Montefilia, Incentivise Likely to Meet in Caulfield Cup

There were never any questions surrounding Montefilia's talent, but ahead of Randwick's Heineken Metropolitan Handicap (G1) a few had reserved judgement as to whether she could see out the 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) effectively. But Oct. 2, the daughter of Kermadec  proved her many critics wrong, staying on strongly to clinch her third win at top-flight level and also providing her jockey Hugh Bowman with a century of group 1 victories.

A winner of the Darley Flight Stakes (G1) and Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (G1) last year, the 4-year-old mare entered the race having attempted the distance on two previous occasions last season, running fourth in the Bentley Australian Derby (G1) and fifth in the Star Australian Oaks (G1) and Saturday she cemented her claim to be considered among the very best middle distance horses in Australia with this latest group 1 success. 

Winning trainer David Payne said he always retained faith the mare was a bona fide stayer and he is hoping she can repeat the feat on her next start and etch her name in the record books when she takes a shot at the Caulfield Cup (G1) on Oct. 16. 

"Everybody said she couldn't stay a mile and a half, but I had no doubts. That's why she was in the race today," Payne said. "She is a special filly and we will go to the Caulfield Cup now. Why not? I'm pretty confident she gets the trip." 

Having her third run this preparation, Montefilia settled nicely for Hugh Bowman back in ninth place before tracking up behind Entente at the 600-meter mark. 

Urged by Bowman with 300 meters left to cover, the mare responded well and after battling bravely up the straight, hit the line a nose ahead of favorite Entente, with Harpo Marx finishing another length and a quarter away in third. 

In winning his 100th elite-level race, Bowman becomes only the fourth jockey to achieve the feat in Australia, joining George Moore, Damien Oliver, and Jim Cassidy. 

Bowman is perhaps best known for his association with the great champion Winx , whose 25 wins at group 1 level equate to 25% of the jockey's wins at top-flight and he was very quick to propel her to the center of his celebrations. 

"I must admit, I am very proud to have achieved it," Bowman said. "Obviously one horse was involved in a quarter of those 100 victories, which in itself is amazing." 

It was Bowman's second win on Montefilia, having guided her to her Flight Stakes victory last season and he was quick to heap praise on her talent. 

"She is a mighty mare. I have had a wonderful association with her," Bowman said. "Twelve months ago we were unexpected winners of the Flight Stakes and she has gone on to achieve at the highest level since then and also run consistently." 

Montefilia was purchased by Dean Harvey's Baystone Farm as a weanling for AU$62,000 (US$46,128) at the 2018 edition of the Inglis Great Southern Sale from the Tyreel Stud draft, she was then subsequently re-offered by the same farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale the following year and was snapped up by Payne for AU$130,000 ($93,210). 

The filly is one of four winners out of the British-bred stakes placed Shirocco mare Bana Wu, who was sold by Tyreel Stud for AU$92,500 ($71,984) at the 2018 Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale to Victorian breeder Sean Duke. Her other winners include group 3-placed filly Nice For What. 

The filly's third dam is group 3 winner Ausherra, who in turn produced group 2 winner Strategic Prince and the listed winner and group 2-placed Yorkshire. 

Bana Wu's 2-year-old is a colt by Haunui Farm shuttler Ribchester  and she missed to that same sire the following season. Last November, the mare was covered once again by Kermadec, who stands at Darley's Kelvinside base at a fee of AU$11,000 (inc GST).

When Montefilia lines up in the Caulfield Cup in a few weeks' time, she will most likely clash with the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise, who booked his ticket to the group 1 with a fine win in the TAB Turnbull Stakes (G1) at Flemington Saturday. 

The 5-year-old gelding had been the talking horse ahead of the group 1 contest, largely due to his last-start victory in the PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (G1) on Sept. 11 and he did not let his many supporters down, fending off the strong threat of Young Werther, beating him by half a length. Chapada finished another length and three-quarters away in third. 

The well-supported multiple group 1 winner Verry Elleegant finished 3 1/2 lengths adrift of the winner in fourth. 

Having started his career with co-owner Steve Tregea in Queensland, Incentivise stretched his winning sequence to eight with Saturday's victory, his last two for new trainer Peter Moody. 

"He's a bloody tough horse, isn't he," Moody said. "This will really bring him on for the Caulfield Cup. 

"He came into this slightly soft, and I'm still learning about the horse and believe that this will just top him off lovely.  

"He'll just stay at home for the next two weeks at Pakenham. The team do a great job." 

Bred by Tregea's Windermere Stud, Incentivise, by Shamus Award, is the eighth of nine foals out of the deceased mare Miss Argyle (Iglesia) and half brother to group 3 winner Waikato Stud stallion Ardrossan and Queensland stakes winners Bergerac and Cheyenne Warrior. 

Shamus Award is the sire of 16 stakes winners and Incentivise is one of four top-flight winners for the Rosemont Stud-based sire, who is standing at the Victorian farm at a fee of AU$33,000 (inc GST).

Later on in the afternoon at Randwick, Private Eye handed his sire Al Maher  with his fifth group 1 winner when he prevailed in a close finish to win the TAB Epsom Handicap (G1). 

Prior to Saturday, the Proven Thoroughbreds-raced gelding's biggest win came when he took out the Treasury Brisbane Queensland Guineas (G2) and he opened his account as a 4-year-old when he landed the Mostyn Copper Show County Handicap (G3) on Aug. 21.

However, the Joe Pride-trained gelding's last few starts this preparation have failed to live up to expectations, when running seventh in the Chandon Theo Marks Stakes (G2) and he was last seen finishing fourth in the Bill Ritchie Handicap (G3) on Sept. 18. 

But Saturday he regained his winning thread, showing a brilliant burst of speed to come out on top of a blanket finish, beating Aramayo by a head, while Dalasan was another nose further back in third.  

Pride—who was forced to watch the race from his home due to coronavirus restrictions—said: "You need luck in these Epsoms. They are hard to win but it all panned out beautifully and he has got an engine this horse. He's a ripper.

"When he won first-up, he signaled to me that day he had come back bigger and better than ever. 

"In his last two starts, it's just hasn't worked out for him, but I knew in an Epsom, they are high-pressure races and it would suit him." 

The victory provided Proven Thoroughbreds' Jamie Walters with his first group 1 winner and he expressed his delight at the result. 

"I watched the race from my study at home and probably caused a noise issue in the street," Walter said. "I gave the horse a lot of encouragement over the final hundred or so.

"To win my first group 1 after so many years of trying is very satisfying. I bought my first horse as an owner about 40 years ago, but have been syndicating for about 20."

Walter, who splits his horses across three stables in two states, is the brother of Hall of Fame trainer the late Guy Walter, and it was his recommendation that led him to Pride.

"When Guy passed away Joe pretty much took over his stable and we earlier had a lot of discussions about trainers and he (Guy) really rated Joe," said Walter.

"I have about 100 horses on the books—about 20 or so with Joe, 60 to 70 with Steve O'Dea and Matt Hoysted, and now have a bunch of horses with Kerry Parker.

"Joe is a great horseman. He's not hard on the horses and he's very hands on. If you have a good horse there's no one better at prolonging a career. He's probably got 50 to 60 in work and he doesn't want to get any bigger so he doesn't lose that hands-on style."

Purchased for AU$62,500 ($44,269) at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale in 2019, Private Eye is one of two winners out of Shamardal mare Confidential Queen. 

Further back the gelding hails from the same family as listed winner Snippets' Lass, who is better known as the dam of group 1 winner and multiple champion sire Snitzel  and his group 3-winning half brother Hinchinbrook, who stood at Yarraman Park Stud until his untimely death in 2018. 

Confidential Queen's 3-year-old is called Secret Spy (Al Maher) and is unraced and she has most recently been covered by Arrowfield Stud shuttler Shalaa , having missed to that same stallion in 2020. 

Private Eye joins Delicacy, Almalad, Fat Al, and Diamond Drille as Al Maher's other top flight winners and his overall stakes-winning haul stands at 34. The son of Danehill stands at Stockwell Thoroughbreds for a fee of AU$8,800 (inc GST). 

Sire Tivaci Gets Breakthrough in Flight

Waikato Stud's exciting young stallion Tivaci entered uncharted waters Saturday when he sired his first group 1 winner courtesy of the the Gai Waterhouse- and Adrian Bott-trained Never Been Kissed, who flew through the torrid conditions at Randwick to seal a surprise victory in the Flight Stakes.

Unraced as a 2-year-old, Never Been Kissed broke her maiden first-up at Hawkesbury on Aug. 19, before adding to her winning record at Newcastle on Sept. 4. The filly then surrendered her unbeaten record on her previous start, when finishing a well-beaten ninth in the Darley Tea Rose Stakes (G2) two weeks' ago, but she put that defeat behind her with a brave victory Saturday. 

After jumping smartly from barrier 3, Reagan Bayliss settled Never Been Kissed in third on the rails, stalking the early leaders. Hitting the front with 100 meters to go, she was headed by Hinged inside the final 50 meters, but fought back eventually beating that rival by a head. Startantes was a further two lengths further back in third. 

It was the second win in the race for Waterhouse and Bott, with their first win in the 1600-meter (about one-mile) contest coming when Global Glamour was victorious in 2016 providing the co-trainers their first top-flight as a training partnership, while the daughter of Tivaci handed Waterhouse with her 10th win in the race overall. 

"The Flight Stakes was our first group 1 in partnership, so it will always be a special race for us," Bott said. 

"This is where it all started for us with Global Glamour.

"We just thought she would be a nice filly once she got out to this sort of trip," Bott said. 

"She didn't quite have the brilliance of these fillies, or wasn't quite seasoned enough to be taking them on over the shorter, sharper trips. We were able to link in once she got over a bit further. 

"I thought she ran well in the Tea Rose. Unfortunately, she was caught wide and covered plenty of ground. They weren't making up much ground that day, so I felt she stuck on very well." 

Never Been Kissed was beaten in the Tea Rose by the John Sargent-trained Four Moves Ahead, but that filly was unable to repeat those heroics Saturday, finishing sixth, 4 1/4 lengths off the winner, and her jockey Nash Rawiller said her chances were thwarted by her wide gate. 

Bred and raced by Waikato Stud, Never Been Kissed is the first runner and first winner out of the three time-winning Savabeel  mare Movie and her Sacred Falls  2-year-old will be offered by Ohukia Lodge at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale next month. The colt is cataloged as Lot 218. 

Movie herself is out of group 3 winner Tootsie, making her a three-quarter sister to three-time group 2 winner Ocean Emperor.

Tootsie herself is a sister to group 2 scorer Legless Veuve, while their three-quarter sister Far Fetched produced three-time group 1 winner Probabeel and their half sibling Eudora is the dam of Savvy Coup, whose two top-flight victories included a win in the 2018 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (G1). 

Having drawn a blank with his first runners last season, Tivaci has hit the ground running with his 3-year-olds, siring six winners so far this season. Luckily for Waikato Stud, the son of High Chaparral  has proved a very good match with daughters of his senior barnmate Savabeel, with Never Been Kissed being one of three winners out of Savabeel mares. 

Savabeel himself is carving out an impressive record as a broodmare sire, with Never Been Kissed joining Savatoxl as the stallion's other group 1 winner in this category and she became his 14th stakes winner as a broodmare sire overall.