Monday, 18 September 2017: The Newcastle Cup meeting on September 15 featured four Group 3 races and a mix of winners ranging in age from three to eight.
SPRING STAKES: The youth was represented by Astoria, a brilliantly-bred Godolphin owned son of Medaglia d’Oro.Astoria 
(Medaglia D’Oro x Segue by Ad Valorem) became the champion shuttle sire’s 106th stakes winner with a three quarter length victory over the Frankel colt Merovee.
 | | Astoria | |
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His dam Segue won three races and is a half-sister to G1 Champagne Stakes winner Viscount (Quest For Fame), Listed winner Helsinborg (Danehill) and G1 placed sire Dangerous (Danehill) from the Sir Tristram mare Antwerp.
Astoria’s third dam Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones) won the G1 Railway Handicap and is a half-sister to champion Octagonal (Zabeel), Don Eduardo (Zabeel) and the dam of dual G1 winner Tristalove (Sir Tristram).
Tristalove is the dam of G1 Spring Champion Stakes winner Viking Ruler (Danehill), G2 winner Lovetrista (Rock Of Gibraltar) and stakes winners Kempinsky (Danehill) and Diamond Like (Danehill).
Astoria is the first foal out of Segue. She has since had fillies by Exceed And Excel and Lonhro and is due to foal to Medaglia d’Oro this year.
Astoria has now had five starts for two wins and two placings for prize money totalling $159,600
NEWCASTLE CUP: New Zealand-bred 6YO Broadside gave Gai Waterhouse her fourth win in the Newcastle Cup and her first in partnership with Adrian Bott.Broadside (Raise The Flag x Anam Cara by Straight Strike) provided his sire, a son of Sadler’s Wells, with his third stakes winner when he held of the import Auvray to score by a neck.
Broadside won two of his first three starts in New Zealand as a three-year-old before joining the Waterhouse stable in 2015 and has now won six of his 13 starts with another three placings.
 | | Broadside | |
His dam Anam Cara (Straight Strike) was unplaced but her two foals to race, both by Raise The Flag, are winners.
Broadside is the sole stakes winner in his first four dams. The G3 winner Fernoon (Fiesta Star), a son of his fifth dam Frond, is the only other stakes winner in Broadside’s pedigree.
Anam Cara has an unnamed three-year-old colt by Alamosa and is due to foal to Pentire this year.
Raise The Flag’s other stakes winners are Tasmanian Oaks winner Parthesia and Gore Guineas winner Raise You Ten.
CAMERON HANDICAP: The veteran Got Unders, an 8YO son of Southern Image, gave rookie trainer Jay Hopkins his biggest win when he beat Sound Proposition by a short head.Got Unders is the ninth individual stakes winner by Southern Image, a son of Halo’s Image who is standing in California this year. Southern Image spent four Southern Hemisphere seasons in Australia and is sire of Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed.
Got Unders (Southern Image x Frantoio by Danehill) was purchased by Hopkins for just $1,250 as a weanling in 2010 and was set to be sold to Hong Kong as a 3YO before the deal collapsed when the horse suffered an injury.
Hopkins, who had worked for a number of leading trainers, retained Got Unders and began training 12 months ago.
The Cameron was the gelding’s seventh win with 24 placings from 52 starts for $415,690 in prizemoney.
Hopkins was working in Melbourne for trainer Luke Oliver in 2010 and bought Got Unders while watching the Great Southern Sale online.
“I didn’t know much about Southern Image but I liked his pedigree as his dam Frantoio is by Danehill and is a half sister to Oaks winner Miss Margaret. I was bidding online and eventually got him for $1,250.”
Got Unders was originally trained for Hopkins and his family partners by Paul Smith at Coffs Harbour and won or placed in 12 of 14 starts including three placings in Brisbane.
“I then started working for Ken Lantry at Newcastle and re-located the horse to his stables where he won a few races including one at Rosehill plus a lot more placings,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins also had stints with Wagga trainer Trevor Sutherland, Barbara Joseph in Canberra and John O’Shea.
“Eventually, I took out my trainers’ licence and Got Unders became my first winner when he won at Randwick in January,” Hopkins said.
Got Unders is one of three winners from the winning Danehill mare Frantoio, a sister to Legal Consent and a half-sister to South Australian Oaks winner Miss Margaret (Marscay).
Legal Consent is the dam of G1 WA Derby winner Dreamaway (More Than Ready) and Listed winner New Spice (Old Spice) while Miss Margaret is the dam of G2 winner Confront (Bluebird) and Listed winner Celebrity Miss (More Than Ready).
Another of Frantoio’s half-sisters Starnet (Last Tycoon) is the dam of G3 winner Dances On Stars (Snitzel).
TIBBIE STAKES: Bernardini’s 7YO daughter Zanbagh recorded her seventh career win with a classy performance over a quality field of fillies and mares.Zanbagh (Bernardini x Wild Iris by Spectrum) has seven wins and seven placings from her 41 starts for prize money of $1,243,295.
Her dam Wild Iris (Spectrum) won the G1 Australian Oaks and has produced three foals to race for three winners.
Zanbagh’s second dam Wild Violet (Archregent) was a city winner who had seven foals to race for four winners.
 | | Zanbagh | |
Her third dam Fiancee (Baguette) won five races including the G2 Flight Stakes and the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes and produced the G3 winner Zip Me Up (Zephyr Zip) and a further five winners.
Wild Iris died in 2014.
Zanbagh is one of 57 stakes winners and 13 G1 winners by Bernardini, a son of A.P Indy who covered his last Southern Hemisphere book in 2015. His Australasian G1 winners are Boban, Go Indy Go and Ruud Awakening.
