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You Beauty..

After three winners in the last few days for Laurel Oak Bloodstock horses, the well-bred Auckland Beauty made it four!

Winning last time out over 1200m to break her maiden, the Peter Moody-trained Redoute’s Choice mare started the race favourite in the field of eight at Sale.

Going forward after jumping away from the second widest barrier, jockey Linda Meech kept the mare where she was comfortable, and that appeared to be striding freely, about four – five wide.

As they tracked even wider around the home turn, the leading duo were closer to the outside rail than the inside.

Giving her head down the centre of the track, Auckland Beauty didn’t appear to have any issues with the slow rated surface as she continued to charge to the line, winning the race by almost two lengths from Powerossa with a long neck back to Rubyone.

To watch the footage of the race, click on the below image to be taken to Racing.com website.

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By Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice out of the Group 2 AJC Shorts winner Fritz’s Princess, Auckland Beauty was purchased earlier this year at the Inglis Broodmare Sale and is looking like she was a good buy!

Congratulations to our fellow owners Grant Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: S P Grant) and Carpe Diem (Mgr: K R Lowe).

Great Cup Day Had By All

While it wasn’t the Melbourne Cup – which was an amazing race in itself, Laurel Oak Bloodstock horses did manage to secure two victories on the day; in Canberra with Bid Of Faith and at Kembla Grange with Tuscan Falls.

Off a very good second at her last start, improving three-year-old Zizou filly Bid Of Faith headed back to her home track of Canberra for trainer Keith Dryden where she contested the Ttm Secutity Maiden Plate over 1200m.

Starting the favourite based on her half-neck second last time out, jockey Brendan Ward wasn’t able to get her in from a wide gate, but she still travelled extremely well within herself during the run.

Rounding the home turn it was clear she would be in the finish, but had the wide run taken its toll?

Charging away from the field, Bid Of Faith broke her maiden by an impressive two and a quarter lengths for owners; Laurel Oak Bloodstock Pty Ltd Syndicate, F W Cook, Mrs C M Cook, B L J Syndicate, G J McAllister, Goolabri 1 Syndicate, Mrs J E Wise, Club Dryden Sydney Syndicate, Trapper Syndicate, G K Syndicate, S R Syndicate, Ms D M Van Meegen, M G Houston, G C Harders, B J Speering and K P Griffiths.

Our second winner of the day came via the Gary Portelli-trained Tuscan Falls (below) in the Waples marketing Handicap at Kembla Grange over 1000m.

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Fourth as favourite at his most recent run, Nicconi gelding Tuscan Falls settled mid field on the rail with jockey Shaun Guymer in the saddle.

With the home turn reached and the runs starting to come, Tuscan Falls had drifted off the fence, but after no runs appeared, Guymer charged back towards the inside, finding a gap between the leading duo.

Joined by Cashenti, the two went head for head down the straight, with luckily Tuscan Falls getting his head in front when it counted – recording his second career win for owners Laurel Oak Bloodstock Pty Ltd Synd (Mgr: L J Mihalyka), Hon. W R Haylen, J M Ryan, J T O’Brien, N Macdonald, S C Cook, Mrs K Fraser, M R Tudehope, D Monch, M J Baumann, K Macdonald, J R Wilson, C J Reynolds, R H Spee, W A Chalker, S M Sandridge, M J Clift, R I Cullen and P McKenzie.

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Back to back wins for our Miss

An impressive winner last time out when scoring by two-and-a-quarter lengths at the Sunshine Coast, our five-year-old War Pass mare Court Martial Miss has really shown that she hass appreciated some ‘sun on her back’, giving rewarding her owners with another exciting victory.

Contesting the Nucon Concrete Handicap over 1100m at the Gold Coast, jockey Daniel Griffin had the mare settled handy in the run, just like at her last start, before she was too powerful at the finishing, charging away for a length victory.

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Defeating Brigadoon Legend by a length with the same margin back to Italian Storm in third, the Liam Birchley-trained Court Martial Miss has now recorded four wins from 11 starts for Grant Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: S P Grant), M A Couter, Mrs K Couter, Laurel Oak Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: L J Mihalyka), Pardon (Mgr: K G Sheppard) K Lowe, Mrs M Lowe, Mrs E Grant and G Pointon.

With a nice pedigree, being out of the stakes performed Zeditave mare Grand Juror, the more success the mare has on the track, the better her broodmare prospects are come yearling sale time, if connections decide to sell her offspring.

Fingers crossed she can keep up her winning momentum at her next start – best of luck to everyone involved!

Rebel with a cause in 2015 Manikato Stakes

Rebel Dane’s best chance of winning a Group I this preparation will be Friday night’s $1 million Group I William Hill Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley according to trainer Gary Portelli.

More than two years have passed since Rebel Dane’s first and only Group I success in the 2013 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and Portelli believes now is the time for the six-year-old to claim a second victory at the elite level.

Rebel Dane Bradleys

Rebel Dane has excelled at Moonee Valley despite a deceptive record of one win from four attempts. In his four starts at the unique circuit, Rebel Dane has been beaten a combined margin of less than 4-1/2 lengths, and each of those runs were in Group I company.

Portelli is also buoyed by a recent wind operation on the horse which has proven a huge success in two outings this preparation. A brilliant first-up win in the Group II Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on September 19 was followed by a fast-finishing second behind Manikato Stakes rival Terravista in the Group II Premiere Stakes (1200m) at the same venue.

The son of California Dane travels down to Melbourne on Wednesday evening.

“That’s been his routine every time,” Portelli said. “And I think he’s going as good as ever.

“He usually peaks at his third run in so hopefully he gets a bit of luck this year.

“He galloped last Saturday and we’ve just kept him fresh since.

“The whole preparation has been centered on this race and Moonee Valley certainly plays into our hands, if he’s going to win a Group I this preparation this is his chance.”

Portelli also revealed that Rebel Dane has been vaccinated in case of a trip to Hong Kong for the Group I International Sprint (1200m) in December.

“There’s Hong Kong on the table, he’s been vaccinated so we’ll see what happens. Obviously Friday night will tell us a bit more,” he said.

News from Racenet

Auckland Beauty Wins First-Up

Purchased at this year’s Inglis Broodmare Sale for only $50,000, the well-bred Auckland Beauty went part way to repaying that purchase pricing by breaking her maiden!

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By Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice out of the Group 2 AJC Shorts winner Fritz’s Princess (pictured below), the mare had been placed prior to her purchase at the sale on multiple occasions, but since that time has had three starts for new owners Grant Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: S P Grant), Carpe Diem (Mgr: K R Lowe) and Laurel Oak Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: L J Mihalyka) and has produced two second placed effort before a spell, and then followed that up with an impressive maiden victory at Bairnsdale on Monday.

Fritz's Princess

Trained by Peter Moody, the now four-year-old jumped away well from barrier three and went forward to settle in fourth place, right behind the leading trio.

Short-priced favourite Golden Cropper, a More Than Ready half-sister to Group 2 winner and now Coolmore stallion Rubick, started to make her run rounding the home turn, going to the leader and looking as if she would go on with it, but jockey Vlad Duric aboard Auckland Beauty had started to get our mare going and she responded very well.

With a few “taps” from the whip, Auckland Beauty set out after the leading duo, catching them with about 30m to run to take the race by three-parts-of-a-length from Golden Cropper with Little Bita Spunk a long head back in third.

With a win and six second placed performance from nine starts to date, it is clear that the mare has ability, and fingers crossed she goes on with it now, as once she retires from the track she is very well-bred and will make a great broodmare prospect being bred on the Danehill x More Than Ready cross.

Congratulations to our fellow owners.