A $50,000 Investment at the Patinack Farm Dispersal is Proving a Windfall for Emirates Park

Mark Smith - Saturday May 29

Last with just 200 metres left to run, Jamie Kah threaded the needle on Vega One (Lope De Vega) to snatch an unbelievable win in Saturday’s $700,000 Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.

Vega One - Jamie Kah (image TAB Twitter)

It was a 1-2 finish for Tony Gollan, whose Spirit Of Boom gelding Jonker looked set to win before Vega One sept to a half-length win.

Exceed And Excel gelding Signore Fox was a short-head back in third.

“I am so proud of these horses,” Golan said

“This horse had a major injury last year after the Stradbroke. He had a long time in rehab down in Victoria. This has been a long-range mission to get here and in to the Stradbroke with him- it doesn’t get any better.

“I didn’t know where to look. I thought Jonker was going to hang on. Then I saw him behind a wall of horses then off he went.

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“A 1-2 in a Group 1 at home is fantastic.”

 It was the sixth Group 1 win for Kah, who said it could have all gone pear-shaped in the straight.

“I wanted to be held up on him, but not that much. I needed a run desperately in the end,” Kah said.

“I was in a lot a lot of trouble. I have to thank Bossy (Glenn Boss), who told me everything about this horse.

“I met Tony when Sunlight came up here. I have ridden for him a few times, but that tops our list of winners”   

A half-brother to the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes winner One More Honey (Onemorenomore), Vega One advances his record to six wins, five seconds and a third from 25 starts with earnings of $1,498,900.

From the fourth and final crop left by Lope De Vega (IRE) in Australia, Vega One was a $75,000 purchase by his former trainer John Thompson out of the Stockwell Thoroughbreds draft (on behalf of breeder Emirates Park), at the 2017 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.

He is the fourth foal of the imported Distorted Humor mare One Funny Honey (USA), a daughter of the 2011 Group III VRC The Vanity winner Lan Kwai Fong (Bluebird).

One Funny Honey has a 2yo colt by Snitzel named Tidal Creek who was knocked down to Farrington Bloodstock/Aquis Farm/Brae Sokolski for $800,000 from the Aquis Farm draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Purchased by Emirates Park for $50,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Patinack Farm Dispersal when carrying the future Group 1 winner and with the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes One More Honey (Onemorenomore) at foot.

To put the icing on the cake, One More Honey’s first foal, a yearling colt by Not A Single Doubt, was sold to Tony Fung Investments/Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $1,800,000 at the Magic Millions in January.

After foaling a Fastnet Rock colt last September, One Funny Honey has a weanling colt by Fastnet Rock and was covered by Capitalist.

Vega One becomes the 13th Group 1 winner for Ballylinch Stud's Lope De Vega and his fourth in Australia after Gyrtrash, Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic.

 Lope de Vega

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Race Result - Tab Kingsford-Smith Cup Gr1 1300m

Eagle Farm Track: Good(4) Time: 1:16.91
1
Vega One
- 5g Lope De Vega (IRE) x One Funny Honey (USA) (Distorted Humor (USA))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Jamie Kah 59
2
0.5
Jonker
- 5h Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Hearts And Arrows (AUS) (Kempinsky (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: J Byrne 59
Spirit Of Boom
3
0.6
Signore Fox
- 5h Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Sharp Susan (USA) (Touch Gold (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: Ryan Maloney 59
4
0.8
Trekking
- 6g Street Cry (IRE) x Outdoor (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: K Mc Evoy 59
5
1.0
Victorem
- 6g I Am Invincible (AUS) x Playful Miss (AUS) (Foreplay (AUS))
Tnr: Ms J Graham Rdr: M R Du Plessis 59
6
1.2
Savatoxl
- 5g Kuroshio (AUS) x Li'l Miss Hayley (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: B Vorster 59
7
1.4
Outback Barbie
- 5m Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Pure Purrfection (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: B Avdulla 57
8
1.7
Dame Giselle
- 3f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Ballet Society (NZ) (Stravinsky (USA))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: Tim Clark 55
9
1.8
Savatiano
- 6m Street Cry (IRE) x Retsina (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: J Bowman 57
10
1.9
Niccanova
- 7g Nicconi (AUS) x Dananova (AUS) (Snippetson (AUS))
Tnr: S P Tregea Rdr: James Orman 59
11
2.6
Kementari
- 6g Lonhro (AUS) x Yavanna (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: J Parr 59
12
2.8
Gytrash
- 5g Lope De Vega (IRE) x Miss Barley (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: G V Richards Rdr: J R Collett 59
13
3.6
Blazejowski
- 6g Dash For Cash (AUS) x Ellexcell (AUS) (Octagonal (NZ))
Tnr: G Eurell Rdr: Jye McNeil 59
14
3.8
So Si Bon
- 7g So You Think (NZ) x Black Minx (NZ) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: T Dabernig & B Hayes Rdr: Craig Williams 59
15
4.2
Pennino
- 5m Easy Rocking (AUS) x Alpha Girl (AUS) (Clang (AUS))
Tnr: D J Hansen Rdr: Tiffani Brooker 57
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