Per Incanto’s arsenal of Australian talent has always promised a big spring and the resuming runs of two of his leading performers at Caulfield and Randwick on Saturday will undoubtedly have strengthened that conviction.
Expected to find the 1100m at Caulfield a little bit short for his liking, Jimmysstar showed what good horses can do out of their comfort zone when he literally came from the clouds to win the benchmark 100 Tour D’ Horse Sprint.
The LA and Chrissy and Pete Algie bred and part owned five-year-old’s record now stands at six wins and three minor placings from 11 career starts for earnings of $380,000 Australian.
The winner of his last three Australian starts, including a listed event over 1600m, before a winter break, Gringotts, who was late clear, charged home on Saturday, failing by a nose to land the Group 3 1400m Bill Ritchie Handicap at Randwick.
Expected to target the valuable the Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day, for which he is the current favourite, connections of the Per Incanto five-year-old are more than likely looking at even more valuable and prestigious races now, given that many of the beaten brigade in the Bill Ritchie were leading contenders for the upcoming Group 1 Epsom Handicap.
Bred by LA and Dirk and Nicci Olerholster, Gringott’s impressive record now reads seven wins and six minor placings from 14 career starts for earnings of $636,000 Australian.
With Evaporate and Rue De Royale expected to clash in this weekend's Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes, and the news that the latter of the pair could well find himself at Riccarton for the New Zealand 2000 Guineas in November, it's certainly shaping up as some kind of spring for Per Incanto.
Closer to home, the standout performance for the farm over the last week undoubtedly came from the LA bred three-year-old filly Tristar, who shortened her quote for the Barneswood Farms New Zealand 1000 Guineas to 10 to 1 after an impressive winning debut at Taupo on Thursday.
A half-sister to last season's stakes winner Karman Line, Tristar was a $220,000 purchase by Wexford Stables, from LAs 2023 Karaka Book 1 draft.