Fillies dominated the $2million Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes on Saturday filling the first four places and providing her connections with a massive thrill to finish third was Kuroyanagi, a $390,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Yarraman Park draft last year.
Trained by the Clarken-O’Shea partnership at Murray Bridge, Kuroyanagi won her debut at Gawler before finishing second to Hayasugi in the Group II MRC Blue Diamond Prelude and franked that form when finishing third to that filly in the $2million feature with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Lady of Camelot in second.
“She was really good, she's obviously Group 1-placed now but they're nowhere near the bottom of her and I reckon she'll develop into a lovely three-year-old filly who will get 1400-plus,” said her rider Brenton Avdulla.
Bred by Yarraman Park in partnership, Kuroyanagi is a half-sister to Group III placed Zousuko and is the best of five winners from six to race from Group II placed I Am Invincible mare Tetusko, who has the distinction of being the first ever runner for I Am Invincible when she was second on debut in the Listed ATC Gimcrack Stakes.
Now in foal to Brave Smash (Jpn), Tetsuko was also bred by Yarraman Park and her Deep Field yearling filly made $475,000 at Magic Millions this year when bought by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/ David Redvers Bloodstock.
Yarraman Park are headed back to Melbourne this week with a draft of 10 for Inglis Premier that includes the half-brother to smart I Am Invincible three year-old Countyourblessings, who bolted in at Canterbury last Friday night for the John O’Shea stable and has now won twice since the catalogue went to print.
He goes to the ring as Lot 140 and is a Zoustar colt from stakes-winner Bidii Babe.
Click here to see the whole draft and another entry that will attract plenty of interest is Lot 461, the half-brother to $8.3million earning dual Group I winner I’m Thunderstruck.
Foaled on November 19, he’s by Cox Plate winning sire Ocean Park from Primadonna Girl, who has had four foals to race all winners!