Vinery sire Pluck collected a city double in a half-hour on Saturday with Cogliere (Randwick) and Harlem Child (Morphettville).
Cogliere had cut the ribbons as Pluck’s first winner this time last year at Coffs Harbour when trainer Marc Quinn correctly labelled him as a future winner in Sydney.
“He had to really tough it out today,” Quinn said after his charge won the TAB Highway Hcp (1400m). “No disrespect to the opposition but, in the end, his class showed through.
Cogliere (3c Pluck – Final Star by Delago Brom) had doubled up at Grafton after his Coffs maiden and then finished an eye-catching fourth in the $250,000 Inglis 2YO Classic at Randwick.
He was racing second-up after a six-month spell on Saturday and Quinn will take him home to Port Macquarie in readiness for a heat of the Country Championship at Taree on February 26.
“He has really developed and come back super this prep,” Quinn continued. “He’s been competitive against quality horses in town and I expected him to go well. The only concern was the float trip in extremely hot weather.”
Cogliere was bred and sold by Holbrook Thoroughbreds for $22,000 at the 2015 Inglis Classic Summer Book. He’s owned by a syndicate that includes the Radfords from Narromine and Johnny Scott who raced horses with Marc’s father Pat Quinn.
Pluck got him from a half-sister to the dam of Melbourne Group 3 winners Nediym’s Glow (General Nediym) and Red Colossus (Testa Rossa).
Harlem Child added another notch to Pluck’s growing list of first-crop winners with a narrow victory at Morphettville. She won in a three-way photo-finish to the Schweppes Maiden Plate (1000m).
The Richard Jolly trained filly had put the writing on the wall with a strong, last-start third at Strathalbyn after being wide most of the way and, despite the rise in grade, was crunched from $18 into $7.50.
Harlem Child (3f Pluck – Civelb by Blevic) was a $26,000 buy at the 2015 Adelaide Magic Millions. She was bred at sold by Little Hills Pastoral owners Geoff & Christine Tucker on the Yorke Peninsula and is from a winning sister to the dam of G2 Queensland Guineas winner Magnifier.
