Sebring Quinella in Canberra Guineas
A solid pace in Sunday’s Listed Canberra Guineas allowed two promising Sebring three year-olds to come from the tail of the field to fight out the finish.
To the cheers of the punters, the heavily backed favourite Assimilate charged home from second last on the turn to defeat Primitivo by three-quarters of a length in the 1400 metre feature.
A winner at Kembla Grange and Randwick, the Peter and Paul Snowden trained colt looked on target for a major race when second to Addictive Nature in the Group III ATC Ming Dynasty Stakes at Rosehill Gardens before finishing fifth in Trapeze Artist’s Group 1 ATC Golden Rose Stakes back in the spring.
Luckless at his first two runs back from a break in Group company, Assimilate was fit and ready to fire.
Carrying the colours of China Horse Club, Assimilate advanced his record to three wins and a second from seven starts with earnings of $230,750.
Newgate Farm’s Henry Field, a part-owner of the striking chestnut, said the son of Sebring is up to winning a good race in Sydney over the carnival.
“The horse has got talent. He finished fifth in the Golden Rose and Paul and Peter have always had a good opinion of him,” Field told Sky Racing.
“He’s a beautiful horse with a great pedigree and it was a wonderful ride by Tye.
“We will find a nice race through the (Sydney) carnival for him.”
A $420,000 purchase for China Horse Club / WinStar from the Edinburgh Park draft at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Assimilate runs for a syndicate that also includes Aquis Farm and Horse Ventures and is the second foal of the stakes-winning Commands mare Jester’s Girl a daughter of the Listed winner and Group 1 Golden Slipper and Magic Millions 2yo Classic runner-up How Funny.
Paul Moroney Bloodstock went to $260,000 to secure Jester’s Girl’s yearling colt by Zoustar at the 2017 Magic Millions.
After missing to Sebring in 2016, Jester’s Girl visited the outstanding Widden stallion again last year.
Assimilate becomes the 37th stakes winner for Sebring who covered 204 mares last spring at a fee of $66,000.
