NSW's most winningest horse, Elson Boy, stretched his tally to eight wins this season - including his last six in succession - when the gelding won the $160,000 Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap at Rosehill last Saturday.
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Kicking off his winning streak on his home track of Dubbo in early March, the four-year-old - trained at Dubbo by Dar Lunn - has graduated to city class with regular country-based apprentice Chelsea Hillier aboard, who was also awarded with her first Sydney Saturday success.
"He [Elson Boy] just keeps ticking over; he's a great little horse," Lunn said.
Originally a $20,000 Karaka Yearling Sale graduate in New Zealand, Elson Boy, now an earner of $343,000, is by Australian-bred but New Zealand-based stallion El Roca, a dual Listed-winning son of champion sire Fastnet Rock.
Snitzel tops
The highest price for a youngster sold at auction this year was achieved when a colt by champion Australian sire Snitzel, topped the weanling section at $575,000 at Inglis' Great Southern Sale in Melbourne last week. The colt - produced from Members Joy - sold via Bell River Thoroughbreds near Dungog, to Newgate Farm, Aberdeen, farm manager Jim Carey.
Buyers spent $11.96 million for the 258 weanlings sold, from 379 offered, for an average of $46,372.
The lone youngster, from Abby Hatcher, by champion UK sire Frankel was second top weanling at $525,000, selling from Victoria's Rosemount Stud.
The second day was highlighted with a first crop filly, from Spiced, by Coolmore Stud's young Fastnet Rock stallion Acrobat which sold for $170,000 to Hallmark Stud and Michael Kirwan.
Zoustar at National
Zoustar was in the spotlight at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast when the "hot stallion of the moment" fetched the three top-priced horses sold in early June.
David Ellis of Te Akau Racing, New Zealand, paid the top of $400,000 for a Zoustar colt, from Shamardal dual Group-winning mare No Evidence Needed, while a Zoustar filly, from Fit And Ready, fetched $350,000, and Zoustar colt, from Ladybette, made $200,000.
Across two days of selling of book one yearlings, buyers spent over $8.35m on the 195 lots sold for an average of $42,869. Book two of yearlings followed which grossed another $463,500.
Stock by So You Think's young sire D'Argento - which stands at the James and Joselyn Daly-operated Bowness Stud, near Young - continue to command attention. While Baramul Stud sold a grey So You Think filly and half-sister to D'Argento for $180,000, Bowness sold a second crop D'Argento colt, from Dubawi mare Corsa Rosa, for $75,000.
Castelvecchio's first
Sweet Treats, trained at Goulburn by Danielle Seib, became the first winner sired by Castelvecchio when the first crop juvenile filly put her best foot forward to win a maiden race (1500m) on a soft hometown track.
A $72,500 purchase for Proven Thoroughbreds at the Magic Millions Bloodstock National Weanling Sale, Sweet Treats is also the first winner for her Denman dam, Coconut Dream.
Standing alongside his sire Dundeel at Arrowfield Stud, Scone, Castelvecchio was a $2.9m track-earner culminating with victories in the ATC Champagne Stakes-G1 and Rosehill Guineas-G1.
Double for Sioux
Sioux Nation - a US bred stallion which shuttled one season to Swettenham Stud, Nagambie, Vic - has scored an interesting winning double in Queensland.
Starting at 100-1, Socks Nation, a daughter of Sioux Nation, showed huge tenacity to win the $700,000 Queensland Oaks-G1 (2200m) for her third win from 12 starts.
On the same day another Sioux Nation three-year-old daughter, Native Beauty, won her second successive race when taking the 1000m Class B Handicap at the annual picnics at Gayndah, Qld, a town about three hours north-west of the Sunshine Coast.
Socks Nation and Native Beauty belong to only 39 live foals in Sioux Nation's southern hemisphere crop of foals. A juvenile Group 1 winner in Ireland, Sioux Nation is by short-lived Storm Bird linesire Scat Daddy which created northern hemisphere headlines with successful progeny. Consequently, several sire sons shuttled to Australia in 2019 - others include Caravaggio, Mendelssohn, No Nay Never and Justify.
