Golden day for Fusaichi Pegasus

Fusaichi Pegasus left his stamp on Rosehill’s biggest raceday of the year when scoring a feature Pattern Race double in the form of the Group One STC George Ryder Stakes and Group Two STC Tulloch Stakes, as well as supplying placegetters in the Group One STC Golden Slipper Stakes and the Group One STC Arrowfield Stakes.

The supremely talented Haradasun (3c, Fusaichi Pegasus-Circles of Gold, by Marscay) won the first Group One event of his career when winning the time honoured George Ryder over 1500m. One of the outstanding weight-for-age contests on the Australian Racing Calendar, the George Ryder witnessed the magnificent son of Fusaichi Pegasus step right up to the mark at his first assignment in the Harbour City.

One race earlier the massive Rosehill Gardens crowd witnessed an outstanding AJC Australian Derby trial when Tipungwuti (3g, Fusaichi Pegasus-So Gorgeous, by Brief Truce) blitzed his opposition in the Tulloch Stakes over 2000m. Ridden in midfield for most of the trip, the handsome chestnut dashed along the fence in the home straight and proceeding to win the contest by a commanding three and a quarter length margin.

In the big race of the day, the ultra-game juvenile Zizou (2c, Fusaichi Pegasus-Natural Is My Name, by Naturalism) was responsible for another courageous effort when only just failing to win the Golden Slipper. Runner-up in the Group One MRC Blue Diamond Stakes in February, Zizou has now been the first colt home in both of Australia’s two leading 2-year-old events and holds justifiable claims to the 2006/07 Champion 2YO Colt title come season’s end.

Another Fu-Peg to figure in the finish of a feature Group One event on Golden Slipper Day, Just Dancing (3f, Fusaichi Pegasus-Ballroom Babe, by Citidancer) took third place in the Arrowfield Stakes. Having her final preliminary outing before the AJC Oaks at Randwick, the filly was just beaten out of second placing by Banc de Fortune (3f, Galileo-Danendri, by Danehill) with both fillies turning in highly encouraging Group One Classic trials.