Deep Field had two very promising winners in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday with two year-old filly Sky Command impressing at Randwick, while three year-old Deep Speed provided champion jockey Jamie Kah with her 100th Victorian metro winner of the season.
Midweek race watchers were awake to the talents of Sky Command, who made a winning debut at Warwick Farm on June 30 and repeated the performance to keep her record perfect.
Trained by Gary Portelli and ridden by Brenton Avdulla, Sky Command jumped straight to the front and was never in danger, powering to the line to win the 1100m contest by more than two lengths.
“Today just proved we’ve got a contender on our hands, because sometimes they can do things at trackwork and get you excited and then have no finish, but she was strong right through the line so I’m starting to get a pretty good feel we’ve got a nice horse,” Portelli said.
“She just went out there and galloped by herself really. She didn’t know there were any other horses in the race except for when they started.
“It’s going to be interesting if one does come to her because at this stage, we haven’t seen one good enough.”
A homebred for Bert Vieira and his family, Sky Command has won $117,000 for winning her first two starts.
She is the first winner for Love Commands, a winning daughter of Group III winner Sky Love from Stuart Ramsey’s famed Suggestive family that has produced horses like Group I winner Sky Cuddle and outstanding Group II winner Champagne Cuddles, the winner of over $1.4million.
Sky Command has an interesting pedigree that features three lines (6 x 4 x 4) of influential blue hen Eight Carat as her sire Deep Field traces in tail female line to the famed matriarch as do her first two dam sires Commands and Octagonal.
Jamie Kah made history becoming the first jockey to ride 100 Victorian metropolitan winners in a season when saluting aboard three year-old gelding Deep Speed.
Trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Deep Speed was stakes-placed twice last spring and was resuming from a spell in the open three year-old event over 1100m.
Sent to the front by Kah, he led all the way and had just enough left at the finish to win by a long neck.
Kah had been stalled on 99 winners for the past week and was relieved to pass the historic milestone.
“It’s been a very, very long week. I’ve had some really good people around me getting me through it. It’s a big relief today and to do it for Tony & Calvin,” Kah said.
“They’ve been such big supporters of my career. We’ve had lots of arguments and disagreements on the way through, but they’ve supported me from day one and to get it on their horse is very special.”
Deep Speed has the overall record of three wins and two placings from six starts with prizemoney topping $160,000 and there are more wins in store.
“We’ve known Jamie for a long time and it was pretty unfair when we used to have her riding around Balaklava and Strathalbyn on a Wednesday on our horses. That was brilliant,” said Calvin McEvoy.
“He (Deep Speed) was getting a bit tired late but I think he lifted for her. That was fantastic.
“He’s a big, gross horse and there’s a lot of improvement to come. There’s a 1200 (metre event) coming up in two weeks, we’ll go there, and he’s a horse that you’ll see through the spring.”
Deep Speed was a $220,000 Magic Millions purchase for McEvoy Mitchell Racing from the Glastonbury Farm draft and was a successful pinhook having been sourced originally from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Weanling Sale for $46,000.
Bred by Kia Ora Stud, Deep Speed is a half-brother to Group III placed Astrologer and is one of three winners from Fast ‘n’ Witty, an unraced half-sister by Fastnet Rock to Group III winner Crystal Dreamer from the family of Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily.
Deep Field has sired 117 winners this season of over $7.8million in prizemoney and stands at a fee of $88,000.
