Dominant performance from blue-blood
A blue-blood was always expected to win the second race at Seymour on Sunday, but at the post it wasn’t the blue-blood in front that punters had expected.
The top lot at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale at $1,875,000 was Redoute’s Choice colt Godspeed, who was resuming from a spell for new trainer Peter Moody and was sent out short priced favourite for the 1209m maiden, however he had his colours lowered by a dominant performance by the Danny O'Brien-trained Decircles.
Godspeed settled in third place behind Decircles and loomed strongly into contention at the top of the straight, but while he continued at the same pace, Decircles hit top gear and stormed away to win by four-and-a-half lengths with Godspeed second and a further four-and-three-quarter lengths back to the third horse.
The winner was also resuming from a spell, having not been sighted since finishing second to Running Tall in the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce Stakes in the autumn.
"He’s a very nice colt and is from one of the best families in the studbook being closely related to Elvstroem and Haradasun, who were champion three year-olds, so hopefully he can also go that way,” said Danny O’Brien.
"I think he’ll be very strong when he gets to a mile... once he can get into a race and get some cover, he’ll finish off hard.”
Winning rider Dwayne Dunn was also impressed with Decircles and knows the colt well having ridden in him in two of his three previous starts.
"We’ve always had a big opinion of him and he was aiming towards the Blue Diamond last preparation, but we knew he’d be much better at three and he’s shown that today,” he said.
A son of champion sire Encosta de Lago, Decircles (pictured winning yesterday's maiden) was a sale ring pauper in comparison to Godspeed, snapped up by Danny O’Brien for $275,000 from the Coolmore draft at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Decircles is a half-brother to stakes-placed King Raedwald and Hybrid, being one of four winners from Lady Circles, a half-sister by Ascot Knight (Can) to Elvstroem and Haradsun from stellar producer and Group 1 winner Circles of Gold.
Foaled and raised at Coolmore, Decircles was bred by Frank Tagg’s Arch of Gold Syndicate, who have retained a share in the colt to race.
Lady Circles has a yearling filly by Duke of Marmalade (IRE) and is due to foal this spring to High Chaparral (IRE).
Story by Tara Madgwick, to view full story on Breednet.com click here
Photo by Slickpix, to view Slickpix website click here