At the start of the red letter day, Tentyris was produced to perfection in Saturday’s time-honoured 1,200m event, displaying a deadly turn of foot to add his name to the list of potential stallions to win the Flemington event.
The son of Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Street boss began his campaign last month, placing in the Danehill Stakes (G2) before scoring a pulsating victory in the aforementioned Gothic Stakes on October 18.
Bumped a bit at the break, Tentyris finished second to last. Zahra remained ice cold and waited until the 300 meters to get on board the favorite. Tentyris’ response was immediate: the three-year-old exploded between Jimmy Recard and his co-owner Beiwacht and quickly established a lead over his rivals. He crossed the line with 2 1/2 lengths to spare on a closing My Gladiola, with Legacy Bound a further three-quarter lengths back in third.
Sam Freedman said a trip to Royal Ascot could be on the cards for Tentyris, with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) looking a suitable option.
“We may have him earmarked for Ascot,” he said. “We still have some unfinished business there after we acquired Artorius a few years ago. This horse is as good as him, if not better.
“We had thought about Ascot before because he races on the straight track. He would be someone we would like to acquire. He is the best of the three-year-old crop. He crushed them today and he has improvement in him. Every time we have taken him out he has gotten better and better. You wouldn’t quite know where the ceiling would be. Hopefully one day we will find out.”
Andy Makiv, Godolphin’s Australian managing director, added: “We are a stallion company, so it would be interesting to look at racing in the UK, including at Royal Ascot, and perhaps even in Dubai.
“It would be best to promote him somewhere. He’s a son of Street Boss, who’s starting to get a bit long in the tooth, so it’s really nice to have a ready-made replacement.”
Already a Group 2 winning juvenile who came close in the Blue Diamond Stakes (G1), Tentyris became the 11th Group 1 winner for Darley’s Street Boss with Saturday’s victory. Street Boss will be at Darley’s Northwood Park this season for a total of AU$66,000.
The colt joins the illustrious list of previous Group 1 winners. A roll of honor features well-known names from the Australian stallion rankings, including Zoustar , Good Beau Encosta De Lago, and more recently Coolmore’s exciting duo Home Affairs And Switzerland.
Observer wins Victoria Derby
The epic Godolphin double was completed then Ghayyath Colt Observer produced an impressive performance in the AU$2 million Victoria Derby, giving leading trainer Ciaron Maher his second success in the classic and completing an unforgettable four-timer for Zahra.
Zahra – who also won the Wakeful Stakes (G2) and The Damien Oliver (G2) – made full use of barrier 4, sending the $2.45 favorite straight into the lead.
Observer mirrored the tactics often employed by his father, controlling all proceedings and finding plenty when called upon to score his first Group 1 win by three-quarters of a length. The To justify Colt Arcora finished a brave second, with the Matt Cumani-trained Deal Done Fast in third by the same margin. Observer’s victory gave Godolphin a first win in the VRC Derby.
“I was unsure whether I should take the lead, but when I spoke to Ciaron he gave me a lot of confidence,” said Zahra. “I heard him say, ‘He’s going to take charge, so if you want to lead, just do it.’
‘He never switches off straight away, he is always on the bridle, but he is tough. He’s like his old man, and late when they got him, he found him again.’
“I think the sky is the limit for this colt, he’s just so flexible,” said the winning trainer. “He was unlucky in the Guineas, he won a vase and now he has won a derby and he looks quite like his old man.”
Observer became the first Group 1 winner for Darley’s exciting second-season sire Ghaiyyath, who did not return to Darley’s Northwood Park base in 2025 after commuting there from Kildangan Stud for four previous seasons, and was paid AU$27,500 throughout his stay in Australia.
The most highly regarded son of Dubai held the 2025 Northern Hemisphere breeding season for a fee of €20,000. All in all, the number of winners of his global individual stakes is eight.
Pride Of Jenni reigns again in Empire Rose
Maher herself landed a Group 1 double at Flemington as Australia’s favorite mare Proud of Jenni added another extraordinary chapter to her rollercoaster of a career when she regained her Empire Rose Stakes (G1) crown later in the day.
Two years after her maiden Group 1 victory, the 8-year-old produced another breathtaking, premier masterclass under Declan Bates, cementing her place among Australia’s elite mares as she became the first horse to win the Empire Rose twice when she demolished her rivals by 4 1/2 lengths.
The $4.80 opportunity stretched the field from the start, leading by almost 10 lengths halfway through the race before holding a commanding lead over Leica Lucy and On Display at the finish.
Bates, who famously lost the Pride Of Jenni ride after last year’s Cox Plate (G1) but was reinstated this spring, was overcome with emotion as he saluted aboard the mare for the seventh time.
“She was retired, I got fired and that was all good. Everyone was fine, but to stand here and win another Group 1 makes me emotional,” Bates said. “She didn’t bat an eyelid but she got under me quickly and she wanted to cross the field and I took my time getting there and every time I grabbed the bit she wanted to go and at the half mile she stretched beautifully.
“100 meters into the race I knew we were winning… she got tired late but the job was done, she is an absolute warrior of a horse.”
#Spectacular #day #Godolphin