Ontrack Thoroughbreds promising filly Arctic Shock grabbed all important black type form with a massive run for third in the Group Three Alexandra Stakes at Moonee Valley. Ridden by in form jockey Ben Melham, Arctic Shock pushed her way out of tight quarters at the top of the straight to charge home and only just miss winning the race, beaten a third of a length. Ontrack Thoroughbreds Managing Director Grant Morgan was thrilled with the Group Three placing and is looking forward to stretching the filly out in trip. “We purchased her from New Zealand as a yearling and all along she’s shaped as a nice staying filly. “She was very impressive winning her maiden over 1600 metres at Pakenham and it was a great effort to step up to a Group Three race at the Valley and very nearly pull it off. “Being by Shocking out of a Group Three winning mare who was successful at Group Three level up to 1600 metres, you would have to be confident that she’s going to get over a middle distance. “There’s some nice races left this season for a filly that can get a trip so we will sit down and map out a plan for her. “We brought her over from New Zealand and she kicked off with Darren Weir and ran some nice races and she’s continued with that form since being transferred to Chris Meagher at Mornington. “The Moonee Valley run was her fifth in her first campaign and we are always conscious of not over taxing our young horses so we will take it one race at a time, but she’s certainly an exciting prospect,” said Grant Morgan. Sparkling Facet’s convincing maiden win at the Gold Coast on Saturday reunited an old team of Ontrack’s Grant Morgan and jockey Paul Hammersley. The daughter of Savabeel was having her seventh start but had run not been further back than fourth in her career so was a deserving winner. Paul Hammersley settled the mare outside the pace and after appearing to be under pressure turning for home she balanced up and ran home for a dominant win. For Grant Morgan is was a matter of turning back the clock. “When I first moved to the Gold Coast, I managed a few jockeys and Paul Hammersley was one of my clients when he was an apprentice. “Hammer rode quite a few of Ontrack’s early winners in South East Queensland so it was good to resume that partnership,” said Grant Morgan. Sparkling Facet started her career with Bjorn Baker at Warwick Farm and had four starts there for three thirds and a fourth. “We felt she would be better placed in South East Queensland and the move to Toby Edmonds at the Gold Coast has paved the way for her maiden win,” said Ontrack Thoroughbreds Managing Director Grant Morgan. Bought out of the 2016 Inglis Easter Sale for $120,000, Sparkling Facet is a daughter of New Zealand’s champion stallion Savabeel from a truly international family. “Her fourth dam is Habibti, the champion race mare of her time and the winner of nine races including the Group One Kings Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group One July Cup at Newmarket. “It is one of the world’s foremost families with Eight Carat, the dam of Octagonal and Kapstaad, being a half-sister to Habibti. “The family is full of Group One winners and it is still performing all around the world. Given she’s by a champion stallion, Sparkling Facet is likely to have good residual value,” said Grant Morgan. The win at the Gold Coast came at her third start in Queensland and earned the mare a short let-up. “She did a lot of prepatory work with master horseman Greg Bennett at Canungra before heading into Toby and that’s proved important. “Greg spent a lot of time getting her to relax and she’s a lot more tractable these days. With a nice break while it continues to be ridiculously hot up here she will come back during the cooler winter months and I’m confident she can work her way through the grades,” said Grant Morgan. Congratulations to our owners: Graeme Cameron, Ken Gordon, Brent Gosney, Vin Harink, James McMillan, Stephen Hurford, Tony Mair, Andrew Rebeiro, Garry Radel, Lisa Saxton, Vic Smythe, Mark Walker, Pam, Amanda and Jill Bayles, Kim Arnell, Ricky Brunner, Peter Campbell, Bill Clough, Judi Gowing, Peter Guidera, Gordon Henry, Peter McClintock, Barry Tangitu, Geoff Larsen, Mark Snowden. The new training partnership of Mick Price and Mick Kent Junior took little time to get into the winner’s stall with winners at three meetings this week. The pair joined forces officially this week and have already won races with Rhames (Ballarat), Mystery Love (Sandown) and Alidade (Pakenham). Ontrack Thoroughbreds Grant Morgan said Mick Price has been a key trainer for Ontrack for two decades and welcomed the partnership as a great initiative, describing the move to combine forces as the “way of the future”. Mick Kent has been working for his father, respected Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent, for the last two years and said the offer from Mick Price to enter into a partnership came “out of the blue”. “I was working at the Inglis Classic Sale in Sydney and Mick approached me and put an offer on the table. “It was an offer that I could not refuse coming from a master trainer. “It an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often and one I could not pass up. “I worked the Inglis Melbourne Sale with Mick and we bought some nice yearlings and I think Mick respects my opinion and we are going to work well together,” said Mick Kent. Kent’s love for racing started in Singapore where he lived between the ages of 5 and 11 while his father was training. "Ever since I can remember I have been interested in racing, and going to yearling sales," said Kent, who returned home for his high school and university years. “Being a student of the game is something that was always impressed upon me by my father. "I've never seen anything like it, even with all of his knowledge, he still has that thirst for knowledge," Kent says of his father. "He still reads books and science manuals every night." “He sent me on rounds with vets, I've been to see surgeries, and I've been to pedigree meetings, met up with scientists working on research into all aspects of training and buying yearlings. He has had me on the phone talking to sectional gurus, he just has this amazing thirst for knowledge and he impressed on me to be the same.” After completing four years of pre-veterinary science at Melbourne University, all the while riding trackwork most mornings for David Hayes at Flemington, Kent set off on a study tour of the world. One year with trainer William Haggas, both riding out at Newmarket and as assistant at sales, was followed with visits to Roger Charlton, Richard Hannon Jr, Willie Mullins, and a month in Chantilly with Mikel Delzangles. More European sales followed, but upon returning to Australia Kent fuelled his competitive fire with some time in the saddle on the picnic circuit. "That was invaluable," he said of the rough-and-tumble race riding. "It taught me that sometimes what you see on the television is not quite how it is out there on the track." Ontrack has the stakes placed three-year-old Tavisan with the Price-Kent stable and will be sending the Brazen Beau-Breccia colt purchased at the January Magic Millions Sale on the Gold Coast to their Caulfield yard. “It’s all very exciting and I can’t wait because we have a great bunch of young horses and I’m keen to see what the future holds,” said Michael Kent Junior. Ontrack Thoroughbreds Grant Morgan is a fan of the So You Think cross with Redoute’s Choice mares and his breeding nick notched up plenty of successes last week. Sydney winner Fasika started the run of wins on Wednesday and on the same day Smiling City won at Sandown while Meditate was a winner at Bathurst on Sunday. All are by So You Think out of Redoute’s Choice mares. To add strength to the theory, Hawkesbury winner Brilliant Mind is by So You Think from a Danehill mare and Danehill is the sire of Redoute’s Choice. Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Botts multiple Group winning stayer Northwest Passage is also by So You Think from a Danehill mare. “The cross of So You Think and Redoute’s Choice produced a Group One winner for So You Think in Inference (Randwick Guineas) and has also produced another Randwick Guineas winner D’Argento. “I’m a firm believer in following successful crosses when buying young horses and that was one of the factors that led me to buy a So You Think colt from the young mare Saint Angers at the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale in January. “The main factor was that he’s an outstanding individual and I buy primarily on type, but it never hurts when the breeding cross is working out so well,” said Grant Morgan. “So You Think has done a great job at stud and he has some lovely young horses running around at the moment such as Group One winning filly Nakeeta Jane and those winners from last week. “Our colt is heading to Hawkes Racing in Sydney and their interstate setup between New South Wales and Victoria will be perfect in allowing them to find the right races for this colt. “John Hawkes is a Hall of Fame trainer and supported by sons Wayne and Michael, he gets great results with nice young horses,” said Grant Morgan. Brazen Beau's amazing career soared to fresh heights with a record breaking performance at this week's Inglis Sale in Melbourne. The Oaklands Junction sale belonged to Brazen Beau from the outset when Lot 4 a colt by Brazen Beau sold to Hong Kong for $800,000, the highest priced ever paid for a yearling by Brazen Beau. Consigned by Bhima Thoroughbreds, on behalf of client David Gillies, the colt is a son of Up In Lights and was purchased by Paul King of Orbis Bloodstock. Brazen Beau ended the first two days at Oaklands as leading stallion with 17 lots sold for a total of $4,850,000. The next highest aggregate was achieved by Written Tycoon with his 24 sales amassing $3,680,000. Even for Grant Morgan from Ontrack Thoroughbreds who is officially Brazen Beau's Number One fan, but the sale results were an eye opener. "The results being recorded by Brazen Beau at this summer's sales are incredible," said Grant Morgan, who bought Brazen Beau from the 2013 Inglis Classic Sale for $70,000. "Ontrack has always had faith that Brazen Beau would make the grade at stud and we bought four of his yearlings last year and they are all nice horses and heading in the right direction. "Buoyed by what these horses are showing and the success of his first crop on the racetrack we purchased another three yearlings at the January Magic Millions Sale. "That has proved to be the right move because the prices paid for Brazen Beau yearlings have gone through the roof at the Inglis Classic and Melbourne Sales. He set a Classic Sale record with his $550,000 colt and now raises the bar. "Yesterday, as well as the top priced colt for $800,000, he was the story of the day as some of his yearling prices were $575,000, $560,000, $450,000, $420,000 and $380,000. "That sort of success for a second season stallion tells us that the market is not only rapt with the results his first runners have achieved, but there's some unraced horses pleasing their connections waiting in the wings. "We are just enjoying this latest chapter in his story and can't wait for our own Brazen Beau horses to get to the races," said Grant Morgan. BRAZEN BEAU'S OAKLANDS TOP SIX Brazen Beau-Up In Lights colt Orbis Bloodstock $800,000 Brazen Beau-Innovation Girl colt Ciaron Maher Bloodstock $575,000 Brazen Beau-Sistine Princess colt Orbis Bloodstock $560,000 Brazen Beau-Original Choice colt Pilkington Management/Busuttin Racing $450,000 Brazen Beau-Beautiful Pleasure filly Yu Long Investments $420,000 Brazen Beau-Li'l Miss Haley colt Mick Price $380,000. Ontrack Thoroughbreds success with New Zealand-breds continued when Arctic Shock scored an emphatic win at Pakenham last night. The daughter of Melbourne Cup winner Shocking cleared maidens at only her fourth start when striding to a comprehensive win after jumping from an outside barrier. "It was a good win because she had to work a little from the draw and never got many favours the way the race was run," said Ontrack Managing Director Grant Morgan. "Rider Ben Melham did the right thing from the draw by being positive and sitting her just off the speed. "Ben put her into the race on the turn and from there the result was never in doubt." Grant Morgan purchased Arctic Shock from the 2017 Premier Sale at Karaka, paying $65,000 for the daughter of Shocking and talented racemare Art Beat. "I bought five yearlings from the sale and Tavisan has been stakes placed in Melbourne and this filly and Makfi Amour have both been recent winners at Pakenham for Chris Meagher. "In fact, Makfi Amour and Arctic Shock have almost identical form having been a winner and placed three times from only four starts. "There's an unraced Tavistock filly showing good promise and a Savabeel filly that's had only one start but has good ability so it looks like it will prove to be a great sale for Ontrack and our owners," said Grant Morgan. Arctic Shock is a daughter of Art Beat, a Captain Rio mare who won nine races up to 1600 metres, including the Group Three Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton. "Art Beat was a talented racemare with multiple black type performances and Arctic Shock is her second foal. I like to buy early foals from mares like her and we think this filly has the potential to get over a distance. "It's a stamina-based family and Art Beat's half-sister Perfect Start was a very good stayer who was placed in the Wellington and New Zealand Cups over 3200 metres. "Shocking has already left an Oaks winner so the pedigree and her racing style suggests Artic Shock will get a middle distance and possibly even further. "We will sit down with Chris Meagher and work out a plan for the filly, but there's still some nice targets remaining this season for a filly that can stay," said Grant Morgan. Congratulations to our owners: Ontrack Art Beat Syndicate, Let It Ride Syndicate (Manager Peter Ivanovski), David and Sue Worthley, Richard Stuckey, Lillian Brady OAM, O G P I C Syndicate (Andrew Hawken), Leigh Holt, Lynne Brook, Edgecorp Syndicate (Manager Colin Bracken), Mark Ostermeyer, Prof James Dale AO, Vin Harink, Ailsa Morrison-Galt, Andrew Hall, Harley Hodgson, Money Team Racing (Manager Bri Hourigan), Andrew Dean. Ontrack Thoroughbreds has welcomed the news that its long-term Melbourne trainer Mick Price is forming a training partnership. Price has trained many good gallopers for Ontrack from his Caulfield base and this week announced he is taking young trainer Mick Kent Junior into a partnership. “I think the partnership is fantastic news and a big step forward for the stable,” said Ontrack Thoroughbreds Managing Director Grant Morgan. “Training partnerships are the way of the future and enable trainers to spread themselves across the various tasks they have on a day to day basis. “More importantly, it gives them the opportunity for a life outside of racing. The stress and pressure of being a racehorse trainer is immense and I believe that training partnerships are a winner for everyone involved. “I have known and worked with Mick for more than 20 years now and I believe he is training better than ever. I feel this step plus the strengthening of his Warrnambool base through Matt Williams is also a big step forward. Whilst I have only known Mick Kent Jnr for a short period, I have been impressed at his communications, knowledge and presentation. He has an outstanding background having learned his trade under his father Mick Kent Senior who is also a high class trainer. “At Ontrack we are looking forward to continuing our very successful association with Mick Price and Mick Kent and their team going forward,” said Grant Morgan. Ontrack Thoroughbreds boss Grant Morgan’s faith in stallion So You Think was boosted by talented filly Nakeeta Jane’s amazing Group One win at Randwick. Nakeeta Jane scored a scintillating Surround Stakes victory in spite of sitting three and four deep and is now poised to take on talented colt The Autumn Sun in Saturday’s Group One Australian Guineas. Ontrack bought a colt by So You Think at the recent New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Sale, with the colt to be prepared by Hawkes Racing. “So You Think was a champion racehorse with 10 Group One wins in both Hemispheres and he’s been very good at stud. “Nakeeta Jane became his fifth Group One winner on Saturday and follows Inference, D’Argento, La Bella Diossa and Sopressa in winning at the highest level. “I have been a fan on So You Think for a while and when the opportunity came to buy this colt at Karaka, I couldn’t pass it up. “He’s a magnificent type and bred on the same So You Think-Redoute’s Choice mare cross that’s already left Group One winning colts D’Argento and Inference. “Our New Zealand colt comes off a magnificent farm in the country’s South Island. These days the South Island is not the force it used to be in breeding but the farm is on the Canterbury Plains and is a fantastic place to produce young horses with great bone. “I love the cross with So You Think and Redoute’s Choice and this colt is a stunning individual who looks a fantastic three-year-old prospect. “Duncan Ramage was the underbidder on the colt and he is probably the greatest authority on So You Think having bought the horse as a yearling for Dato Tan Chin Nam at Karaka. “It reinforces your judgement when you chase a horse and find out later that the underbidder was someone with so much knowledge of the stallion,” said Grant Morgan. |
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