Melbourne, August 23 – As a half-brother to champion filly Alinghi, you’d be hoping he could win on debut at Geelong on a Friday and Oceanus did just that!
A three year-old colt by More Than Ready (USA), the Anthony Freedman trained Oceanus won the 1000 metre maiden as a short priced favourite.
He jumped only fairly from gate one and settled just off the pace before surging through a narrow gap close to the fence to post a length victory.
Withdrawn from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when offered by Yarraman Park, Oceanus was later syndicated privately.
“We took him to the sale, but he quartered his heel and after a couple of days he went quite lame so we had to withdraw him,” revealed Harry Mitchell of Yarraman Park.
“We then sent him down to Anthony Freedman to put him into work and he liked what he saw and syndicated him amongst stable clients and Australian Bloodstock, whose colours he wears.”
Oceanus is the eighth winner from eight to race from terrific producer Oceanfast and is a half-brother to four-time Group I winner Alinghi and stakes-placed Slice of Paradise and Perfect Persuasion.
Yarraman Park sold a Fastnet Rock colt from Oceanfast at Inglis Easter this year for $260,000 and have another colt by the same sire to follow.
“She’s in foal to Sepoy at present and we’d love to see a filly as her last six foals have been colts,” Mitchell added.
