Standing Ovation For Teofilo

[Wandering Eyes]

Happy Clapper (Aus) is the leading earner worldwide for Darley shuttler Teofilo (Ire), and the 7-year-old gelding widened the gap by a significant margin on Saturday when taking the A$3-million G1 Doncaster H., the headliner of a four Group 1 card on the opening day of The Championships at Royal Randwick, taking his bankroll past A$5.8-million. Happy Clapper, who was claiming his third Group 1, became Teofilo’s second winner of this mile showpiece, with Kermadec (NZ), who stands alongside the sire at Darley’s Kelvinside Stud, having won it in 2015.

Teofilo, who will stand Southern Hemisphere time for A$44,000 this year, has sired five Group 1 winners Down Under and is in his sixth season with runners.

The sire taking the honour of most winners on the card was I Am Invincible (Aus), whose progeny took out three of the first four races on the card. Last year’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) won for the first time this prep when taking the G3 PJ Bell S., while the 2-year-old Paquirri (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) was a 51-1 winner of the opening G3 Kindergarten S. I Am Invincible was unlucky to not have four winners on the card, his 2-year-old filly Oohood (Aus) placed in yet another Group 1 when missing in a photo finish with the 81-1 shot El Dorado Dreaming (Aus) (Ilovethiscity {Aus}) in the G1 Inglis Sires’ S. There have now been three juvenile Group 1s staged in Australia this season and Oohood, amazingly still a maiden, has hit the board in all three: she was also third in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and second in the G1 Golden Slipper.

El Dorado Dreaming’s small-time trainer Ben Smith wrapped up what was a productive day when his Group 1-winning mare In Her Time (Aus) (Time Thief {Aus}) finished third in the Doncaster.

As can nearly be expected at the Saturday races in Australia, Snitzel (Aus) also made an impact, siring the quinella in two races, including the G1 TJ Smith S. Last season’s The Everest winner Redzel (Aus) set the pace and was brave to the line, but was run down late by last season’s G1 Golden Rose S. winner Trapeze Artist (Aus), trained by Gerald Ryan, who also trained the sire. Snitzel had earlier on the card delivered the quinella in the G3 Carbine Club S. for 3-year-olds when the TDN Rising Star Muraaqeb (Aus) led home Jadeskye Racing and partners’ progressive Dissolution (Aus). Damion Flower of Jadeskye raced Snitzel.

Snitzel’s sire, Redoute’s Choice (Aus), also gained plaudits on the day as the broodmare sire of the first three home in the G1 Australian Derby.

Snitzel and I Am Invincible currently sit one-three on the general sires’ table and have 64 and 41 yearlings, respectively, catalogued for this week’s Inglis Easter sale. They are split in the sires’ standings by the much-missed High Chaparral (Ire), who nearly got a Group 1 win on the board himself on Saturday when his G1 Victoria Derby winner Ace High (Aus) was nosed out by Levendi (Aus) in the Australian Derby. The winner is a new Group 1 winner for Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), who stands at High Chaparral’s former home, Coolmore Australia. A 2-year-old Triple Crown winner who was also a mile Group 1 winner at three, Pierro is shaping up into a very valuable outcross for Australian breeders, being free of Danehill and Danzig. The current wide-margin leading second-season sire is also responsible for the G1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Aus), as well as Group 3-winning sprinters Tulip (Aus) and Pierata (Aus), both Group 1-placed.

 

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