Day: 2 March 2025

The feeling of seeing sale-ring purchases go on to stardom on the racetrack is nothing new for Johnny McKeever, but the respected European bloodstock agent took special satisfaction from Feroce’s (NZ) (Super Seth) triumph in the Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. Feroce was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s Pencarrow Thoroughbreds Ltd and comes from the first crop of Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth. Offered by Eion Kemp’s Kilgravin Lodge at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, Feroce was bought for $160,000 by McKeever Bloodstock…

Previously a runner-up in two black-type races, Marble Arch (NZ) (Per Incanto) went one better on Saturday with a valuable victory in the A$300,000 Gr.2 TAB Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. The New Zealand-bred five-year-old had been narrowly beaten in two recent attempts in stakes company, going down by a half-length when second in the Listed Lord Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Boxing Day and by neck when second in the Gr.3 JRA Plate (1600m) at Caulfield on February 8. But this time Marble Arch would not be denied. Jockey…

Waikato Stud stallion Super Seth and trainer Dominic Sutton stood in the Group One spotlight for the first time when Feroce headed a New Zealand-bred quinella in Saturday’s A$1 million Gr.1 Howden Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington. It was a case of second time lucky for Feroce, who finished second and was beaten by an agonising short head by Private Life in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in October. Rookie trainer Dominic Sutton soon set his sights on Australian Guineas redemption, giving the gelding only two runs in the five…