Blessed Eagle combines speed and toughness to salute

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Blessed Eagle showed plenty of speed and plenty of fight to make a winning debut at Warwick Farm, while Somethings Burnin’ and Queen’s Gamble impressed, and Saintly Dancer led a Ciaron Maher first four at Sandown.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained 3-year-old colt Blessed Eagle (Farnan) was backed into favouritism to deliver on debut at Warwick Farm after showing plenty of talent at the trials, and the well-bred colt did exactly that, impressively showing early speed as well as toughness late to get the chocolates for his connections.

Tim Clark bounced Blessed Eagle out of his wide gate quickly and took up the running, with the smart Bjorn Baker-trained Profiteer filly Profitabelle sitting outside the leader in the hands of Tommy Berry. Artemex (Extreme Choice) settled in the one-one and the Chris Waller-trained Wild Ruler filly Saffron Veil was well back on the inside but sneaking up as the race progressed.

 

 

At about the 250-metre mark, Profitabelle loomed and appeared to travel better than Blessed Eagle and the two promising 3-year-olds were battling it out. At the 50-metre mark, Blessed Eagle had the advantage and looked likely, but Saffron Veil dashed late to just miss catching Blessed Eagle by a nose and would have been the clear winner with another stride.

Profitabelle had to be content with third, but only being beaten by not more than a long neck.

Winning trainer Adrian Bott was pleased with the toughness Blessed Eagle showed on debut.

“Great effort from the horse. Good, tough win there.

“The two horses in the lead there may have just been getting tired late. I think for him, he was just still a little bit new and a little bit raw. I think he was sort of waiting for those horses to an extent. When they came, he obviously really rallied and responded really well.

“I think he’s got a lot to learn. Obviously, brilliant natural speed and I think Tim more so just allowed to utilise that throughout the run.

“He was nice and fit and forward for today, so I’m just delighted for John Moore and his partners and it’s an honour to be training for him.

“I think he’s very much just a natural speed horse, so we will obviously look at something over the spring for him. But yeah, John might be very good to bounce a few ideas off.”

Winning jockey Tim Clark believes he is the kind of type that could keep on improving and is one to follow.

“He’s definitely a horse with upside going forward. I just love his attitude,” said Clark.

“He wants to work with you and he was a bit new throughout the run like early on just wanting to get away from.

“You saw down the straight he just didn’t quite completely flatten out earlier, it just took him a little while to reach his top and you know he was challenged by the horse on my outside quite early and he responded well. I thought I’d just held on the line I’m glad to see the number in the frame.

“I think when he gets over a little bit further, he can just travel a lot more comfortably, and I still feel that he will have that good turn of foot at the back end of his races.”

Sales info: Blessed Eagle was purchased for $525,000 by George Moore Bloodstock from the Kia Ora Stud draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Pedigree info: Blessed Eagle is out of the Canadian Group 3-winner Jennifer Lynnette (Can) (Elusive Quality {USA}), who was purchased by Kia Ora Stud for US$575,000 at the 2018 Fasig Tipton Kentucky November Mixed Sale.

Jennifer Lynnette has already proved herself at stud, with her first foal Royal Tribute (Snitzel) having won the Listed Gosford Guineas among his two wins.

This is also the family of the Group 3-winner and stallion Ishiguru (USA), the dual American Group 1-winner Strategic Maneuver (USA) (Cryptoclearance {USA}) and the American Group 2-winner Cat Fighter (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}).

 

Jennifer Lynnette, in recent times, has left a 2-year-old filly named Sueno (Snitzel) who was passed in for $450,000 at this year’s Magic Millions yearling sale and is now raced by Kia Ora Stud from the stable of Philip and Tommy Stokes, a yearling filly by Snitzel and is due to foal to Farnan early next month.

Article c/o TTR Aus & NZ