Dual hemisphere performer and stallion Vadamos notched his all-important first black-type win as a sire when Art de Triomphe made no race of last Saturday’s Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Canterbury Belle Stakes at Riccarton Park.
The French-bred son of champion stallion Monsun was a big winner in Europe, headed by his victory as a five-year-old in the Gr. 1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp at Chantilly, before finishing his career at the 2016 Melbourne spring carnival with minor placings in the Cox Plate and Emirates Stakes.
Vadamos covered his first Southern Hemisphere book at Rich Hill Stud in 2017 and Art de Triomphe, a daughter of the Group-winning racemare Art Beat, was his first winner locally as a two-year-old last autumn. A member of the Go Racing string after being bought for $80,000 from Karaka Book 1 in 2020, Art de Triomphe had signalled a big spring when winning easily fresh-up and she made no race of last Saturday’s Riccarton Park feature to now be the favourite for the Gr. 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas back at southern headquarters in November.
“It’s great to get that first stakes win and for it to be in an early three-year-old race just adds to it,” commented Rich Hill principal John Thompson. “Vadamos has always been rated highly and he’s certainly getting the runs on the board.”
Along with Go Racing members, whose colours were carried by Art de Triomphe as well as fellow Riccarton Park winner Hasabro and Randwick feature winner Atishu, Thompson also had his eyes on Australian racing last weekend. The Rich Hill-reared Proisir gelding Riodini gave Verry Elleegant a stern test before going down narrowly in the Gr. 1 George Main Stakes at Randwick, while at Melbourne’s Caulfield meeting, I’m Thunderstruck, a son of fellow Rich Hill stallion Shocking, finished third in the Gr. 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
“They don’t come any more genuine than Riodini. That was a fantastic effort to set the pace and only just go down when he was conceding two kilos to Verry Elleegant. I can’t wait for him to get back to handicap conditions in the Epsom.
“I’m Thunderstruck has it all ahead of him. That was only his seventh start and his first at Group One, so that race sets him for the Toorak and maybe the Gooden Eagle up in Sydney.”
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