Newgate Farm sires Extreme Choice and Capitalist delivered the quinella for co-trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr in the Group III MRC Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Wednesday.
Runner-up to Fake Love in the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes and to General Beau in the Listed MRC Blue Diamond Preview last season, Extreme Choice colt Extreme Warrior blew past his better-fancied stablemate Profiteer (Capitalist) to score the easiest of wins.
Coming off a facile victory in a maiden at Echuca at his 3yo debut on October 1, Extreme Warrior travelled sweetly under Zac Spain following a fired-up Profiteer.
When Spain released the brakes, Extreme Warrior put the race to bed in a matter of strides racing clear to win his first Black Type race by a widening three and three-quarter lengths.
“A quinella is a quinella. They both ran well. I’ve just got to keep thinking about Profiteer, but Extreme Warrior was very good,” Price said.
“If these are the horses that are going to the Coolmore (Stud Stakes) and this is the race that you use, why wouldn’t you be confident about Extreme Warrior?
“He stood up and stood up very strongly. He wasn’t challenged and ran a strong 1200 metres and will turn up in the Coolmore.”
A $160,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Glenlogan Park draft for Mick Price Racing/Dermot Farrington, Extreme Warrior is a half-brother to stakes-winner Thrillster and stakes-placed Free Thrills being the third winner from good producer Heart of Thrills.
A three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group III winner Gotta Have Heart and stakes-winner Crossyourheart, Heart of Thrills is also the dam of a two year-old I Am Invincible filly that sold for $1.2million at Inglis Easter this year when bought by Rosemont Stud, who also share in the ownership of Extreme Warrior.
Extreme Warrior is the fourth stakes-winner from the first crop of 48 foals by Champion First Season Sire and Champion 2yo Sire, Extreme Choice, who may have another stakes horse in the pipeline in super impressive debut winner Espiona.
Trial watchers have bided their time waiting for the Chris Waller-trained Espiona to make her debut, which the three year-old filly did in style at Warwick Farm.
Carrying the colours of Star Thoroughbreds, Espiona made a one-act affair of the fillies maiden over 1200m.
Espiona bolted in under James McDonald, who was full of praise for the filly.
“She’s an excitement machine. She’s had a beautiful grounding and very well educated with three trials,” McDonald said.
“They could have taken her to the races, but put her out, then brought her back and obviously, she is going to be a goodie to play around with.”
“She oozes so much class, and when I asked her to accelerate, it felt like I was on good ground, and the track is probably closer to a heavy.”
“I can’t wait to see what she can do on good ground.”
Espiona was a $190,000 purchase by Star Thoroughbreds/Randwick Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) from the Torryburn Stud draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
From Waikato Stud’s phenomenal Escada family, Espiona is the first foal of the winning O’Reilly mare Dahooil, purchased by Waller for $340,000 from the Waikato draft at the 2015 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.
A sister to stakes winner Bonny O’Reilly, Dahooil has not had a foal since Espiona and was covered by Capitalist last spring.
