China Horse Club peeled the covers off two of its promising fillies and in just over 100 minutes August Bloom and Hampton Queen stamped themselves as progressive types for the spring when scoring on the undercard of the Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury Racecourse (Australia).
August Bloom, already with a reputation off the back of some scorching performances in the Golden Slipper leadups, most notably a fast finishing third in the G3 Magic Night Stakes, was ticking a box when breaking her maiden in the AUD50,000 Richmond Club Maiden Plate (1300m).
August Bloom as a yearling
Her dominance in that contest was the second win of the day in China Horse Club’s red and yellow silks following an encouraging debut win for the Russian Revolution filly Hampton Queen in the AUD50,000 Country Music Raceday Maiden Handicap (1000m).
“We had a few options with August Bloom but it is important that she makes herself a winner and then we will step back up into stakes company,” said Mike Smith, China Horse Club’s Australian Representative.
“While the margin wasn’t notable it was good to see how dominant she was at the end of this race. She has done well during her spell and her trials were encouraging. We want her to keep moving forward now as the better races come online.”
In a measure of her stature, trainers Peter and Paul Snowden had also nominated August Bloom for Saturday’s AUD300,000 G2 Silver Shadow Stakes – a contest that would have seen August Bloom reacquaint herself with manner of last season’s better fillies. Off the ease of her Hawkesbury win, there is little doubt those head-to-heads will play out later this spring with the G1 Flight Stakes a definitive target.
“The Flight Stakes has been a consideration since the Sydney Autumn Carnival when August Bloom started to demonstrate her abilities and hint that she might prefer a longer trip,” Smith added.
“The G1 ATC Sires Produce Stakes and G1 Champagne Stakes were discussed at the time but it was decided to give her a break, let her grow and strengthen and try and make her mark in her next preparation.”
Hampton Queen
Hampton Queen franked early opinion of her when settling well off the pace and responding positively to the urgings of jockey Chad Schofield inside the final 200m of her contest.
The regally bred filly was allowed time to grow into her imposing frame with the Hawkesbury event her first appearance. Pre-race the 1000m was considered to be short of Hampton Queen’s preferred trip so her capacity to overcome that circumstance augurs well as her preparation progresses.
Hampton Queen, who carries the ‘CHC’ brand, is the fifth winner for the new season for Russian Revolution who has taken all before him as Champion First and Champion Second Season Sire in Australia.
Fellow China Horse Club graduate and Russian Revolution talisman, Communist, will make his seasonal return in the AUD1,000,000 G1 Winx Stakes this weekend at Randwick. Communist is already a winner of the G1 Randwick Guineas as a three-year-old and will have a preparation that is likely to assess whether he has made the requisite progress to become one of Australia’s leading weight-for-age performers or whether handicap company is a more suitable mark.
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