SEVEN SIRES’ SUPER SUNDAY

Eliza Park stallions were at the very fore of Australian racing on Sunday with seven members of the lineup producing winners.

It had already been a memorable weekend with a Magnus (Petrova) and a Shinzig (To Infinity) winning the first and last respectively at Cranbourne on Friday night, followed up on Saturday with a treble to Bel Esprit, plus winners for Statue of Liberty and Written Tycoon.

But Sunday was red-letter all the way with Magnus, Sharkbite, Shinzig, Bel Esprit, Statue of Liberty and Written Tycoon producing winners in three states, while, Bushranger, retains his lead as Britain’s leading first season sire with a win in England.

MAGNUS has again muscled his way to the top of Australia’s Second Season Sires’ chart following wins to first starter, Petrova, at Cranbourne on Friday night, and an impressive victory on debut by Missy Cummings over 1000m at Wyong on Sunday.

Both Petrova and Missy Cummings were bred by Rob Crabtree, who raced their Group One winning sire.

Magnus now has 26 individual winners (from 62 runners), edging out All Too Hard’s sire, Casino Prince (25 winners from 85 runners).

Promising first season sire, SHARKBITE (below), got the ball well and truly rolling with another debutant victory in the shape of Recife Beach who also notched up a telling victory over 1000m at Wyong.

Trained by Kim Waugh, Recife Beach won comprehensively, leaving a sharp field in his wake – Gai Waterhouse’s odds on favourite, Countryman, among them (Countryman ran second to subsequent Group Two Magic Night winner, Scandiva, at his previous start).

Not surprisingly, Waugh has a huge opinion of Recife Beach and believes the 2YO to be destined for black type.

Not only did SHINZIG figure prominently at Cranbourne on Friday night via the win of To Infinity, there is also considerable buzz about yet another debutant in Pixelated.

Sent out a $1.70 favourite over 1100m at Hobart, Pixelated won with plenty to spare and would appear to have a sound future for trainers David and Scott Brunton.

Ominously, leading trainer, Gerald Ryan, clearly rates another of the Shinzigs in Twinzig, who won a trial at Rosehill – very impressively – last Tuesday.

Expect to see more of him … soon!

While most of the attention was on Hay List’s exhibition gallop at Wyong, some of the STATUE OF LIBERTY limelight focused on the Apple Isle where Ile Aux Cygnes, named after another ‘island’, produced a gutsy performance to score over 1000m at Hobart.

Having only his second start for trainer, Max Cowen, the youngster fought all the way to the finish and now joins city winner and Group runnerup, Octane Flyer, among Statue Of Liberty’s current crop of 2YOs.

Full marks to the owner as Ile Aux Cygnes is a small island on the River Seine which features a quarter size replica of the Statue of Liberty.

In the past four days, WRITTEN TYCOON has produced a winner (Drumkit) from his sole runner on Thursday, a Group placing for Masthead in Singapore on Friday, another city win for It Is Written at Moonee Valley (his fourth at the track) on Saturday and, on Sunday, a resounding win for Stalwart Tycoon at the Sunshine Coast.

Trained by Nick Flouskos, Stalwart Tycoon has now won two on the trot.

BEL ESPRIT has enhanced his lead at the top of the Australian Sires’ chart by winners with a two day stretch that yielded four winners: among them the John Blacker trained, Arctic Blitz.

With an Eliza Park treble at Hobart on Sunday, none were more impressive than Arctic Blitz in recording his maiden victory, racing away to score by almost four lengths.

With both Bel Esprit and Magnus heading up their respective divisions, BUSHRANGER also firmed as favourite to take out the British First Season Sires’ title by capturing a win at Wolverhampton via Majestic Alexander.

Technically, the race was staged on Saturday, but we’re claiming it for Sunday as it was staged in the wee hours Australian time!

Regardless of time zones though, Majestic Alexander lived right up to her name winning by over three lengths on debut.

This follows on from the win of another of Bushrangers fillies in Outback Lover who won her assignment at the end of March.

Between them, Magnus, Sharkbite, Shinzig, Statue of Liberty, Written Tycoon, Bel Esprit and Bushranger covered 2,277 mares in the last three years (668 last year alone) and, if Sunday is anything to go by, they’ll be just as busy in 2013!