Announcing his arrival on the racing scene in some style, Secession, a two-year-old son of Lonhro, took out the Listed Triple M’s Hot Breakfast Stakes in impressive fashion at Sandown-Hillside on Saturday.
The Woodlands Stud-bred debutant is out of Walnut, by Procul Harum, herself a Listed winner over 1100m. Secession’s full-brother is the Todman Stakes placegetter Purdey.
Also on the card, Shamardal filly Marquardt went stepped up on her last-start second at Flemington nine days ago to lift first prize in the Listed Snowhite Stakes. Another daughter of Shamardal, Happy Hippy, was less than length behind her in third.
Stakes-placed at two when a very close second in the G2 Magic Night Stakes, Marquardt is out of the Centaine mare Centrefold Angel and was bred by Little Avondale Trust, who sold her at New Zealand’s Premier Yearling Sale for $100,000.
Later the same day in France, Shamardal two-year-old Zazou took third in the final Group One event of the European turf season, the Criterium de saint-Cloud. Shamardal is also the sire of recent VRC Oaks winner Faint Perfume.
A week on from her valiantly fought victory in the G2 Matriarch Stakes at on the final day of the Spring Carnival at Flemington, Purple was once again right in the fray when losing out by only a short neck to Zipping in the G2 Sandown Classic.
Another successful campaigner from the Woodlands Stud breeding operation, the four-year-old daughter of Commands, who runs in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed, notched two Group One victories last season in the Queensland Oaks and the Storm Queen Stakes (formerly the Arrowfield Stud Stakes) at Rosehill.
At Turffontein in South Africa, Australian-bred Street Cry colt Eight Street, out of the Darley-bred French mare Figure Of Eight, by Octagonal, landed the G2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m. Bred in NSW by Flame Tree Stud Pty Ltd, the four-year-old won the G3 Cup Trial at Clairwood in May.
