Tamerlane Smashes $1million Barrier in Winter Stakes

Mark Smith - Saturday July 6

The topweight Tamerlane went off an unloved $21 chance in Saturday’s Listed James Squire Winter Stakes (1400m) at Randwick but toughed it out to ring up the fourth winner on the day for Zac Lloyd.

Given a positive ride, the James Cummings-trained son of Golden Horn fought off the leader Iknowastar (Star Witness) by a neck with the luckless King Of The Castle back in third after being shut out for a run close to home.

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Over the summer months, Tamerlane won the Listed Paris Lane Stakes at Flemington, the $300,000 The Buffering at Doomben, and was runner-up in the Listed Carrington Stakes at Randwick.

With his second stakes success, Tamerlane breaks through the $1million barrier, advancing his record to ten wins, six seconds, and four thirds from 35 starts with earnings of $1,053,290.

Tamerlane was imported in-utero with his dam Wordcraft (GB) in 2017.

A daughter of the champion stallion Shamardal (USA), Wordcraft (GB) is the first foal of Forensics, winner of the Group 1 STC Golden Slipper Stakes, Group 1 STC Queen of the Turf Stakes, and Group 1 VRC Myer Classic before kickstarting her breeding career in Europe.

In a career restricted to seven starts at three, Wordcraft (GB) won her first two starts at Newmarket and Kempton, second three times at Newmarket (x2) and Salisbury, and was third at Newmarket. Her only failure came at her final start.

Woodlands Stud purchased Forensics for $900,000 at the 2006 Easter Yearling Sale. Darley inherited it when Sheikh Mohammed paid a reported $500 million for the Ingham family's racing and breeding empire in 2008.

Forensics was repatriated in 2014. She has a weanling filly by Blue Point (IRE) and revisited the son of Smardal last spring.

Tamerlane strikes a pose (image Grant Courtney)

Wordcraft (GB) has a 2-year-old Lonhro colt named Polyglot, which has not been seen since finishing second on debut at Sale last July.

Wordcraft (GB) has a yearling colt by Harry Angel (IRE) and visited Bivouac in December.

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