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Karaka graduate Public Attention from a family of Group 1 performers
Seeing the Coolmore colours carried to victory in two-year-old races is nothing new and it got to celebrate one final Saturday success for the 2023/24 season when Public Attention won Caulfield on Saturday.
Coolmore is one of the leading racing and breeding operations in the world and are big spenders on the yearling sale circuit, having bought multiple $1 million-plus lots at Magic Millions and Inglis this year alone.
But it did not have to go anywhere near seven figures for Public Attention, a son of Written Tycoon and Legramor who Tom Magnier bought for NZ$160,000 out of last year's Karaka Yearling Sale.
The striking grey has developed immensely since that sale according to Mick Price, who trains Public Attention in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr.
"He was a lighter, backward type of yearling and it took him, I reckon, 15 months before he started to morph into a colt," Price said.
"You look at him now, he's a beautiful horse."
Public Attention belied a $16 starting price with his gritty win over impressive debut Pakenham winner Ndola and is now likely to be directed to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), where he will look to become the latest Group 1 winner for the family.
Legramor was only modestly-performed, winning a maiden and BM65 at Te Rapa, but the daughter of Commands is from the Pins mare Katie Lee, who won both the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas over 1600m at Group 1 level in New Zealand.
Katie Lee is out of the Spectacularphantom mare Miss Jessie Jay, who is also the dam of Group 1 Diamond Stakes (1200m) winner Banchee and is a half-sister to Gee I Jane, who was a Group 1 winner at 1200m on both sides of the Tasman.
Public Attention on Saturday became the first to race from Legramor, who also has a filly by U S Navy Flag called Proud Katie who is about to turn two that is trained by John Sargent in Sydney.
She last year foaled a colt by Tarzino and was served by Satono Aladdin prior to being exported to Australia.