In Saturday’s $4m The Star Doncaster Mile at Randwick, there were a dozen horses capable of winning with 200 metres to run, but that’s when Tyler Schiller lowered the boom on Celestial Legend.
Gr1 Doncaster Mile
The Les Bridge-trained colt scored a stunning victory in the Gr1 Doncaster Mile on Day 1 of The Championships at Randwick, defeating an outstanding field of Gr1 stars with relative ease.
The 3-year-old son of DUNDEEL steered between runners from the rear of the field to defeat Pericles (Street Boss) by three-quarters of a length with a short-half-head to Militarize another 3-year-old son of Dundeel in third.
Gr1 Randwick Guineas
4 weeks earlier, Celestial Legend and Militarize ran the quinella in the Gr1 Randwick Guineas and here only a short ½ head between runner-up Pericles and third thwarted the same quinella.
Celestial Legend already the winner of the Gr1 Randwick Guineas, and the Hobartville Stakes Gr2 advanced his record to four wins and two seconds from eight starts with earnings of $3,390,825.
“He’s some horse. I’ve had a lot of good horses, but this horse is unbelievable,” Bridge said
“I just love the horse. I felt the same as I did on Everest day (when Classique Legend won).
“You get horses like this, I thought I’d get one in my lifetime, I keep getting them. I can’t work it out.
“I just didn’t think he could win, that’s all, but he just got out and he’s just unbelievable.
“What more can he do?
"For three-year-olds in this era, to win a Doncaster when they’ve got the compressed weights and all these good horses are so close to him in the weights was the only thing that made me worry a bit.
“I knew he hadn’t gone backwards. I didn’t want to give him another hard run because he had a terribly hard run in that mile, so I just gave him a nice tick-over trial.”
Tyler Schiller admitted it was a battle to get down to 49kgs.
“It’s so worth it, I’m absolutely knackered after it, but I can’t thank Les and the owners and connections, everyone that’s had something to do with the horse (enough), they’ve got him here perfect, I’ve got the light weight and, God, he was so brave,” Schiller said.
“He went through a gap that I wouldn’t usually take, but a Doncaster means a lot and to do it for Les and his team is terrific.
“Early I was a bit worried, he couldn’t get into a spot. I would have liked to be a little bit further forward, but once the 800m came he tracked into the race so well and then it was just trying to find a gap.”
Celestial Legend was a $220,000 purchase for from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
The grey son of Dundeel is the first foal of the unraced Snitzel mare Sarraqa, a three-quarter sister to Group 1 winners in South Africa, Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) and Mustaaqeem (Redoute’s Choice).
Sarraqa’s dam National Colour (National Assembly) was a 3-time Group 1 winner in South Africa. She was honoured as the Joint South African Horse of the Year in 2005-06 - Champion Older Female Sprinter in GB in 2007-08 - Joint Champion 3YO Filly in South Africa in 2005-06.
After missing to Castelvecchio in 2022, Sarraqa was covered by Dundeel last spring.
The Celestial Legend (Dundeel) story, a phenomenal racing journey that is only in its infancy but promises to continue delivering memorable results for many seasons to come.
Now a Doncaster Mile winner who could “win an Everest and a Cox Plate,’’ by a stallion “capable of producing an absolutely exceptional horse’’
Arrowfield’s Jon Freyer said, “He’s an amazing horse, he’s won this race today, he’s the sort of horse who could win an Everest and he might win a Cox Plate. He’s some talent,’’.
“Dundeel just goes from strength to strength.
“He’s capable of getting an absolutely exceptional horse and here we have another stallion prospect.
“He gets those great colts and he’s just on the tip of the iceberg of what he’s capable of, and what we’re going to see in the next few years.’’
There are 16 progeny of Dundeel catalogued for the Easter Yearling Sale.
Dundeel is a sire sensation and he’s only a young sire with the best yet to come.
Dynamic Syndications have a terrific respect for DUNDEEL as a Sire and again this year we have purchased a wonderful yearling Bay Colt by DUNDEEL ex PRECIOUS LORRAINE - to be trained by Australia’s Number 1 Stable for Winners - CIARON MAHER and raced in co-ownership with GERRY HARVEY.
Our COLT by DUNDEEL ex PRECIOUS LORRAINE
Currently on offer, you can Own & Race our tremendous MAGIC MILLIONS COLT with GERRY HARVEY as he has purchased 25%.
By the outstanding young sire DUNDEEL - Champion Australian 3YO & Arrowfield’s Leading Young Sire.
Our COLT is from PRECIOUS LORRAINE (by champion Broodmare Sire ENCOSTA DE LAGO).
PRECIOUS LORRAINE was a 3-time Stakes Winner & 5-time Stakes Performer. She is the Dam of 4 foals to race: 3 Winners & 1 Placed inc Stakes Winner - MEUSE.
Our COLT is from one of Australia’s BEST Female Families.
5% SHARES are $13,580 inc GST & ALL COSTS to 1/7/24.
Lot 54 - Dundeel (NZ) x Precious Lorraine from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
STOP PRESS – Closely Related Yearlings to Sell at 2024 Inglis EASTER
OUR COLT
This Family is COMMERCIALLY HOT
LOT 186 I AM INVINCIBLE ex NOTTING HILL Filly SOLD for $1.8million.
HOOFNOTE 1: Notting Hill (Fastnet Rock) and PRECIOUS LORRAINE (Encosta De Lago) are Half-Sisters.
They are both daughters of MONSOON WEDDING who is the 2nd Dam of both our DUNDEEL COLT and this I AM INVINCIBLE FILLY.
HOOFNOTE 2: CIARON MAHER has also been given this I AM INVINCIBLE filly to train on behalf of the owner Hilldene Farm.
LOT 117 MAURICE ex LUCKY RAQUIE Colt SOLD for $300,000
HOOFNOTE: LUCKY RAQUIE (Encosta De Lago) and PRECIOUS LORRAINE (Encosta De Lago) are both Stakes Winners and both Full-Sisters.
They are both daughters of MONSOON WEDDING who is the 2nd Dam of both our DUNDEEL COLT and this MAURICE COLT.
He was purchased by Blake Ryan Racing.
RECENT FEMALE FAMILY PEDIGREE UPDATES:
Situated in the 3rd Dam of these Yearlings:
RUSTIC STEEL (2017.g. by Deep Field-Ten Carat Rock, by Rock of Gibraltar-Shantha's Choice).
1st Newcastle JC Newmarket H. Gr.3 on the 8th March 2024.
MERIDIUS (2019.g. by Extreme Choice-Jardine, by Stryker-Casula Gal).
1st SAJC (Morphettville) CS Hayes Memorial Cup LR on the 11th March 2024.
SCHWARZ (2020.c. by Zoustar-Summer Sham, by Not a Single Doubt-Hot Summer Night).
2nd ATC (Rosehill) Darby Munro S. LR on the 23rd March 2024.
Join our DYNAMIC / GERRY HARVEY and CIARON MAHER Team in a Colossal COLT by the boom sire DUNDEEL.