March has been an exceptional month for Victorian-based sires, with their progeny combining to win a total of sixteen black-type races across Australia and New Zealand. Among these triumphs were four Listed races; three Group 3s, three Group 2s and six at the highest level. Join us as we take a look at the six Victorian-sired runners who achieved Group 1 glory in March.

Southport Tycoon wins the Australian Guineas (Image: Racing Photos)
Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon x Ready To Rule)
G1 Australian Guineas - 2nd March
The Bennett Racing-owned and Ciaron Maher-trained three-year-old colt Southport Tycoon started the month on a high note for Victorian sires when victorious in the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington. The son of Yulong’s eight-time Victorian Champion Sire, Written Tycoon, came home the dominant winner of a quality field under Jamie Kah, and looks like he’ll continue to be competitive at the highest level.
Velocious (Written Tycoon x Parmalove)
G1 Sistema Stakes - 9th March
Two-year-old filly Velocious followed up her dominant Listed Karaka Millions 2YO victory by storming to success in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie for Stephen Marsh and the Go Racing team. The daughter of Written Tycoon was in good company, beating dual Group 2 winner Captured By Love, another filly by the Victorian-based stallion. More top-level assignments await these talented fillies as the duo are set to do battle again in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes in early April.
Lady Laguna (Overshare x Catalina De Lago)
G1 Canterbury Stakes - 9th March
Lady Laguna, the daughter of Widden Stud Victoria’s Overshare, has achieved a meteoric rise this season. Beginning her four-year-old season as a Listed winner and Group 3 placegetter, she was beaten in a Benchmark 88 in December. In the months that followed she won four of her six starts, winning at Listed and Group 3 level, in addition to taking out the $1 million Magic Millions Fillies & Mares. Lady Laguna’s season culminated with her victory in the G1 Canterbury Stakes over 1300m, beating an impressive field of Group 1 winners.. Owned by OTI Racing, and trained by Annabel Neasham, this filly looks to still be improving and showed her Group 1 success was no fluke when finishing fast for a close second in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes most recently.

Veight (orange cap) wins the George Ryder and Lady Laguna (navy cap) finishes second
Veight (Grunt x Neena Rock)
G1 George Ryder Stakes - 23rd March
Whilst the aforementioned Lady Laguna finished an honourable second, it was Veight who took home the spoils in the G1 George Ryder Stakes, providing a first top-level win for his sire, Grunt. Trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Veight was second behind Southport Tycoon in the Group 1 Australian Guineas before his victory in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill, beating seven Group 1 or $1 million race winners in the process. Bred by Yulong, he was sold as a weanling to Sledmere Stud and Cangon, before being purchased by his trainers and Belmont Bloodstock as a yearling.
Zapateo (Brazen Beau x Jerezana)
G1 Galaxy Handicap - 23rd March
Godolphin homebred Zapateo, by Victorian-based stallion Brazen Beau, added a first Group 1 victory to her five other black-type wins when taking out the G1 Galaxy Handicap. Tracking the pace under Kerrin McEvoy, she got rolling down the home straight to hit the front late on and record a memorable win in the million-dollar race for James Cummings.. A testament to her mental and physical constitution, this was the five-year-old mare’s nineteenth race in Group or Listed company, and twenty-fifth overall start. She has now won over $1.7 million in prize money in the famous Godolphin colours.

Lady of Camelot wins the Golden Slipper
Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon x Miss Debutante)
G1 Golden Slipper - 23rd March
Yulong’s Written Tycoon has carried all before him in two-year-old races this season, siring the winners of nearly 10% of all Australasian two-year-old stakes races this season. His Go Bloodstock homebred daughter, Lady Of Camelot, claimed one of the most prestigious races on the calendar with a gutsy victory in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes. Settling just behind the lead early on in the $5 million race, she exploded through a gap under Blake Shinn to win, beating another Victorian-sired horse, the son of Pierata, Coleman. The striking filly, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, found improvement on her second-place finish in the Group 1 Blue Diamond at Flemington to go one better at Rosehill, providing her legendary trainer with an eighth Golden Slipper winner.
It has been an exceptional month for Victorian-sired runners, showcasing the superb depth of the Victorian industry. With plenty more big prizes on offer in April, we can’t wait to see more Victorian success!
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