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Immortal Love proves one to follow for the season - gelding becomes tenth stakes winner for Bel Esprit as a broodmare sire
One of the standout performances on a top-class day of racing on Saturday, was the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Immortal Love (Snitzel), who kept his unblemished record intact when coming out on top of a blanket finish to win the HDF McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield and announcing himself as one of the three-year-old’s this season worth keeping track of.
The son of Australia’s current reigning champion stallion Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) record is impressive reading, winning all three of his starts and on Saturday beat, what looked on paper an impressive field, including the last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa).
Raced and bred by United Syndications, the gelding is out of Loveyamadly (Bel Esprit), who the syndicator purchased for $60,000 at the 2010 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and she was handy filly on the track for United, going on to win the Abell Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and finish second in the Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Loveyamadly is one of nine winners out of dual-winning mare Beauty World (Danehill Dancer), making her a half-sister to Lite’n In My Veins (Henrythenavigator) and Hi World (High Chaparral), who both landed a pair of Group 3s, while she is also a half-sister to Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m) and Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) runner-up Ducimus (Snitzel).
The gelding’s third dam is unraced Zippast (Lord Seymour) and she proved herself a top-class broodmare, producing 12 winners from 13 runners, including Listed winner Firenza (Kenny’s Best Pal), who in turn produced dual Group 3 winner Tuscan Sling (Danehill Dancer) and the Listed-placed Arrival (Choisir) - the dam of dual Listed winner Assertive Approach (Akeed Mofeed).
Meanwhile, Firenza is also the grandam of Kiwia (Reset), who landed the Coongy Handicap (G 3, 2000m) and the Ballarat Cup (Listed, 2000m) on two occasions.
Further afield, the gelding hails from the family of Oh Calcutta (Streetfighter) - the dam of Group 2 winner and prolific Group 1 placegetter Indian Raj (Century) and Stage Hit (Century), who was crowned joint top filly in Australia for the 1978-79 season, who finished second in the 1979 edition of the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), having taken out the Big M Stakes (Listed, 1000m) and Ottawa Stakes (Listed, 1000m) prior to her start in the Group 1.
Stage Hit was herself a good producer, being the dam of Group 2 winner Irradiate (Rassendyll) and Listed scorer Encores (Marscay), who finished second in Group 1 company on three occasions.
Stage Hit is also the grandam of Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Pillaging (Marauding), Group 3 winner Splendid Horse (Geiger Counter) and Listed scorer Del Tor (Deputy Governor).
Loveyamadly’s two-year-old is called Lovestoned (Not A Single Doubt), while in 2019 she produced a colt by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) and was covered by Rubick (Encosta De Lago) last season.
Immortal Love’s victory on Saturday also provided the Sun Stud resident Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) with his tenth stakes winner as a broodmare sire, with his leading performers in this sphere being multiple Group 1-winning Hong Kong champion Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) and New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Costa Viva (Encosta De Lago).
The gelding is the second stakes performer bred on the Snitzel / Bel Esprit, joining fellow Group 3 winner Sylvia’s Mother.