Two to Watch – Moonee Valley

Tara Madgwick - Friday February 11

There were a couple of very impressive three year-old winners at Moonee Valley last night that will be aiming up at stakes races in coming weeks.

Mars Mission bolts in at Moonee Valley - image George Salpigtidis / Racing Photos

Expensive Deep Field colt Mars Mission won his maiden at Warwick Farm last month at his second starts and dished out a galloping lesson to his rivals at Moonee Valley, exploding away to win the Benchmark 64 event over 1200m by more than four lengths.

“He let down fantastic and had a bit of class there,” said winning rider Jye McNeil, who rode Mars Mission on debut at Sandown last August when he finished third.

“He’s come on physically and mentally and the penny has really started to drop.”
 


Advertisement

An $800,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Attunga Stud draft for Alan Bell, who raced his sire Deep Field, Mars Mission runs for a partnership headed by Bell that also includes Vinery Stud and the colt’s breeders.

Mars Mission is a three-quarter brother to Group III winner Sun City and half-brother to stakes-winner Parlophone and stakes-placed Spin.

He is the fifth winner from five foals to race from stakes-winning Flying Spur mare Roulettes, who has a yearling colt by Dundeel headed to Inglis Easter for Attunga Stud as Lot 387.

Roulettes was one of 163 mares covered last spring at Newgate Farm by Deep Field at a fee of $88,000.

Keeping her unbeaten record intact when going two for two was the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Not a Single Doubt filly Snapped.

Snapped will be back at Moonee Valley in a couple of weeks for a Black Type race - image George Salpigtidis / Racing Photos

An easy winner on debut at Pakenham last month, she zoomed clear to win the Benchmark 64 event for fillies and mares by three and a half lengths.
 



“She was a little bit keen and fresh tonight with a month between runs, but she has a serious engine,” said Sam Freedman.

“We came here tonight with an eye on the Typhoon Tracy (Group III) in a couple of weeks time, so she’ll come back here now for that.

“She got around the Valley well and with Jonathan Munz’s fillies the main thing is to get Black Type with them ad she’s headed in that direction.”

A $220,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Highgrove Stud draft for Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock, Snapped is the first living foal from Fracture, an unraced full sister to Group I winner Wanted and half-sister to Group II winner Shrapnel.

Highgrove Stud sold the yearling half-sister by More than Ready (USA) to Snapped at Inglis Classic this week for $310,000 to E Wong/ A Chu and the mare produced a filly by Capitalist last spring.

Fracture was one of 189 mares covered last year by Not a Single Doubt’s Golden Slipper winning son Farnan, so will produce a three-quarter relation to Snapped this year.

 

Advertisment

Race Result - Happy 95th Horace Gelder-Bm64 1200m

Moonee Valley Track: Good(3) Time: 1:10.53
1
Mars Mission
- 3c Deep Field (AUS) x Roulettes (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: Jye McNeil 59.5
2
4.3
He's The Ultimate
- 3g Fastnet Rock (AUS) x Spirit Of Heaven (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: P G Moody Rdr: Jamie Kah 60
3
5.1
Rolling Moss
- 8g Moshe (AUS) x Zoeanos (AUS) (Tuscanos (AUS))
Tnr: Shawn Mathrick Rdr: Josh Richards 58
4
12.0
Fortune Follows
- 5g Akeed Mofeed (GB) x Flying Success (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: P L Caboche Rdr: D Caboche 59
5
12.1
Serenaur
- 3g Star Turn (AUS) x Orlaith (AUS) (Toorak Toff (AUS))
Tnr: Brent Stanley Rdr: M Aitken 58
More Reading...
Girl Power Rising Fast – Magic Millions Order of Entry
The Magic Millions two and three year-old races scheduled for January 11– both worth a whopping $3million - were always going to get a big shuffle up last week and it’s been the fillies on the move.
Impressive First Winner for Graff and a Quinella!
Standing at Kitchwin Hills, brilliantly fast Group II winning sprinter Graff is on the board with his first winner after the well named colt Grafterburners produced a dazzling last to first win at Ipswich on Wednesday.
$1000 Mare Gives Trainer a Pick Me Up Win
Sam Mynott woke up to a pleasing result from her hospital bed on Wednesday afternoon, with Electron taking out the Stella Artois 1500 Qualifying Race (1600m) at Ruakaka.
So You Think Stayer on Track for $1million G2 Perth Cup
A progressive stayer with a great winning strike rate, Bob and Sandra Peters homebred So You Think gelding Diamond Scene is on track for the $1million Group II WATC Perth Cup on New Year’s Day following a stylish victory on Wednesday at Ascot in the Listed WATC ATA Stakes (2200m).
First Season Sires Make Swift Impression
It’s early days for the current juvenile season with only a tiny percentage of the crop seen in action so far, but as we head into the Christmas holiday period three of the top five sires on the two year-old sires list are all first season horses and that’s good news for Kia Ora Stud, Yulong and Vinery Stud.
Late 210,000 guineas Sale for Savabeel Mare in foal Too Darn Hot
The five-year-old broodmare SEDAKA, offered in foal to TOO DARN HOT on a Southern Hemisphere cover, has been sold for a record 210,000 guineas to Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade on behalf of Nocab Racing, making her the top priced lot in the Tattersalls Online December Sale and the highest priced broodmare ever sold on the platform.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday December 17
Here is the full list of 23 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
$1.53 Million Showjumping and Polo Add to the Magic Millions Carnival
Magic Millions confirmed the much-anticipated line-up of teams and competitors across the entertainment-packed Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping on Sunday, January 5, 2025 at Doug Jennings Park on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
OTI Move on Promising Pierro 3YO
Tony Pike is confident Golden Century can realise his full potential over ground and his opinion has been endorsed by a major international player.
Pause for Thought
You see a yearling and you love the yearling, but then you see the x-ray and you are given pause for thought - what happens next?