Colmar charges to easy win in Group 3 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Morphettville

Colmar gave his trainers a landmark victory after brushing his rivals away in the Group 3 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday.

Colmar wins the Sires' Produce Stakes at Morphettville Parks. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

Colmar brushed away his rivals emphatically to win the Group 3 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday, in a landmark result for Murray Bridge trainers Ron Daniel and Trish Stanbury.

Denied a maiden stakes win in the Oaklands Plate by a fast-finishing Femminille, there was no such danger on Saturday as the 2YO gelding took up the lead under hoop Samuel Payne and kicked clear to win by six lengths.

It was a memorable win for Daniel and Stanbury, grasping a first victory at Group level.

“I remember him winning his first race and I said I reckon he might be the best one I’ve had – and he is,” Daniel said post-race.

“He is a really good horse, I think he always comes in under the radar, he’s very ordinary in his trackwork, you wouldn’t back him in a maiden at Mortlake, he’s just one of those horses.

“That breed (Strasbourg) is so tough, they eat up when they get home, he’s looking for a double feed nearly, he will go to the paddock now, we’ll bring him back and see what happens.”

Colmar absolutely destroys them in the G3 Sires' Produce Stakes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0LXsESM5iY

— Racing.com (@Racing) July 20, 2024

It was also a maiden Group win for the in-form Payne, who continues to chalk up winners.

“I love this little horse, Ronny has done such a good job with him, he just relished that today, he did that really easy,” Payne said.

“If he gets over-racing he can sort of fight you a bit and want to run off the track, today I didn’t really want to lead but there was nothing else there, we landed there and got left alone.

“It was probably the best thing for him because he was able to get into a rhythm, slowly pick it up from the 500m, pick it up again on the straight and he was too strong.”

Wet conditions greeted racegoers on Saturday, with the track rated a Heavy 9.

Holmes opened the nine-race card with a well-deserved win for Andrew Clarken.

Shortly after Darryl Hewitt landed his first metro win in 10 years with promising colt Sir Now courtesy of a frontrunning steer from Maggie Collett.

The 2YO, who has shown plenty of ability in three runs, will now head to the paddock.

"Sir Now, a big win!"

The 2YO defeats the older horses at Morphettville 💪 pic.twitter.com/jUo5dAvTUy

— Racing.com (@Racing) July 20, 2024

Hewitt, who prepared talented stakes winner Merlot Now, hadn’t saddled a winner in town since 2014, when Con Now won at Morphettville.

An elated John Macmillan saluted for his 100th career metro victory when evergreen gelding Aiguilette churned out an impressive last-to-first win under a good ride from Dom Tourneur.

“100 city winners, a lot of people get more, but I’m a small trainer, I’m quite pleased to get 100 city winners and I wouldn’t be able to do it without the awesome staff I have,” Macmillan said.

Tipsy Vixen was first past the post under Lachlan Neindorf in race seven, but a protest from Jason Holder aboard Burning Bright saw the result determined in the stewards’ room – the protest was dismissed.

The win saw Richard and Chantelle Jolly take the lead in the Adelaide Trainers’ Premiership, they are tied with Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea (43 wins) but have more second-placed finishes (36), putting them ahead on the countback system.

The premiership will be decided at next Saturday’s final metro meeting of the season at headquarters.

Tasmanian apprentice Taylor Johnstone also had a breakthrough result, snaring a first metro win in SA aboard the Jon O’Connor-trained Exalted Dame. Premiership-leading hoop Jake Toeroek wasn’t able to add to his tally of 47 wins, but has the title all but wrapped up with a six-win buffer over Todd Pannell.

Originally published as Colmar charges to easy win in Group 3 Sires’ Produce Stakes at Morphettville