The talented Air Assault was the class-act of the field in Monday’s Listed Morphettville Guineas and he certainly justified that by posting a dominant front-running victory in the feature race for 3-year-olds. Starting a $2.90 favourite, the son of Justify (USA) handed both his trainer Andrew Gluyas and part-owner and breeder Harry Perks a double on an eventful Adelaide Cup Day.
Inducted into the South Australian Racing Hall of Fame for his contribution to racing as both an owner and breeder, Perks has a long list of accolades to his name.
Responsible for breeding the likes of last year’s G1 Toorak H. winner Attrition (Churchill {Ire}), G1 Champagne S. heroine Go Indy Go (Bernardini {USA}), G1 Victoria Derby winner Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}) and dual Derby hero Rebel Raider (Reset), Perks is no stranger to stakes success.
Monday’s double was the cherry on top for the Perks/Gluyas combination who was also represented by a winner on Saturday’s Murray Bridge Magic Millions Raceday. Bred by Perks’, Proven Correct (Justify {USA}) was an impressive winner of the opening event on the card.
Proven Correct as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
He is the sixth foal from the stakes-producing Zabeel (NZ) mare Carolina Bella who was another astute purchase by Adrian Hancock’s, Hancock Quality Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on behalf of Perks.
Offered at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale under the Stonehouse Thoroughbreds banner, Proven Correct fetched $100,000 to the bid of his trainer and Perks subsequently elected to stay in as a part-owner of the horse.
Patience pays off
A quick chat with Perks revealed his patient approach to breeding and going against the typical ‘early speed’ fashion in Australia.
“I have more mares that tend to get over ground than I do 2-year-old producing mares. What I have done in the past is look for mile type mares and then go to more staying type stallions because there’s a lot more stakes money available for horses competing over a mile-plus”.
Harry Perks | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Perks’ feature winner on Monday’s card is from the G3 SAJC Sires’ Produce S. winner Elegant Eagle (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) who was a three-time winner over distances of 1400 metres to 1800 metres. Purchased at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale by Hancock Quality Bloodstock (FBAA) on behalf of Toorak Thoroughbred Trust for just $75,000, Elegant Eagle is an exemplary example of Perks’ style of mare while not spending a fortune.
Offered at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Air Assault (Justify {USA}) failed to meet his $100,000 reserve and was subsequently retained by Perks and syndicated with a group of friends. With earnings exceeding $280,000, Air Assault is now a three-time stakes winner.
The 10th foal from Elegant Eagle, Air Assault is the mare’s third stakes winner alongside G3 SAJC DC McKay S. winner Essay Raider (Bernardini {USA}) and G1 Champagne S. winner Go Indy Go (Bernardini {USA}). Retired from stud duties last year, Elegant Eagle has an Omaha Beach (USA) yearling colt on the ground whom Parks noted will be retained to race.
Air Assault wins the Listed Morphettville Guineas | Image courtesy of Racing SA
Lovely Lookin’ (American Pharoah {USA}) was a dominant winner of the second event on the Adelaide Cup Day card when taking out a Class 2 H., in impressive fashion. The filly is the first-foal from Perks’ own stakes-winning homebred mare in Gogo Grace (New Approach {Ire}) whose only other living foal is a 2-year-old colt in training with Danny O’Brien under the name of Hot Too Go (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
A winner of three of her six starts to date, the progressive filly was retained by Perks and partners to race and looks destined for better racing.
A team approach
The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Chris Watson, General Manager of Mill Park Stud whom Perks has enjoyed a long association with as the home of Perks’ breeding stock. While both horses were not offered under the successful Mill Park Stud sales banner, Watson noted that both winners on Monday’s card were born and raised on the farm.
Speaking of Perks’ approach to producing talented racehorses, Watson was quick to highlight the teamwork required to get to this point.
Chris Watson
“The type of pedigree and race performance is paramount, we (Mill Park Stud) do a lot of work together with Harry (Perks) and Adrian Handcock with mating and marketing these horses to the right sales and working out which ones are kept to race”.
With seven Toorak Thoroughbred Trust yearlings set to go under the hammer at next week’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, Watson was optimistic for his horses ahead of the sale.
Click here to view Mill Park Stud’s draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale
“Harry’s horses are lovely types, they’re clean, sound horses, I think generally his horses should be well-placed in the marketplace and most buyers should find them to be attractive propositions to look at.”
“Harry’s (Perks) horses are lovely types, they’re clean, sound horses, I think generally his horses should be well-placed in the marketplace and most buyers should find them to be attractive propositions to look at.” – Chris Watson
Noting that Adelaide doesn’t necessary bring the lofty prices of sales such as Magic Millions Gold Coast sale where his stock averaged a healthy $250,000, Perks’ noted Lot 50 as one of the highlight horses of his batch being a Frosted (USA) colt from the four-time winning half-sister to Air Assault in La la Luchie (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}).
Click here to view Lot 50This colt is the third foal of La la Luchie whose only foal to race in Cherokee Brave (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) is a winner, while her 2-year-old colt Oodnadatta (Too Darn Hot {GB}) was a strong third in a Cranbourne trial at his first-time out.
Another relevant feature in next week’s sale is Lot 233, an Earthlight (Ire) colt from the granddam of Monday’s impressive winner Lovely Lookin’. A family featuring plenty of black type including the late Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), this colt is from Starmon (NZ) (Monolith) whose stakes-performed horses include Gogo Grace and Star Status (Medaglia D’Oro), both by international sires.
Click here to view Lot 233With exciting plans ahead for Air Assualt including a looming G1 SAJC Derby as well as stakes class racing on the cards for Lovely Lookin’, Perks looks to be in for a whole lot more fun to round out what has been a truly remarkable season.
Copy: The Thoroughbred Report
