31 July 2023
The vast majority of Australian racing and breeding enthusiasts love two-year-old racing, with so much emphasis on building a physique capable of harnessing speed at an early age.
Yet it came as somewhat of a surprise to learn just how few two-year-olds made it to the track in the last twelve months from those catalogued at the major Australian yearling sales in 2022.
With the beginning of a new season afoot, the final two-year-old races have been run and won, and numbers have been tallied.
From the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Inglis; Classic, Premier & Easter sales, just 29.26% of the 3,300 catalogued horses have debuted.
Amongst the cohort are 45 individual stakes winners including the Group One winners, MILITARIZE (Dundeel) & LITTLE BROSE (Per Incanto).
With roughly seven out of every ten yet to run, the outlook for the rising three-year-old crop is promising. This time next year we are likely to have seen 70-75% of the cohort on raceday.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of two-year-old runners to date were found from the Gold Coast in January, with 36.5% of the catalogue gracing the turf since the first juvenile race was run last October.
Amongst the 36.5% or 451 runners were 19 individual stakes winners including the two aforementioned Group One winners.
Logically it makes sense, as typically the more forward types are sent to the ‘Sunshine State’ before being broken-in and joining pre-trainers and trainers before their competition has heard the gavel.
With as much as four months head start to those sold at Easter, the physicals will have been exposed to far greater concussion on their legs, continuing to strengthen their frames at greater speeds than walking or lunging.
With foals already hitting the ground and the breeding sheds about to hum, it isn’t long until the first two-year-olds will be trialing again come September.
BLACK BOOK
He might not be aware of it but TAZARAL (Fastnet Rock) (pictured above) is the half-brother to G1 winners TAHIYRA (Siyouni) & TARNAWA (Shamardal) and has shown some of his own ability in Australia having gone back-to-back on Saturday at Randwick.
Recording the fastest final 600m, 400m & 200m of the day over a mile, TAZARAL has shown some of his true Irish form in his second Australian preparation.
Privately purchased by WJB and de Burgh Equine following a solid second to GEAR UP (Teofilo) last June, TAZARAL is definitely one to follow over the coming seasons in the hands of Snowden Racing.
Photo curtesy of Ashlea Brennan
SUCCESS OF THE SHUTTLE STALLION
It must be said that the USA, IRE & JPN suffix have had quite the year on the First Season Sires Table in Australia which wrapped up today.
JUSTIFY (Scat Daddy) has taken the honours with A$1,999,312 in prizemoney which included three stakes winners headlined by LEARNING TO FLY.
HARRY ANGEL (Dark Angel) was a roaring success from a modest stud fee and also ended the season with three stakes winners.
Although not shuttling, BRAVE SMASH (Tosen Phantom) was bred and initially raced in Japan and finished in fourth position with one stakes winner to his tally.