Greenfields Lodge owner Tony Patrizi bred Jaz Session to win the Epona Classic (1200m) at Ascot on Saturday and his homebred 2yo colt Boy Crush looked another likely type at the Belmont trials on Monday.
Boy Crush flew the gates in a 400m juvenile hit-out under Chris Parnham and held a healthy lead until headed on the line by Heavenly Paradise (Playing God). He’s a Manhattan Rain full-brother to Man Crush who is a black-type winner of a RL Magic Millions WA 3YO Trophy (1200m) and Miss Andretti Stakes (1100m).
Man Crush is bordering on $1 million in earnings for trainer Luke Fernie and a syndicate managed by his father Peter. Geisel Park resident Manhattan Rain (Encosta de Lago) sired them from Crushed (All Too Hard) and the mare also has a yearling filly by Manhattan Rain at Greenfields Lodge in Capel.
Second-dam Juice (Bertolini) was purchased by Patrizi for $350,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale after a racing career topped by a Group 1 victory in the NZB Breeders Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha.
Meanwhile, Manhattan Rain (pictured) has his born-again sprinter Jigsaw booked on a flight to New Zealand for a Group 1 at Ellerslie on January 24 after coasting to a four-length win at the Caulfield jump-outs on Wednesday morning.
Jigsaw set the speed and spaced his rivals under Logan Bates over 1000m. Trainer Cindy Alderson has the G1 Railway Stakes (1200m) on the radar and the Xmas Eve romp will bring him up to the mark after missing a recent Cranbourne trial.
“He’s prepping well and the jump-out was nothing too serious, it was more stimulation for him,” Bates said. “It’s all systems go and I will definitely be going over unless the boss says otherwise.”
Jigsaw (7g Manhattan Rain – Demandz by Lonhro) was last seen completing a hat-trick in the $1 million The Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne last month. It followed an earlier win in the Apache Cat Classic (1200m) on home turf and the G2 McEwen Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
