Coolmore's Home Affairs demonstrates star quality at Flemington

Home Affairs continued to enhance his prospects as a valuable stallion for Coolmore with his second consecutive Group 1 victory at Flemington in Saturday's Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

No three-year-old had won a race which can often provide pointers for Royal Ascot since 2005 and Fastnet Rock, who was retired without making an intended start in Britain but subsequently became an international force in the sire ranks for the same breeding superpower.

Home Affairs, by Australia's most expensive stallion I Am Invincible, was last seen winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes at the end of October but this was a first try against older rivals at weight-for-age level.

He was to lead home the tightest of one-twos for all-conquering trainer Chris Waller as he hung on by a nostril from defending champion and hot favourite Nature Strip, who lost ground at the start but was gaining rapidly as the line came.

Successful in Group 2 company as a juvenile, Home Affairs was bought by Tom Magnier for A$875,000 from a draft by Torryburn Stud at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and is out of a half-sister to another Group 1-winning Australian sprinter, Russian Revolution.

His year-older half-brother Aysar is also a smart performer who was second in a Caulfield Guineas while dam Miss Interiors has a Dundeel colt catalogued for the next Easter Sale.

Coolmore Australia's racing manager Rob Archibald emphasised how important the victory was for Home Affair's stud career, as it launched two previous Coolmore sires into the stratosphere.

“He is such an exciting prospect for this market. He has got everything they want - he’s got speed, pedigree and looks and is an extremely valuable stallion prospect,” Archibald told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“Fastnet Rock and Choisir have both had very successful stallion careers having won this race and it bodes very well for Home Affairs, that’s for sure."

Coolmore has brought other southern hemisphere sprinters across to Europe in the past, most recently with 2018 Diamond Jubilee winner Merchant Navy, a son of Fastnet Rock and now a promising young sire. This race has been won in the past by travellers such as Choisir, Takeover Target and Black Caviar.

Another start at home in the Newmarket Handicap back at the same venue on March 12 seems to be Home Affairs' most likely next option before such a decision is confirmed.

Archibald added: “All we really wanted to see was that he had returned in good form and to see him pick up where he left off in the Coolmore. He couldn’t have been any better today. A trip overseas is on the cards, obviously he has to get through his next runs here, but definitely a trip to Ascot is still on the table.

“It really is a huge reward for the group of people the Magnier family and Chris put together in this colt and he’s really achieved what they set out to achieve, I think it may have even exceeded what they set out to achieve.

"You want to have stallions and you want the best horses at stud, but this horse is now a two-time Group 1 winner and Group 1 winner at weight-for-age, beating the best sprinters arguably in the world.”

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