FOR THE NOTEBOOK: Keep an eye on racing down under


This article was written by Leo Powell for The Irish Field

Amelia's Jewel is a name to remember, though you have likely not seen her win on both of her juvenile starts to date.

That's is because she is trained in Australia by Simon Miller, and at the weekend her win in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes at Ascot had people getting very excited. Have we seen the latest racing star down under emerge?

This was Amelia's Jewel's second win in a pair of starts at Ascot, and on her debut she won the Listed Supremecy Stakes, and in both cases she has beaten Costume Party. Her win at the weekend under Patrick Carberry was a joy to behold, the only question being how far she would win the race?

While many Australian and New Zealand pedigrees will be unfamiliar to us, this is a filly whose breeding could just as easily be that of a Royal Ascot, Curragh or Deauville group winner. This two-year-old filly was perhaps prophetically named, being a homebred at Peter and Annie Walsh's Amelia Park. She is a daughter of the French Champion Sire Siyouni (Pivotal) and she is the first foal of the Listed-placed Canford Cliffs (Tagula) mare Bumbasina.

Irish winner

Bred and raced by Renzo Forni, Bumbasina won a maiden at Gowran Park and followed up at Killarney on her second and third outings, and, though she failed to win again, she was placed in Listed races at Killarney and Cork. Sent for sale at Tattersalls in July 2018, she was then purchased for 75,000gns by Louis Le Metayer's Astute Bloodstock.

Bumbasina, winning her maiden at Gowran Park, is the dam of Amelia's Jewel / Healy Racing

Whle Amelia's Jewel was retained, her yearling half-brother by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock), a Group 1 winner in Australia and at Royal Ascot, recently topped Book 2 of the Magic Millions Perth Sale when selling for A$160,000.

Bumbasina has a colt foal by Blue Point (Shamardal) and was covered by the 2016 Group 1 Golden Slipper winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon). 

This is a female line that is on the up and up. Renzo Forni picked up quite a bargain when he gave €10,000 for a filly foal by Oratorio (Danehill) out of the winning mare Sagamartha (Rainbow Quest) at Goffs in 2008, the filly being sold through Jacqueline Norris' Jockey Hall Stud.

Named New pPlays, she never raced, but she has been a revelation at stud. Her first four foals have all won for Willie McCreery and their breeder, and the three fillies among them are Stakes horses.

Epona Plays

Dolce Strega (Zoffany won the Group 3 Athasi Stakes and is the dam of last year's two-year-old winner Alphonse Le Grande (Sea The Stars). Bumbasina was next, then followed two years later by the dual winner Raffaello (War Command).

Next up is the best of the quartet, Epona PLays (Australia). Three of her four victories have been in Group races, notably the Group 2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes at the Curragh.

It is still hard to fathom how Siyouni could have stood his first four seasons at a fee of €7,000. He is now available, if you could get him, at 20 times that fee, last year being his first at €140,000.

His sons St Mark's Basilica (starting this year at €65,000 and due to shuttle) and Sottsass are at Coolmore, while his daughters Laurens, Ervedya, Etoile and Dream and Do have 11 Group/Grade 1 wins between them, three of them being French classic winners. Yet, the best is still to come.

 

 

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Le Metayer puts his faith in Siyouni once again

Le Metayer puts his faith in Siyouni once again

With plenty of Australian activity at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale, buyers from the southern hemisphere made their presence felt during the first session of the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale yesterday with prominent agents Louis Le Metayer, Damon Gabbedy and William Johnson all securing mares on the first day of the Deauville sale. 

Ace High fulfils Group One destiny

Ace High fulfils Group One destiny

A classic case of being in the right place at the right time led Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson to the stable door of Ace High. 

Last Saturday was a special day for Astute Bloodstock

Last Saturday was a special day for Astute Bloodstock

Last Saturday was a special day for Astute Bloodstock given that each of our 5 runners rose to the occasion and won convincingly at Royal Randwick and Flemington. Our priority at work is to select and purchase future elite racehorses so it was a thrill to see 3 winning at Gr.2 level. 

Amelia's Jewel All Class in Stocks Stakes

Amelia's Jewel All Class in Stocks Stakes

Given a positive ride by Damian Lane, Amelia's Jewel needed a track record-breaking performance to capture Friday night's Group II Ladbrokes Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley. 

Q&A with Louis Le Metayer

Q&A with Louis Le Metayer

Q&A with Louis Le Metayer 

Owner/breeder won’t sell ‘special filly’, eyes up maiden Group 1

Owner/breeder won’t sell ‘special filly’, eyes up maiden Group 1

Peter Walsh, the owner of Amelia Park Racing, claims he has no interest in selling unbeaten filly Amelia’s Jewel and is hoping the rising star of the turf can hand him his Group 1 victory. Longtime owner/breeder Peter Walsh is adamant Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}) is the best horse he has had anything to do with. The Simon Miller-trained 3-year-old kept her perfect record intact on Saturday, scoring a gutsy first-up win in the Listed Belgrave S. at Ascot. 

Amelia's Jewel Pulls It Out of the Fire

Amelia's Jewel Pulls It Out of the Fire

The three-year-old Siyouni filly Amelia's Jewel extended her unbeaten sequence to four with a gutsy win at her seasonal debut in Saturday's Listed Drummond Golf-Belgravia Stakes (1200m) at Ascot. Amelia Park's Peter Walsh purchased Bumbasina (IRE) for 76,000 guineas at the 2019 Tattersalls July Sale through Astute Bloodstock. He sent her to Siyouni to southern hemisphere time, and Amelia's Jewel is the result.  

 
 

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