Since coming under notice as the sire of Hong Kong's rising star Voyage Warrior, Coolmore Stud's two-season shuttler Declaration Of War (USA) has been a winning blitz with a further two winners with bright futures coming out of the meeting at Flemington on Saturday.
While one trainer is dreaming of a Victoria Derby another is contemplating missing his Derby assignment in Brisbane.
The Hayes. Hayes and Dabernig-trained two-year-old Independent Road got the ball rolling when he came from last to power to victory in the Hugh Bowman Hall Of Fame Trophy (1400m). (image Grant Courtney )
Making his second career start, Independent Road turned the tables on his Bendigo conqueror Leven Lass by three-quarters of a length after having been beaten by the Reliable Man filly by the same margin on debut.
David Hayes said he believes the son of Declaration Of War (USA) is a classic horse in the making.
"I'm really
excited. It was always going to be a worry with the slow tempo today and to
come from last only good horses can do that," Hayes said.
"The figures he put out when beaten at Bendigo were just excellent. "So, to see
that again tells me to back off now and set him for the (Victoria) Derby in the
spring.
A $50,000 purchase by Lindsay Park Racing from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Independent Road has enough depth to his pedigree to suggest the Derby distance will not be beyond him.
Bred by Lynch Bages Limited, Independent Road is out of the unraced Malibu Moon mare Malibu Road (USA) who is a sister to stakes winner Martha's Moon and a half-sister to Gr III winner and Gr 1-placed Can The Man (Into Mischief).
Malibu Road (USA) is a daughter of the class racemare Smolensk (Danzig) the winner of the Gr II Prix d-Astarte and Gr III Prix Sandringham and runner-up in the Gr 1 Coronation Cup.
Smolensk is a half-sister to Gr II winner and Gr 1 placed Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister) who is the dam of two Gr 1 Belmont Stakes winners Rags To Riches and Jazil.
Smolensk is also a half-sister to the Gr 1 Ascot Fillies Mile runner-up Maryinsky (Sadler's Wells) who is the dam of the Gr 1 Irish Oaks and Gr 1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Peeping Fawn (Danehill) and the Gr 1 Criterium International winner Thewayyouare (Kingmambo).
The dam of Smolensk is the Gr 1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom) a daughter of Best In Show whose descendants have enjoyed remarkable success in Australasia.
Declaration Of War's second winner at Flemington came when the Matt Cumani-trained Declares War made light of his 60kg impost in the Mahogany Challenge Handicap (2000m).
Given a cosy run fifth back on the fence by Jye McNeil, Declare War found clear air at the 400 metres to set out after the Snitzel colt Igniter, gradually getting the better of his game opponent to win by a short-neck.
The winner of consecutive races at Sandown, Moonee Valley and Flemington towards the end of last year, Declares War had failed to flatter when stepped up to Group II company this preparation.
"It's been a bit of a slog really," Cumani told racing.com.
"There were a few things that weren't quite working for him but he's gelded and come back still a big, strong and powerful horse.
"You've got to bear in mind that this is probably a step down to what he was challenging for earlier in the prep so we've got to keep that in mind, but I think he'll improve into next year and I think he'll improve with a spell. So that would be my preference.
"He's a horse still developing, I think. He's getting his running style. Some of his starts pre-gelding were too bad to be true. He just weren't seeing that finish so we're assuming the gelding has done the trick.
"We'll have a chat to the group but I think you've probably got to be thinking about a break.
"We'll see about the (Queensland) Derby. He took his gelding a bit hard to be honest. He gets a bit nervous pre-race now, which he didn't used to do, so I feel like he'll come back a lot better from a spell."
Purchased by Domain Tbreds/Matt Cumani /Boomer Bloodstock for $62,000 out of the Redbank North draft at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Declares War struggled to find interest among Cumani's clients and he was transferred to Darren Weir. Cumani got him back after Weir's disqualification.
"We had an issue as we could sell all of him so the owner needed to find another trainer and Weiry kindly helped him out and took 25 per cent of the horse," Cumani said.
"As fate happens, he came back to us so.
"Darren used to always think he was stayer and I think that's why we always had derby in mind. I was a bit dubious after his first few starts, but that was pretty solid there today."
Declares War is the third and final foal of the Encosta de Lago mare Kristeva who was a sister to the Group II MVRC Carlyon Stakes winner Vocabulary who was runner-up in the Gr 1 MRC CF Orr Stakes and Gr 1 Futurity Stakes.
A son of War Front, The 2013 Juddmonte International Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes winner Declaration Of War (USA) had had an amazing few months with the likes of Gr III winners Declarationofheart and Vigor Winner, stakes-winners Winning Ways, Vow And Declare and Weaponry and in the last few weeks, Occupy, Givepeace A Chance, Winning Ways, Flying Grand and The Mallee Mob all saluting.
No bad for a stallion with 85 live foals in his first crop of three-year-olds and 70 in his current crop of juveniles.
