By David Nagel
The scent of spring racing is now most certainly in the air and leading Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes has one of his stable stars preparing for a firm tilt at this seasons’ spring riches.
Stokes’s four-year-old mare Instant Celebrity built a solid resume through the spring of 2020, and autumn of this year, and looks set for a huge campaign after a solid jump out win at Pakenham on Thursday.
The daughter of Not a Single Doubt/Celebrity Girl has won five races from her eight career starts, including Group-1 and Group-2 victories at the highest level of the sport.
In the spring of last year, she won the $250,000 Group-2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m), defeating Personal and Rock My Wand, before running third to Odeum and Personal in the $1-million Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield a fortnight later.
Stokes then tipped her out for a spell and mapped out a successful autumn campaign.
Instant Celebrity soon became one of the spruik horses of Australian racing, winning the $500,000 Group-1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on Saturday 1 May, before running second two weeks later to Savatoxl in South Australia’s premier sprint race – the $500,000 Group-1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m).
Instant Celebrity has won over the 1000-metre trip – and been placed at group-1 level over the mile – giving Stokes and her connections plenty of options to assess as they prepare for the biggest time of the year.
Prepped in Adelaide at her two most recent campaigns, the exciting mare has now had two solid jump outs as she ticks the legs over in preparation for her next start.
She cruised to the line, under a good hold, in a jump out over 800 metres at Pakenham on August 5 before extending out to the 1000 metre trip on Thursday.
Instant Celebrity, who has almost $730,000 in stakes, looked impressive as she strode to the line locked together with stablemate Moeen.
Moeen, although not carrying the same impressive record as Instant Celebrity into the spring, also looks set for a fine preparation and to carry on her good form.
The five-year-old mare – Wandjina/First Blossom – polished off her last preparation with back-to-back wins at Pakenham and Sandown Hillside, in Benchmark 64 and 70 respectively, and looks sure to work her way through her grades when she steps out for her next prep.
Moeen, who has won $76,000 in prizemoney from her eight career starts, has now had two jump outs this time in, running third and second.
Finishing just behind Instant Celebrity and Moeen in the jump out was another interesting runner in the Michael Huglin-trained Jabali Ridge.
The Jabali/Single Princess four-year-old gelding was formerly trained by Mick Price at Caulfield and showed some promising signs in the early stages of what is now a 10-start career.
As a two-year-old he won a $125,000 race at Flemington, leaving the likes of Hungry Heart and Miss Venezuela in his wake.
He was competitive in his early three-year-old days but lost form over the summer months last year, moving to the Huglin yard earlier this year.
Jabali Ridge was unimpressive at his first jump out on August 5 – just ticking his legs over – but looked much better behind the Stokes-pair at Pakenham on Thursday.
He was harder ridden than the two runners from the Stokes’ team, but finished the jump out stylishly in manner that suggests he might be capable of recapturing his best form.
Jabali Ridge has had 10 starts and accrued $164,000 in prizemoney.
Stokes produced another runner of interest in the second jump out off the morning when his three-year-old filly Design Artist ran second to Stewart of Liberty over the 800-metre trip.
Design Artist won her only start as a two-year-old at Sandown on May 23 and Stokes can obviously see some serious potential with the daughter of Al Maher/Year of the Dragon.
Stokes has nominated his unbeaten filly for the $1-million Group-1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on Wednesday, 13 October
Design Artist went to the line under her own steam and still has plenty of improvement in her before heading to the track on race-day.
And champion trainer Peter Moody may have another good one on his hands after his two-year-old colt Rampant Lion showed impressive speed to glide clear in the last jump out of the morning.
Rampant Lion, sired by a great of the turf in Frankel, hugged the running rail over the 600-metre trip and gave nothing else a chance…sprinting clear over the concluding stages.
Racing returns to Pakenham this Friday, 27 August – for its last winter race-day of the year – with the next lot of jump outs put down for Tuesday, 31 August.
JUMP OUT RESULTS – THURSDAY, 19 AUGUST
Jump Out 1 – 1000m Time: 1:03.50
1. Instant Celebrity Phillip Stokes
2. Moeen Phillip Stokes
3. Jabali Ridge Michael Huglin
Jump Out 2 – 800m Time: 49.10
1. Stewart Of Liberty Charlotte Littlefield
2. Design Artist Phillip Stokes
3. Sirianni Phillip Stokes
Jump Out 3 – 1000m Time: 1:00.50
1. Salton Sea Cliff Brown
2. Big Acheeva Charlotte Littlefield
3. Itzhot Kane Harris
Jump Out 4 – 1000m Time: 1:01.45
1. Beta Bite Monica Cronston
2. Nottaris Cliff Brown
3. Sabre Athena Tim Hughes
Jump Out 5 – 1000m Time: 59.67
1. Hoodoo You Love Charlotte Littlefield
2. Dollar Chaser Bill Papazaharoudakis
3. Malibu Edition Phillip Stokes
Jump Out 6 – 800m Time: 47.20
1. Exceedingly Magic Shane Nichols
2. Diesel ‘N’ Dust Jason Warren
3. Purrfect Scent Kane Harris
Jump Out 7 – 800m Time: 47.90
1. Phase Two Julien Welsh
2. Offshore Bandit Kane Harris
3. The Bluebagger Jason Bridgman
Jump Out 8 – 800m Time: 48.30
1. Eagle Hawk Star Peter Moody
2. Henty David Brideoake
3. Sebring/Power Lady Pat Carey
Jump Out 9 – 800m Time: 48.44
1. Statue of Dreams Monica Cronston
2. Wahoo Flyer Peter Moody
3. Sycorax Peter Moody
Jump Out 10 – 600m Time: 35.96
1. Miss Patricia Monica Cronston
2. Typical You Phillip Stokes
3. Zoustar/Fuddle Dee Duddle Peter Moody
Jump Out 11 – 600m Time: 36.20
1. Rampant Lion Peter Moody
2. Zoustar/Fireworks Peter Moody
3. Spirit of Boom/Fast and Loose Phillip Stokes
