Last season's stars return with more black type success
15 Sep 2022
Spring racing is beginning to heat up, with 10 winners on the board and a further three Willow Park graduates have made an impact in black type races already this season.
Last week, star two year old filly She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice x Keysbrook) stepped out for her first start as a three year old in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m) on a heavy 9 track at Randwick, putting in a good finish for third behind the impressive North Star Lass (Zoustar).
Sold at Inglis Easter to Anthony Cummings Racing for $275,000, She’s Extreme is likely to clash with her old rival Fireburn in next week’s Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m). The talented filly has two wins to her name, namely the Group 1 Champagne Stakes and Group 3 Magic Night Stakes, and $738,000 in prize money in just seven starts to date.
On Saturday, it was the class of 2018 to the fore, when Pinstriped (Street Boss x Snitzel Blitz) and El Rocko (Fastnet Rock x Butters) ran second and third respectively in The Sofitel (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington.
Having his first start as a four year old, the Enver Jusofovic trained Pinstriped made up plenty of ground in the straight from well back, showing his customary turn of foot. The lightly raced gelding has just six starts under his belt, with three wins, including the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes in February.
Pinstriped’s dam, Snitzel Blitz (Snitzel), has returned to Willow Park this season to foal down on behalf of Sullivan Bloodstock, we are eagerly awaiting her Capitalist foal next month!
El Rocko returned from a long spell in July with two super impressive wins followed by two 0.4L seconds, before his third placing on Saturday, where he was only beaten into third by Pinstriped in the shadows of the post.
A three-quarter brother to Group 1 winner Foxplay (Foxwedge), El Rocko was foaled at Willow Park and sold through the 2020 Inglis Easter Online Sale to Red Gum Racing and Pacific Bloodstock, for $250,000.
While it has been fantastic to see our black type graduates return in fine form, this week we are also saddened to see the retirement of another of our star graduates in Vulpine (pictured).
The six year old mare provided Brad Widdup Racing with their first ever Group winner and three stakes wins in total. Arriving at Willow Park as a weanling, Vulpine was sold for $340,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to BK Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock. She has gone on to record seven wins, seven placings and over $620,000.
Well remembered by our staff for her big personality as a yearling, the Fergus Doyle bred Vulpine is by Snitzel out of a half sister to Star Witness and is sure to attract plenty of attention in this week's Inglis Digital Auction, we look forward to following her career at stud!