Smart 3YOs Fight Out Finish

Tara Madgwick - Friday January 28

The Benchmark 72 event at Canterbury last night over 1100m featured a couple of above average three year-olds in Sky Command and Able Willie and they duly fought out the finish.

The Gary Portelli trained daughter of Deep Field sported blinkers for the first time and jumped fast to lead all the way and win by half a neck over the strong finishing Written Tycoon gelding Able Willie.
 

 


Gary Po

Advertisement
rtelli will be looking for Black Type races in the autumn for Sky Command, whose natural brilliance and ability to handle wet ground will take her a long way.

A homebred for Bert Vieira and his family, Sky Command has won three of six starts earning over $165,000.

She is the first winner for Love Commands, a winning daughter of Group III winner Sky Love from Stuart Ramsey’s famed Suggestive family that has produced horses like Group I winner Sky Cuddle and outstanding Group II winner Champagne Cuddles, the winner of over $1.4million.

Sky Command has an interesting pedigree that features three lines (6 x 4 x 4) of influential blue hen Eight Carat as her sire Deep Field traces in tail female line to the famed matriarch as do her first two dam sires Commands and Octagonal.

 


Love Commands produced a colt by Vieira’s champion colt Trapeze Artist last year and is now back in foal to him again.

Deep Field is the sire of Sky Command.

Runner-up Able Willie will also be headed for Black Type making a pleasing return following a third in the Listed ATC Sir Brian Crowley Stakes back in the spring at just his second start.

Prepared by Chris Waller for Hermitage Thoroughbreds, he looms as another potential stakes-winner to carry the colours made famous by horses such as The Autumn Sun and September Run.



 

Visit the profile page for Deep Field

Deep Field in upcoming sales:
Advertisment

Race Result - First Justify Yearlings (Bm72) 1100m

Canterbury Track: Good(4) Time: 1:03.99
1
Sky Command
- 3f Deep Field (AUS) x Love Commands (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: G Portelli Rdr: J B Mc Donald 58.5
2
0.2
Able Willie
- 3g Written Tycoon (AUS) x Lifesaver Lady (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J Bowman 59
3
1.0
Conscript
- 4g Time For War (AUS) x Carmelita Mo (AUS) (Uncle Mo (USA))
Tnr: G Ryan & S Alexiou Rdr: Tyler Schiller 60
4
2.0
Patino Ruby
- 4m More Than Ready (USA) x Commanding Jewel (AUS) (Commands (AUS))
Tnr: B F Cavanough Rdr: S Clipperton 56.5
5
2.8
Riva Del Sol
- 3f Press Statement (AUS) x Riva Del Mar (AUS) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: C Karakatsanis Rdr: Tom Sherry 54
6
3.3
What Could Be
- 9g Floral Dynamite (AUS) x Late Declaration (AUS) (Halo Homewrecker (USA))
Tnr: D I Atkins Rdr: A B Collett 57
7
4.9
Way To The Stars
- 3c Reward For Effort (AUS) x Writteninthestars (AUS) (Written Tycoon (AUS))
Tnr: Matthew Smith Rdr: J R Collett 55.5
8
6.1
Kosciusko
- 7g All Too Hard (AUS) x Zauberin (AUS) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: J & G Lee Rdr: C Waddell 52
9
8.8
Penopera
- 4m Va Pensiero (AUS) x Ashlee's Jewel (AUS) (Easy Rocking (AUS))
Tnr: J C Coyle Rdr: Rachel King 54
More Reading...
Rosemont and Partners Stakes Quinella on Cup Day
Written Tycoon posted his second new stakes-winner on Melbourne Cup Day when promising three year-old gelding Catoggio took out the Listed VRC Amanda Elliot Stakes (1400m)  for Rosemont Stud and partners, who also race the second horse Bosustow.
Kiwi Bred Gringotts Wins $3million Big Dance
Talented New Zealand-bred gelding Gringotts(NZ) (Per Incanto) delivered a big payday for his connections with victory in Tuesday’s A$3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick.
All Too Hard's Arran Bay Brave in the Furphy Plate
Phillip Stokes admitted his preference was to run Arran Bay in the Listed John Letts Cup at Morphettville but was overruled by the owners, who made the correct decision in favouring the Listed Furphy Plate (1800m) at Flemington.
Knights Choice a True Underdog Story
Punters were left stunned when the Queenslander Knight's Choice and Japanese visitor Warp Speed (JPN) emerged from the pack to fight out a dramatic finish to the $8,560,000 Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Melbourne Cup Pedigree Analysis - Do It Yourself
Breednet has produced a great page with click through to five generation pedigrees for all the Melbourne Cup runners, so for amateur pedigree buffs looking to have a Cup flutter based pedigree here’s your chance  to DIY it!
More Stakes Success for Air Assault
Group I placed last season in the SA Derby, talented gelding Air Assault kept the winning run going for Victoria Derby winning trainer Andrew Gluyas when taking out the Listed SAJC John Letts Cup (1800m) at Morphettville on Melbourne Cup Day.
Magic Nick Strikes Again – Fastnet Rock x Galileo
The Fastnet Rock x Galileo nick has been on fire in Melbourne this spring producing Cox Plate winner Via Sistina (IRE) and leading Melbourne Cup contender Buckaroo (GB) and it struck again overnight in the UK with a brand new stakes-winner in Military Academy, who captured the Listed Floodlit Stakes (1m4f) at Kempton.
2024 Melbourne Cup Result - It's Knights Choice
The 2024 Melbourne Cup has been run and won with Knight’s Choice, a five-year-old gelding by Extreme Choice victorious.
Kiwi Bred Grey Wins Subzero for OTI at Flemington
New Zealand-bred gelding Cloudland proved a handful for James McDonald at Flemington on Tuesday, but the champion jockey was in a forgiving mood after they had claimed top honours in the Subzero Handicap.
$6million Frankel Mare Tops Fasig -Tipton November Sale
The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, billed as the World’s Premier Breeding Stock Event, was held Monday at the company’s Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky. Twenty-five offerings sold for $1,000,000 or more, led by a trio of Grade/Group 1 winners with international appeal.