FORMERLY known as the Villiers Stakes, the Group 2 over 1,600 metres at Randwick has retained its ‘blacktype’ status while having its prize money more than doubled to A$2 million.

The Ingham, as it’s now known, was the feature event at Randwick last Saturday. In an open betting race, a full field of 20 faced the starter with the John O’Shea-trained Kirwan’s Lane taking full advantage of his cosy draft behind the leading pair that Brenton Avdulla gave him.

Rolling off the back of the leaders at the top of the straight, the six-year-old son of the Irish-bred stallion Charm Spirit got well balanced before forging himself to the lead to hold out his stablemate, the fast-finishing Lion’s Roar by Contributer, also Irish-bred, to complete a stable quinella ahead of the Savabeel mare Atishu.

Ninth in the same race last year, Kirwan’s Lane has now won 11 times with nine of those at 1,600 metres.

“Kirwan’s Lane was one of the first horses I bought as a yearling, over in New Zealand, when I first came back training,” said O’Shea. “His record is unbelievable at a mile, and he’s a gun. He’s the winningest horse I’ve trained.

Perfect ride

“My wife has got a share in him, so she will be pretty excited. A perfect ride by Brenton. We were so happy with him coming into the race. We also knew that Lion’s Roar was ready to run a big race too, so we were really happy with both horses.

“It’s a great honour for our team, and particularly to do this for Ron (Finemore) and his owners.”

The win completed a stellar day for O’Shea who earlier had saddled up the two-year-old Star Turn filly Saltaire to win the $500,000 Inglis Nursery over 1,000 metres.

It was Saltaire’s second race start having been purchased from the Inglis Classic yearling sale for $140,000.

“She is a tough, resilient filly, nothing phases her,” added O’Shea. “She’ll have a little break now and come back in the Autumn. You never know where she will end up.”

LEON and son Troy Corstens were celebrating one of their biggest wins on Saturday when their well travelled Zoustar six-year-old, The Astrologist left behind the muddling form of a midfield finish in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes two weeks earlier, to land the A$1.5 million Group 3 Gold Rush over 1,400 metres at Ascot.

Star West Australian jockey William Pike put The Astrologist in an aggressive position from the jump in the 1,400-metre Group 2, formerly known as the A J Scahill Stakes.

Urged along by Pike through the final bend, The Astrologist hit the front with 100 metres to go with Pike extracting just enough urgency from his mount to prevail by a half-head from the equal favourite Kissonallforcheeks, a Written Tycoon mare, with the Playing God gelding Comfort Me in third.

“I didn’t want any hard luck stories,” said Pike. “He is a wind-up horse. That is his asset so I wanted to use it. Every time they came, he found.”

A $150,000 Magic Millions yearling who started his career with Tony and Calvin McEvoy, The Astrologist was second in the Newmarket Handicap behind Roch ‘N’ Horse, who franked that form by defeating Nature Strip in the Champion Sprint during the Melbourne Cup carnival.

“I’ve got a lot of admiration for the Perth horses and you can’t just take a second-stringer over there and try and do your best.

“You’ve got to have a good horse to win Perth’s good races,” said Troy Cortsens, the win an affirming tonic for the trainer whose serious cycling accident earlier in the year has led to a recent battle with depression which he has made no secret of.

“He so deserved this. I was hoping he’d win a Group 1 but I’m not going to complain about the prize money. It’s phenomenal and at the end of that day, in my opinion, it was a Group 1 field and I’d say it‘s only going to be a year or two before it is a Group 1 in its own right.”

$157,000 average at Inglis Premier Yearling Sale

THE Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where Nature Strip could have been bought for A$120,000, has released next year’s catalogue.

Having averaged A$157,694 this year for 490 horses sold at a clearance rate of 90%, the 2023 edition will run from 27th February to 1st March.

There are 24 first-season sires represented including Pierata, Exceedance, Yes Yes Yes, Too Darn Hot, Zousain and Brutal with the Irish-bred Blue Point the most-represented with 25 entries followed by the son of Redoute’s Choice, Alabama Express, with 20 entries.