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Exciting three-year-old colt Niagara is yet another stakes winner to have been 'raised and grazed' at Coolmore Australia.
Photo by Racing and Sports
An emphatic winner of the G2 Ajax Stakes over 1500m at Rosehill on Saturday. Niagara brings to 137 the total number of stakes winners raised at the historic Jerry's Plains property since it came under Coolmore control 15 years ago.
The Gai Waterhouse trained colt, a $620,000 yearling purchase, blitzed what had looked a strong field by 3 ½ lengths in a performance that marks him down as one of the leading contenders for the G1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick mile in three weeks.
The 87th individual stakes winner for Encosta de Lago, Niagara is one of two winners for his dam, the Fusaichi Pegasus mare River Song.
Unraced, River Song is a half sister to the Group winning juvenile Murjana as well as Celebria, the Sydney winning dam of Group One winner Gathering and Group placed Florentina.
Niagara's third dam is the celebrated Dancing Show, the dam of Umatilla and Hurricane Sky and grandam of Redoute's Choice, Platinum Scissors, Manhattan Rain and Al Maher.
One of the few runners to catch the eye behind Niagara was last season's G1 AJC Oaks winner Absolutely, another Coolmore Australia graduate who was doing her best work in the closing stages.
In South Africa progressive Coolmore-bred five-year-old Atyeb claimed his first win in Group company when taking out the G3 Caradoc Gold Cup at Turffontein for trainer Mike De Kock and owner/breeder Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa.
The Rock Of Gibraltar entire is the 93rd individual group stakes winner to graduate from Coolmore Australia in its relatively short history.
The wins of both Niagara and Atyeb have served to continue the fine run being enjoyed by horses to have been raised at Coolmore.
Last Thursday, two-year-old debutante Umneeyatee (Encosta de Lago) romped to an impressive eight-length maiden win. She is a half-sister to another G1 winner to carry the 'C' brand in the shape of last season's top-level two-year-old winner Amanee.
Other Coolmore graduates to have impressed recently include the John O'Shea trained filly Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock), who proved herself amongst the most progressive three-year-old fillies in the country when taking out the G2 Light Fingers Stakes.
Niwot (Galileo) ran a close-up fourth in the G1 Ranvet Stakes and is on target for a prominent showing in the G1 BMW.
Coolmore Australia has a quality draft of 43 yearlings catalogued for the upcoming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, including siblings to the likes of Haradasun, Elvstroem, Dance Hero, Special Harmony, Viewed, Racing To Win, and Grand Armee, as well as the progeny of top racemares Private Steer, Shania Dane, Nova Star and Macavelli Miss.
