Newgate Farm’s Deep Field has been keeping pace with the calendar to sire a winner a day since the start of the new season and he’s showing no signs of letting up with a winning treble at Randwick on Wednesday.
First to salute was good looking Deep Field colt Vindication, who had been luckless at his first two starts, but turned that form around to break his maiden in a strong Benchmark 64 event over 1150m.
Trained by Team Hawkes, Vindication was well rated in front by Regan Bayliss and kicked strongly to beat a pair of metropolitan winners in Warrior Hero and Flying Crazy by half a length.
Bayliss has ridden Vindication at all of his three starts to date and was delighted to bring him back a winner.
“I’ve never known a horse be so unlucky at his first two starts,” said Bayliss.
“The plan was to ride him where he was comfortable, but he jumped so well we ended up in front.”
A $320,000 Inglis Classic purchase for China Horse Club / Newgate Bloodstock / Starlight Racing from the Fairview Park draft, Vindication is the fourth winner from unraced Exceed and Excel mare Fragrant Storm, a half-sister to stakes-winner Texan.
Two races later and the Gary Portelli trained five year-old mare Ruby Tuesday won the Benchmark 72 event for mares over 1300m by three-quarters of a length taking her overall record to five wins from 19 starts with earnings nearing $150,000.
An $82,500 Inglis Premier Book 2 purchase for Laurel Oak Bloodstock from the Morning Rise Stud draft, Ruby Tuesday is proving a great investment for her big team of owners.
Making it a winning treble for Deep Field in the next race was the Kris Lees trained four year-old gelding Rustic Steel, who made it four wins from seven starts when scoring a half length win in the Benchmark 72 event over 1300m.
A $500,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Newgate Farm draft for Tasman Bloodstock, Rustic Steel runs for Ron and Judy Wanless and is really coming into his own since being gelded and reaching his full maturity.
Deep Field went close in the last race on the card with his flying three year-old filly Sky command beaten a head and another of his daughters Oh Please Diana another head away in third place.
With 33 Australian winners this season from just 98 runners, Deep Field is riding the crest of a winning wave that reflects the strength of his three, four and five year-old runners which are his first three crops.
Deep Field stood at a fee of $22,000 for his first four seasons and was super popular with breeders covering on average well over 200 mares in each of those years.
The sheer weight of numbers from those books is really coming into play now that his progeny are maturing and achieving their full potential.
Deep Field stands at a fee of $88,000 this spring.
