Flying filly Sunnysilk gave Darling View Thoroughbreds a winning start to the Belmont Guineas meeting on Saturday.
Sunnysilk clocked 58.64s in the Happy 50th Birthday Grant McLearie Hcp which is the fastest of her four wins over the distance. The Snippetson filly required knee surgery last year but that hasn’t stopped her progress for trainer David Harrison.
“She was outstanding today and it was a gem of a ride by Paul (Harvey),” part-owner Grant Burns said. “There was plenty of speed and she got a nice cart into the race. She’s tough and always gives 100%. We will breed from her in time but we’re happy to keep going for a bit longer yet and hopefully put more money in the purse.”
Sunnysilk (pictured) was bred by Darling View Thoroughbreds and has earned $268,970 with Westspeed Bonuses of $115,600. There are also EPONA credits to the value of $10,000.
Her dam Sunsilkin (Oratorio) has a yearling colt and weanling colt by Darling View sire Patronize. It’s the stakes winning family of Casper Cowboy (LR Belmont Newmarket), Bold Kite (LR Belgravia Stakes) and Sovereign Kite (G3 Canterbury Cup).
An hour after Sunnysilk sprouted wings, Darling View-bred 3yo Brooklyn Pier burned punters as a beaten favourite in the Amelia Park Hcp (1200m). He had been an impressive first-up winner on June 5 after recovering from a minor suspensory injury.
Brooklyn Pier (Magnus) finished fourth behind Jericho Missile after working outside of the speed set by Speeding Comet. “He lacked experience against more seasoned horses but I was happy enough with the run,” trainer Neville Parnham said. “I thought he was under the odds and we will start him again in three weeks.”
Darling View’s Clive Atwell bred and sold Brooklyn Pier for $105,000 as part of the Western Breeders Alliance draft to the 2019 Perth Magic Millions. His dam Top Show (Stratum) won three races at Belmont and her latest foals are a colt by Lucky Street and a colt by Sunnysilk’s sire Snippetson.
WBA partners Wayne and Jane Beynon of Einoncliff Park have their Melbourne-based graduate Ranveer heading to the spring carnival on the back of a commanding first-up victory at Sandown last Saturday week.
Ranveer (Winning Rupert) had been runner-up to subsequent Inglis Millennium winner Profiteer on debut at Flemington in December. He subsequently fell ill and missed a trip to the Gold Coast for the RL Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
“He probably hadn’t done enough work to win but class took him through,” trainer Matt Laurie said at Sandown. “He looked like he was running on empty a fair way from home and will come on a hell of a lot from that.”
Ranveer was bred and sold for $200,000 in the Swan Valley by Einoncliff Park. “I thought he was a standout at the Perth Sale,” Laurie recalled. “He looked a well-muscled, well-balanced colt and was typical early-running style of horse.”
