of the most promising fillies to race in the all gold silks for some time and we love giving our horses a break when they are in great form because we know there’s a lot more improvement to come as she matures and strengthens. “The great thing about this preparation is that each time she’s raced she has handled the rise in class and shown great improvement in her racing manners. She also maintained her terrific temperament throughout the preparation,” said Grant Morgan. Congratulations to our owners: Steve Mauger, Rob Harvey, Ian and Cathy Mathieson, Tony Halloran, David and Sue Worthley, Mark Snowden, Mark Ostermeyer, Jim and Jenny Edington, Dennis and Del Bates, Judy and Brent Hudson, Wayne and Paddi Muller, Haimes Racing (Manager Jamie Haimes), Tom Wyld and Frances Field. |
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