Four
juvenile trials at Randwick on Tuesday morning produced some interesting winners
including a blue-blooded Exceed and Excel colt that will need to improve his
social skills before he appears on race day.
Peter and Paul Snowden usually have their juveniles well primed to trial, but
De Gaulle gave Mitchell Bell a torrid ride when he jumped well before going
into panic mode when he found other horses closing in around him.
The colt decided running away from the other horses was his best option, so he
tossed his head in the air and went on his merry way, charging around the home corner
sideways in his effort to get away.
When he had daylight behind him, De Gaulle relaxed and pricked his ears, settling
into a nice rhythm and cruising home to win his 743 metre heat by two and a
half lengths in 43.50, the quickest juvenile heat of the day.
There will be some fine tuning going on at home before he heads to the races,
but ability is not lacking in De Gaulle.
Bred and retained to race by Newgate Farm and SF Bloodstock, De Gaulle is the
second foal of dual Group I winner Response, whose first foal is three year-old
Fastnet Rock filly Alter Call, who was stakes-placed on debut and has not raced
since.
Response was on-sold at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale by
Newgate Farm fetching $1.5 million to the bid of Katsumi Yoshida and is now
based at Arrowfield Stud.
Kevin and Jenny Moses and their friends have had a lot of fun with Nicconi colt
Niccolance, who was fourth in the 2016 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and has won
over $250,000 in prizemoney.
They backed up to buy another Nicconi colt at Magic Millions last January and
he duly won his trial this morning in good style.
Prepared by Gary Portelli, Falconic was having his third trial after scoring a
win and a second in the previous two in September.
He jumped well, but was eased back by Koby Jennings before unwinding a sustained
run from the tail of the field to win by a nose in 43.57.
A $105,000 MM purchase from the Turangga Farm draft, Falconic is a full brother
to two winners and is from Queen of the Falls, a half-sister by General Nediym
to Group II winner Elite Falls.
Turangga Farm will offer the current yearling from Queen of the Falls, a colt
by Zoustar as Lot 347 at the 2017 Magic Millions.
The remaining two juvenile trials were won by Membership (All American) and
Maddonica (Snitzel). Click here for full results.