Home Affairs Denies the Odds With Lightning Victory

The ultra-talented performer Home Affairs snapped a 17-year drought for 3-year-old colts in the Feb. 19 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1), with the Chris Waller-trained entire defying the odds stacked against him to etch his name into the history books with a brave victory in the Flemington group 1.

The drama started the moment the gates opened, with Home Affairs' stablemate, multiple group 1-winning favorite Nature Strip , missing the start, getting badly checked, and finding himself at the back of the pack in the early stages. Taking full advantage of Nature Strip's early misfortune, James McDonald—who had sided with Home Affairs over his star stablemate—placed the Coolmore-raced son of I Am Invincible  prominently in the early part of the contest.

Entering the final 300 meters, Nature Strip had made back some of the deficit, appearing menacingly on the flanks of Home Affairs and looking well-placed to inject his usual electric turn of foot and seal a victory over his stablemate. But when he was challenged, Home Affairs battled on gallantly, finding another level under pressure to deny Nature Strip a second consecutive win in the race by a nose. Group 1 winner Eduardo finished another length and a half away in third.

Waller said it was a gamble bringing Home Affairs to Melbourne to tackle the best sprinters in Australia first-up, but was over the moon to see him produce such a high-class performance.

"He raced against the young horses and dominated last preparation and now he's come back and beaten the best at weight-for-age," Waller said. "So, it's pretty exciting going forward."

Waller said it would be up to the handicapper whether Home Affairs runs in the Newmarket Handicap (G1) at Flemington on March 12, while Nature Strip is expected to return to Sydney to further his campaign.

"They'll be both going home for an ice tub and beach tomorrow and reassess on Monday," Waller said. "We might need a rematch. Whether it comes in the Newmarket, I don't know, but he'll (Nature Strip) get his chance to beat Home Affairs in the TJ Smith in Sydney."

“He’s an absolute superstar.” @mcacajamez rides HOME AFFAIRS to victory in the G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at @FlemingtonVRC in what was an Inglis grad quinella with Nature Strip a close 2nd. It is the 3YO #InglisEaster grad's 2nd G1 victory. Congrats to all! @cwallerracing pic.twitter.com/eTDvWbS2Fa

— Inglis (@inglis_sales) February 19, 2022

McDonald's decision to partner Home Affairs rather than Nature Strip, who he steered to victory in The Everest in October, was vindicated yesterday and he was effusive in his praise for the colt.

"He is just such a star colt," the winning jockey said. "I knew that he would be in for the fight, even though the first half didn't go to plan, but that is just how good he is. I'm glad I had a jump-out on him ten days ago. I got a nice feel of him.

"He didn't do too much that day, but I knew that he was just ticking along beautifully. Trained by Chris, who would have had both horses peaking on the day and there was a hair in it. So Nature Strip is the world's best sprinter at this stage and this fella is banging down the door."

The weight-for-age group 1 has not been a happy hunting ground for 3-year-old colts and you have to go back to 2005, with Fastnet Rock  —who was also raced by Coolmore—the last 3-year-old entire to land the famous sprint.

"(Home Affairs) is such an exciting prospect for this market. He has got everything they want —he's got speed, pedigree, and looks, and is an extremely valuable stallion prospect," said Coolmore's racing manager Rob Archibald.

A winner of the 2021 Iron Jack Silver Slipper Stakes (G2), Home Affairs' first foray into weight-for-age was in last year's Everest, beaten five lengths that day by Nature Strip. However, the colt bounced back two weeks' later when back against his own age group to win the Coolmore Stud Stakes (G1), a victory that secured his spot on the prestigious Coolmore roster.

Archibald said the owners were aware of the huge task facing the colt Saturday and were hoping to see him produce a good run ahead of bigger targets this preparation, which include a trip to Royal Ascot in June.

"All we really wanted to see was that he had returned in good form and to see him pick up where he left off in the Coolmore," he said. "He couldn't have been any better today. A trip overseas is on the cards, obviously he has to get through his next runs here, but definitely a trip to Ascot is still on the table.

"It really is a huge reward for the group of people the Magnier family and Chris put together in this colt and he's really achieved what they set out to achieve, I think it may have even exceeded what they set out to achieve. You want to have stallions and you want the best horses at stud, but this horse is now a two-time group 1 winner and group 1 winner at weight-for-age, beating the best sprinters arguably in the world."

Archibald was quick to heap praise on Waller and McDonald, applauding them for the efforts with the 3-year-old.

"The way Chris has handled him has been amazing, he and James have been masters at getting him to relax and it is all credit to those two. He is such an exciting prospect to have for the ownership group going forward," he said. "He is so mature. A lot of those fast horses get worked up in the prelims and he just wastes no energy at all and saves it for the race. For a young horse he is really professional in the way he executes his races and that

coupled with his high-cruising speed and will to win make him such a wonderful and exciting colt."

Home Affairs is out of three-time winning Flying Spur  mare Miss Interiors, who was purchased by Damon Gabbedy's Belmont Bloodstock on behalf of the Cornish family's Torryburn Stud for AUS$625,000 (US$532,607) from the Newgate Farm draft at the 2017 Inglis Chairman's Breeding Prospects Sale. She was carrying Home Affairs' group 1-placed half brother Aysar in utero at the time.

Miss Interiors herself is a daughter of Ballet D'Amour, making her a half sister to dual group 1 winner and now Newgate Stud-based first-season sire Russian Revolution and group 3 scorer Turbo Miss.

The colt's unraced Capitalist half brother—now named Wilbury—was purchased by James Harron Bloodstock for AUS$1.05 million (US$804,770) at last year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and he finished ninth on debut in the Darley Maribyrnong Plate (G3) in November. Last year Miss Interiors produced a filly by Dundeel and she was once again covered by I Am Invincible last October.