While Saturday ushers in the new turf season in Britain, there are almost as many European horses nominated to run at Rosehill in Sydney that same day.
In the G1 Ranvet S., six of the seven runners were bred in either Britain, Ireland or France, and they include two seven-figure purchases made by Yulong Investments last December.
Group 1-winning mares Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was bought for 2.7 million gns at Tattersalls, and Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a €4.025 million Arqana purchase, are now trained respectively by Chris Waller and Anthony and Sam Freedman. They are set to go head to head in the 2,000-metre contest which also features Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a former dual Listed winner in Ireland, French Listed winner Bois d'Argent (GB) (Toronado {Ire}), Military Mission (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), and Zeyrek (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Nine of the last 12 runnings of the race have been won by a horse bred in Europe.
Waller, who saddles both Via Sistina and Buckaroo for the A$1 million race, told Australia's Sky Racing World that he has been following the example set by his British counterpart William Haggas, who has twice won the Ranvet, with Addeybb (Ire) and Dubai Honour (Ire).
He said of Via Sistina, the winner of the G1 Pretty Polly S. and runner-up to King Of Steel in the G1 Champion S. for George Boughey last year, “We prepared her in Newmarket, I kept a close eye on what Mr Haggas has done with a few of his horses which have beaten Verry Elleegant a number of times. He just gets it right every year. Firstly he brings the right horse. Secondly he prepares them well and thirdly they cope with the trip. So she looks like she's that type of horse.”
Waller added, “She's thrived the last two weeks. She's just going on the right path forward and I've been impressed with her.”
Some familiar names also make the cut for Saturday's 19-strong G1 George Ryder S.
The 2022 Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up New Energy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), whose move from Sheila Lavery to Ciaron Maher last year was not without controversy, makes his second start for Maher after finishing second in the G3 Liverpool City Cup at Randwick on his Australian debut.
He is set to face the former John and Thady Gosden trainee Mighty Ulysses (GB), the winner of last season's G3 Sovereign S. at Salisbury who is now trained by Annabel Neasham. The Irish Listed winner Cosmic Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who changed hands for 100,000gns at Tattersalls last October, is also in the line-up along with Cepheus (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Unspoken (Ire) (Territories {Ire}).
The G3 N E Manion Cup, run over 2,400 metres, is another race in which the European imports have dominated over the last decade. Haggas won the race with Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in 2020 and this year fields Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who is now owned by Lloyd Williams.
“He's a nice horse and I think he's done enough to run to his best,” said Haggas on Wednesday. “Bit of a wide draw but he's a good stayer. He just hits a bit of a flat spot but maybe first time out he'll be fresh enough not to do that. It's quite a competitive race but if he has any aspirations to win a better class of race then he needs to be running well on Saturday.
“The Manion Cup followed by the Sydney Cup has always been the plan. Let's just hope he's good enough. He'd have 50kg in the Sydney Cup so Tom [Marquand] wouldn't be able to ride him but let's just worry about one race first, and that's Saturday. It's a pretty inconvenient time for a Newmarket trainer because I think the race is off at ten to two in the morning but that's the way it is. We'll look forward to it.”
Post Impressionist is up against last year's Listed Feilden S. winner Canberra Legend (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is another to have joined the Waller stable.
Another expensive Yulong acquisition to now be under the care of Sydney's champion trainer is Gan Teorainn (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), who is an interesting entrant for the G3 Epona S. Bought from Boherguy Stud for 1 million gns in 2022 after finishing runner-up to Blue Rose Cen (Ire) in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, she subsequently finished third in the G3 Lexus Archer S. at Flemington last November.
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