More Than Ready has gone back-to-back with a juvenile stakes-winning double for the second Saturday in a row.
Ready For Victory became the 138th stakes winner for Vinery’s champion sire with a debut victory in the Listed Festival Of Racing 1000 at Flemington. Hours later, his South African based first-starter Entisaar sprinted to the 139th in the LR Ruffian Stakes at Turffontein.
Last Saturday, brilliant two year-olds Always Allison (G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes) and Haybah (LR Cinderella Stakes) had saluted as his 136th and 137th stakes winners.
Ready For Victory (2c by More Than Ready – Crillon by Zabeel) collared speedy filly Heatherly down the Flemington straight to earn a possible trip to Sydney for the G1 Golden Slipper. “It’s a very big task but you certainly can’t win it sitting at home,” trainer Mick Price said. “I had him ready for the Blue Diamond but he got a cold.”
A $240,000 yearling buy for Eliza Park / Sun International owner Cheung Ting Kong, he is from a half-sister to G1 AJC Champagne Stakes winner Meurice. “We were disappointed missing the Blue Diamond but had to be patient,” Price said. “Sun International buy these colts with a view to running them in the better races and we will make a decision about the Golden Slipper this week.”
Ready For Victory collected $72,000 at his first appearance and that should help him qualify for the Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 21. He has firmed into $15 for the $3.50 million stallion-making race.
More Than Ready filly Entisaar won in similar style to her Australian counterpart when taking the LR Ruffian Stakes (1000m). The speed was on from the outset with Speedy Suzie lengths clear until run down by the latest rising star for Sheikh Hamdan & Mike De Kock.
Entisaar (2f More Than Ready – Purrpurrlena by Catbird) follows Majmu who won the Ruffian on debut for the same connections last year. The Australian bred daughter of Redoute’s Choice went on claim Group 1 honours in the Cape Fillies Guineas in December.
“You’re never sure how they will behave but we believed she was good enough to run in a feature first time out,” stable foreman Mathew de Kock said. “We had seen enough at home to know she would be competitive.”
Entisaar was bred by Vinery partner Alan Green and changed hands for $300,000 at the 2014 Inglis Easter yearling sale. Her dam Purrpurrlena won 4 races for Grahame Begg and was also runner-up in a G3 Newcastle Newmarket.
Class filly Nayeli added more black-type for More Than Ready in the LR Fireball Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday. “Her work has been nothing short of sensational,” long time More Than Ready fan trainer Gai Waterhouse said. “I just think she’s started to mature and it showed today.”
Nayeli (3f More Than Ready – Wasimah by Danehill) had won the G3 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield this time last year but disappointed during a short spring prep. She started a $61 outsider first-up and took advantage of a rails run to set up an autumn campaign that includes the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) back at Randwick on April 11.
