Four winners at Doomben,
including two stakes winners,
and a treble at the Gold Coast
headlined a super day for Queensland's leading stud on Saturday.
On a
day when the honours were spread between almost all of the farm's stallions,
the team of sires at Glenlogan Park
all had progeny register top-class performances as the lead-up to the big QTIS sale at the Magic Millions gears
up for a March 16 and 17 countdown.
Starting
the sensational winning sequence off was the Steve O'Dea trained Heart Smart who put in yet another
impressive display to claim victory in the 3rd event over 1110m.
The
lightly raced 4YO gelding has faced the starter just 11 times during his career
but has managed to win or place in a staggering 10 of those. He is a big,
strong, athletic horse who has been working through his grades nicely and
taking all the right steps for O'Dea - who is sure to have a long term carnival
goal on the radar for his charge.
The
second Doomben winner for the team of sires
at Glenlogan was the ultra-impressive Red Element 3YO Code Noir.
The
Matt Dunn trained youngster was having only his second career start after
debuting in exciting fashion in mid-week grade a few weeks ago.
The
stable have long held a very good opinion of the gelding and had no hesitation
in throwing him against some of the best of his age group on Saturday despite
his lack of relative experience.
Handled
superbly by Ric McMahon, the gelding was dragged back to the tail of the field
from his very wide alley before being angled to the outside in the straight and
then letting down with a turn of foot that could only be described as
breathtaking.
The
time for the race was significantly faster than the other 3YO race and almost
half a second quicker than the older horses over the same distance.
The
smashing victory by Code Noir
adds to the recent Saturday city QTIS victories of paternal siblings Glorious Red and Denarius and places their sire, Red Element, in third position on the
3YO Sires table in Qld behind only Real
Saga and Jet Spur.
The
hat-trick of winners was brought up in sensational fashion when Falvelon's son, Excellantes, toughed out a wonderful
win in a race named after his sire, the $100,000
Listed Falvelon Quality Handicap.
Bred,
raced and trained by Rob Heathcote, Excellantes
took his lifetime earnings to within a whisker of $800,000 as he fought tooth and nail to holder off his younger,
talented rival Architect.
"He
never says die and he is never beat until they pass that post," Rob said. "This
guy gives me as much pleasure as any other horse I have ever saddled up because
I know that he will never lie down.
"Add
to that will-to-win a stack of talent and a wonderful constitution and it's no
wonder we love him!
"He's
a ripper!"
The
final leg of the quartet of winners for
Glenlogan at Doomben was another
stakes victory when the Jet Spur
5YO Black Jet overcame the
outside alley to claim the $100,000
Listed Tattersall's Member's Cup over 1600m.
Liam
Birchley has done a tremendous job with Black
Jet, whom he openly claims is a "much better horse at Eagle Farm than he
is at Doomben".
However
the big grey gelding was able to put his rivals to the sword on Saturday after
being pushed forward off his wide gate and, in so doing, elevated his sire even
further in front on the Leading General
Sires table in Qld.
Jet Spur is having a sensational season and
currently leads Real Saga on the
General Sires table and also
leads all others on the 2YO Sire table
as well – an age group where his youngster Mishani Honcho registered an eye-catching 3rd in last
week's G2 Silver Slipper Stakes
behind Golden Slipper favourite Headway.
The
popular sire not only had Black Jet
salute on Saturday, but he also provided 2 of the 3 winners for the farm own at the Gold Coast (Mischievious Devil and Lochlee) as well as claiming two
runner-up cheques at Doomben (Lady
Jetsetter and Siegfried).
His
main rival for the Champion Sire
crown this year, Real Saga,
produced the other victor at the Gold Coast when the Chris Anderson trained Umasaga streaked away for 4.5 length
win on a day when the young trainer prepared a double and had a runner-up from
his only 3 starters.
Anderson,
as too will many other trainers, will no doubt have all of the Real Saga's, and other Glenlogan Park sired yearlings, firmly
in his sights for the upcoming QTIS sale.
With
prizemoney levels in Qld now at an exceptionally competitive level and the
improvements made to the new QTIS scheme right on our doorstep, it will all
come down to winners. And the results tell the tale! Nobody does it better in
Qld!