Oakleigh Plate is a 'pippie' for Eureka Stud

However, last Saturday Scott was happy to be 'pipped' again courtesy of 4YO mare Pippie - foaled and raised at Eureka Stud - proving triumphant with an all-the-way victory in the prestigious Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield, Melbourne in race record time.

That made it two Oakleigh Plates in succession for 4YO daughters of prepotent sire Written Tycoon. Pippie follows in the hoof-prints of Booker and both mares have Queensland pedigrees.

Inglis webpage reports that when McAlpine paid $26,000 for the broodmare Coupe Express in foal to Written Tycoon at an Inglis August Mixed Sale in 2015, little did he know the ride he was in for. The unborn foal Coupe Express was carrying turned out to be Pippie. The Oakleigh Plate was her fifth career win from just nine starts and took her prize money to $570,000.

McAlpine foaled down and raised Pippie in the Darling Downs before offering her in his Eureka draft at the 2017 Classic Yearling Sale, where Brisbane trainer John Meagher bought her for $60,000 on behalf of Brisbane-based brothers Glen and Marty Heran.

"James O'Brien at Lauriston Farm in Victoria was selling Coupe Express. We liked her and thought she was good value, given she was carrying a Written Tycoon, but you never really expect the ones you buy in foal are going to be Group 1 winners,'' McAlpine said.

A home-bred at Lauriston, Coupe Express is one of six winners produced from the winning Success Express mare Gal Express bred in Queensland by Westbrook-based Brian and Lyn Jorgensen and sold to Kevin and Tanith O'Brien at Lauriston. With Pippie being her first foal, Coupe Express also has a 3YO filly Express Boom (Spirit Of Boom) sold at Magic Millions Adelaide in 2018 for $110,000, a yearling filly by Eureka-based dual Group 3 winner Defcon sold for $70,000 at this year's Magic Millions yearling sale at the Gold Coast and is back in foal to Spirit Of Boom. Express Boom is also trained by John and Chris Meagher for the Heran brothers.

The eighth individual Group 1 winner for Queensland-bred sire Written Tycoon, Pippie becomes the 43rd individual Group 1 winner offered by Inglis since 2018. Of those 43, 18 have been sold for $100,000 or less. She is also the third consecutive Inglis graduate to win the Oakleigh Plate following the success of Booker (2019) and Russian Revolution (2018).

There are 24 progeny of Written Tycoon at the upcoming Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, which is at Oaklands in Melbourne from March 1-3.

THE Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) has appointed experienced Senior Stipendiary Steward Paul Gillard to lead the Gold Coast stewarding operations.

Current Senior Steward in North Queensland, Mr Gillard - who has more than 25 years' stewarding experience - says he has a life-long passion for Thoroughbred racing. "I have been involved in racing my whole life. It really is in my blood and this opportunity at the Gold Coast is a further opportunity to hone my craft," he said.

Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said the permanent appointment of such a competent and respected steward reflected the importance of the Gold Coast as a major racing community in the state. "With the planned upgrade and expansion of the Gold Coast facility, the volume and quality of racing will continue to expand, and it's important the commission provides a high standard of integrity and consistent application of the rules," he said.

Mr Gillard said his stints throughout the state including in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville had given him the opportunity to experience Thoroughbred racing in the South East, Eastern Downs, Capricornia, Central West, Leichhardt, North West Queensland and in the Far North.

"I've been fortunate to meet and work with many racing clubs and licensees closely, providing me with lasting and treasured memories, which I trust will never be lost. While there is some sadness in leaving my current role as Senior Steward in North Queensland, where I have built a great rapport with industry participants, I am looking forward to the new and exciting challenge of the Gold Coast.

"Gold Coast racing has gone from strength to strength and the recent Magic Millions carnival was a great example of the calibre of racing that attracts a national and international audience on the Coast and I'll enjoy being part of that growth," he said.

Mr Gillard will begin his Gold Coast role next month.

THREE provincial-based three-year-olds, Better Reflection and Lepreezy and The Sinner - by outstanding young sire Better Than Ready - are being aimed at the 3YO QTIS Jewel being held at the Gold Coast on Saturday, March 14.

Based at Lyndhurst Stud, Warwick, Better Than Ready is a syndicated stallion managed by Richard Foster who bred both Better Reflection and Lepreezy at his Yarramalong Park Stud, Kalbar, while The Sinner was bred by former Queensland Royal Show ringmaster Jan McMillan, Noosa, who is a shareholder in Better Than Ready.

Better Reflection and Lepreezy are both trained at Rockhampton by John Wiggington and Angela Stephens respectively. Although The Sinner is trained by Sunshine Coast-based Natalie McCall, the 3YO gelding was sold at the 2018 Capricornia yearling sale at Rockhampton for $13,000. Better Reflection and Lepreezy are both graduates of the 2018 Magic Millions March yearling sale. Better Reflection sold for $20,000 while Lepreezy cost $30,000.

All are recent winners. The Sinner - a son of four times winning Royal Academy (USA) mare Royalsyn - won a 1000m metropolitan Benchmark 70 handicap for open horses at Eagle Farm last Saturday while the same day Lepreezy won an 1100m QTIS Jewel qualifier 3YO plate at Mackay - the first of four qualifying races with others at Cairns (February 25), Toowoomba (February 26) and the Tattersall's Racing Club meeting at Doomben (February 29) with the winner of each race exempt from ballot if nominated.

A daughter of the winning Choisir mare Licenced To Chill, Lepreezy has now started 10 times for six wins and three placings for total earnings of $155,150 which includes $83,550 in QTIS bonuses. Her past three wins have been in succession, with the first of the trio being an impressive 4.8 lengths victory over Master Jamie who has since won five of his past six starts in Rockhampton and Brisbane.

Better Reflection, a daughter of unraced Canny Lad mare Miraposa, has also been a model of consistency with four wins and two placings from eight starts. Three of those wins have been city wins including the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes for 2YO fillies while her prize money tally has now reached $323,150 including $107,250 in QTIS bonuses.

DATES have been released for the 2020 Magic Millions National Sale, comprising sessions for broodmares, weanlings, yearlings and racehorses. Entries for the weanlings, yearlings, race fillies and broodmares close on March 13. Entries for racehorses close on May 25. The four sessions, with respective dates, are:

National Weanling Sale - May 21-22: The 2019 sale was a huge success with a record 96 weanlings selling for $100,0000 or more and the highest ever Book 1 average price of $63,499. Some 29 buyers spent at least $250,000, and all up there were 228 individual buyers from eight nations. The international spend was almost $8.4 million, which equated to 30 per cent of the gross.

National Broodmare Sale - May 26-28: In 2019 the race fillies and mares section boasted a gross of more than $28 million which produced a record average price of $168,251 for 167 lots sold. Stakes winners in this section of the sale averaged an incredible $567,000. The broodmare section grossed a record $104.2 million with 275 individual buyers representing 12 countries. Over the last six years 48 individual lots have sold for $1 million or more on the Gold Coast.

National Yearling Sale - June 4-6: The National Yearling Sale continues to prove popular with buyers with an average price of over $52,000 for Book One - up 22pc on the previous year. A new record top price of $850,000 was achieved in 2019. The biggest and best buyers are in attendance with 29pc of the sale gross coming from international buyers. There were 229 individual buyers last year for 374 horses at a gross of over $14.5 million - up 29pc on 2018.

National Racehorse Sale - June 5: At the 2019 Magic Millions National Racehorse Sale lots sold to $260,000 with a 91pc clearance an average price of $32,517 - up 33pc on the 2019 auction.