Sparta Racing | Sparta Racing News 61542 Stable Update

THE WINNERS KEEP MARCHING ON!

Following on from a great start to 2025 - seven winners in the first couple of months including a Flemington success for Garnacho and the Camperdown Cup for Rhinoceros - March was another big month for the stable.

And wow, April has kicked off in stunning style with a double at Caulfield on Saturday! We are very proud of the team effort that goes into the preparation of every horse - one which has seen us running at a fantastic 24% strike rate from our last 50 runners.

Let's take a look back at our big moments!

THE MARVELLOUS MCGAW

This leggy fellow really caught our eye at last year's Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale where we were delighted to secure him for just $14,000. Impressing us from the start, he was - on the back of good jump-out form - well fancied at his Pakenham debut in late January and he could not have been more impressive racing away to a soft 3 1/2 length victory.

Barrier 13 didn't look good for the son of I Am Immortal when he rose quickly in class to tackle the VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield but, after doing a bit of early work, he was able to get to the front at the 600m. Sharing the lead from before the turn, he had a battle with Befuddle in the run home - our boy showing so much heart and determination putting his nose out in front when it counted.

And how exciting was that?! Racing.com's camera crew certainly thought so as they filmed us jumping and screeching with utter delight as our boy crossed the line! Emma-Lee was almost lost for words after the race but did manage to compose herself when interviewed, noting that "it really is a land of opportunity when you buy one for $14,000 and you win a race like this!"

Jockey Damian Lane, who decided not to head to Sydney in order to stick with McGaw is impressed by him - "he is really raw, he is really not sure still, he's a bit of a big kid!" "So to be able to do what he is doing - well hopefully it means that with natural progression he can improve and we can be here in the spring." Lane was delighted to win for our ownership group - "that's everything good about racing a horse isn't it? A cheap buy for great people - it's what dreams are made of."

McGaw is now in the paddock as we contemplate a possible crack at the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas.

BREEDING TRIVIA: McGaw hails from the same family as his great grandsire Invincible Spirit; bred on a 5 X 5 cross of his own fifth dam Eljazzi.

A ZEBRA AND A RHINOCEROS QUINELLA THE BAIRNSDALE CUP!

Winning a country cup is always a treat but a one/two finish? Well that was just so exciting! And we did that with two stable favourites, the popular grey Le Zebra gamely holding off a challenge from another of our much loved boys in Rhinoceros.

It was a fourth career win for Le Zebra who rode a strong pace and just kept going with jockey Teo Nugent - who was having his first ride for us - giving him what David described as "a peach of a ride." "He gave me a beautiful run in transit," Teo said. "He travelled well and the last 50m and through the line was his best work."

"That was a great thrill," David said, "he is a quality horse who can still do a bit wrong, he will continue to improve."

By Galileo's high class son Rip Van Winkle, Le Zebra was a NZ$60,000 purchase at the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sale. The winner of over $400,000, he is a half-brother to another of our recent winners in Bifrost. Ben Kwok bred both horses and remains in the ownership of Le Zebra.

RHINOCEROS HOLDS UP THE FORM!

Rhinoceros took his great run in the Bairnsdale Cup to Caulfield on Saturday, the wonderful six-year-old doing so well dropping back from a mile to 1400 to record a soft one length victory in the last race on the card, the Robert Taranto Handicap.

The second leg of a winning double with the Derby bound Statuario saluting earlier in the day, Rhinoceros ensured that everyone would have a great Saturday night! “He is my oldest daughter Chloe’s favourite horse,” Emma-Lee said, “and she has booked a boat for her 19th birthday tonight. It is going to be a great night!”

Any day Rhinoceros wins is a good one - he is definitely a favourite with many! “I love him so much, I might have to get a Rhino tattoo now,” Emma-Lee laughed. “He is a gem, a horse who just keeps giving.”

“He has been up for a long time (kicking off this campaign in October) and I keep wondering when he is going to be ready to go out - but he is just loving his life, he is a marvel!”

Dean Yendall was impressed with Rhinoceros’ effort under the steadier of 59kg (conceding the runner up 1½ kg). “I thought during the race that he was travelling well and when I asked for an effort he started to get mobile - and when I asked for a really good effort he obliged and attacked the line strongly.”

Rhinoceros is half-brother to the stakes placed Crickets Chirping out of a three time winning daughter of the dual Listed winner Ticklish who also produced our Gr.3 Sandown Stakes winner Elephant.

BIFROST - KING OF THE STABLE!

Just four days after our Showdown success with McGaw we were back in the winner's circle with Le Zebra's tough half-brother Bifrost finding his best form at only his second run back from a spell.

Not in the best part of the track when a game first up second at Pakenham, Bifrost did a great job recording the sixth win of his 38 start career, one which has also seen him figure in the placings on six occasions. A $40,000 Karaka purchase who has earned over $215,000 for his happy owners, Bifrost was the stable's first winner when coming over from New Zealand - so he has a special place in our hearts!

"We love him heaps," Emma-Lee enthused. "He is always a trier and he has been with us for a long time - he thinks he is king of the stable!"

Jockey Jett Stanley did a great job with Bifrost who can over-race at times, having him in a beautiful spot throughout. "He did everything right today and got around the corner beautifully," Jett reported.

BREEDING TRIVIA: we've got to go back a bit in time here but Le Zebra and Bifrost have something in common with our rising star McGaw... they are all descendants of the wonderful matriarch Gibside Fairy who was foaled way back in 1811!

OUR ROYAL GIRL BASILINNA

How wonderful it has been to have the very talented mare Basilinna back to her best this time in, the talented bay not coming up last spring having shown so much as a three-year-old with her gutsy third in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks won by Zardozi.

She took a little while to get over that campaign but thanks to the lush grass in our paddocks and a nice break she was able to thrive and David was confident that she'd run a great race when she resumed in the Yarra Valley Cup held at Moonee Valley. "He was coming back from riding her with a grin from ear to ear!" Emma-Lee said, excited to see her win her first start since November. "It was a fantastic ride by Dean Yendall - I thought we were in world of trouble when she was held up at the turn."

But once clear Basilinna showed her good turn of foot and her will to win... and it looks like a good campaign is ahead for the mare who can bounce back having had no luck at all in Saturday’s Gr.3 Easter Cup at Caulfield.

Basilinna is a rather special horse for the stable, being a home-bred out of the Gr.3 placed mare So Royal.

NAMING TRIVIA: Basilinna is an ancient Greek title meaning "Queen" and she is so very well named. Her sire is Staphanos (Greek for "crown") and her dam So Royal is by Shino King. All very royal!

Basilinna is one of several promising staying types in the stable with last spring's Gr.1 VRC Derby runner-up Scary showing plenty of talent, currently spelling having picked up a virus since his latest terrific run, a fast finishing fifth in the Gr.2 Autumn Classic.

Meanwhile we have another Derby horse!

STUNNING STATUARIO 

Going right on with it after running such an eye-catching third in the Gr.2 Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley last month, Statuario proved a class above his rivals in Saturday’s Listed Galilee Series Final at Caulfield - the first leg of a memorable double for the stable.

We are still to decide whether the talented grey presses on to Adelaide or if we freshen him for a tilt at the Gr.1 Queensland Derby but gee it’s a fun decision to have to make!

Another bargain buy - purchased for just $18,000 by his very happy managing part owners Toward Reward Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale, Statuario impressed us with his tough performance and the way in which he raced.

“It was a good ride by John Allen who had him in the right spot, he just went to sleep and relaxed - he probably hit the lead a little early and started floating around.” “He is taking a while to learn how to put them away as you can see from his first wins at Cranbourne so I was a little bit concerned when he got left out alone so I could not be more happy with that” he said of the horse’s impressive 2¼ length winning margin.

With Statuario racing over the trip for the first time, it was going to be a test of his stamina, one he passed with flying colours! “He certainly ticked the 2400m box,” John Allen said, “he quickened up well and put them away.”

“He relaxed very well - he was the best horse in the race.”

Bred by Bowness Stud, home to his Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas winning sire D’Argento (son of the great So You Think), Statuario is out of the four time winning Dash For Cash mare Miss Entice, a full sister to the Listed Cranbourne Cup winner Boom ‘N’ Zoom.

BREEDING TRIVIA: Statuario is a descendant of one of the most prolific broodmares of all time, the famed matriarch Eulogy - member of the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame.

KING'S LEGACY COLT IMPRESSES AS HE BREAKS IN NICELY

What an encouraging start the high class galloper King's Legacy has made to his stud career, the regally bred son of the great Redoute's Choice currently the sixth leading first season sire by winners with black-type performers in Australia and New Zealand.

Four members of King's Legacy's debut crop are winners and there is no doubt that his record is just going to get better and better as his progeny mature.

A dual Gr.1 winner seen at his brilliant best taking out two legs of the Sydney juvenile Triple Crown - the ATC Sires Produce Stakes and the ATC Champagne Stakes - King's Legacy hails from a renowned stallion family, able to boast Not A Single Doubt and Snippets amongst his relations.

We are already excited by our lovely King's Legacy colt - he is nearly finished being broken in and we could not be happier with him; this is a really nice horse! You can view his progress in the attached video.

Purchased at this year's Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, the BOBS and VOBIS Silver eligible colt is a son of the well related All American mare Tennessee Diamond whose dam Brightcut by the great Octagonal produced the Listed winner Instalment,

Brightcut is a half-sister to the Magic Millions 2Y0 Classic winner Mirror Mirror, dam of the stakes winners No Looking Back and Comrade Rosa.

This is an outstanding local family, one which has as its matriarch the 1945 Melbourne Cup winner Rainbird - ancestress of the big race winners Malaguerra, Laisserfaire, Personal, Allez Wonder, Aloha, Lone Rock, Snitzerland, Tivaci and Cool Aza Beel as well as the classy stallion Centaine and all those very fast "Tennessee" horses.

Tennessee Diamond is a daughter of the Gr.1 Emirates Stakes winner All American (conqueror of So You Think) who has made an outstanding start to his career as a broodmare sire - his daughters already producing four stakes winners (amongst the first 55 winners) including the Japanese star Liberty Island and fellow Gr.1 winner Dark Destroyer.

This Redoute's Choice/Red Ransom cross is going great guns... 38 stakes winners with eight Gr.1 horses including Sunlight, Estijaab, Return To Conquer and Trapeze Artist. And it's hard not to also be impressed by the success of the Redoute's Choice/Zabeel cross this colt is also bred on - one which has been so well represented by 116 stakes winners; 21 Gr.1 winners including the recent Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night.

Boasting crosses of the great stallions Mr Prospector, Nijinsky, Nashua and Sir Ivor, this exciting colt is also line-bred to the wonderful mare Flower Bowl via her son His Majesty and grandson Whiskey Road.

And that's another high achieving cross... the 100 stakes winners produced by it including 12 Gr.1 winners of which the star mare Verry Elleegant is one. 

Shares will go quickly in this great value colt so be sure to get in touch. He could be our next McGaw!