Impressive juvenile Medaglia d’Oro colt Astern made it two wins from as many starts and became his sire’s 85th Stakes winner in the G2 Silver Slipper (1100m) at Rosehill on February 20.
The Godolphin-bred colt will head to the Todman Slipper Stakes next start on his way to the world’s richest two-year-old race on March 19, the G1 Golden Slipper (1200m), won last year by another Medaglia d’Oro colt in Vancouver.
Astern, a winner on debut at Randwick in early December, jumped best and took up the running in the Silver Slipper for jockey Hugh Bowman. When challenged in the straight, Astern showed his class to kick clear and win by half-a-length.
Astern is out of Exceed And Excel mare Essaouira, a juvenile city winner who is from the family of multiples stakes winner Alizes, has produced three foals to race, all winners, including the Stakes-placed Lonhro colt Mogador. Essaouira has a yearling filly by Sepoy, a weanling by Animal Kingdom and is in foal to Brazen Beau.
Medaglia d’Oro sired 29 Stakes winners in 2015, including Vancouver, Eclipse Champion juvenile filly Songbird and Gold Medal Dancer, winner of the G2 Azeri.
