Homebred Almanzor filly Undaunting showed her appreciation of a step up in trip to break her maiden at Benalla with authority.The three-year-old took on the older horses in her third start and was far too strong for them at the end of 1600 metres.It was only her third appearance and co-trainer Levi Kavanagh is expecting her to be even better over more ground.“She came home really strongly so that was good to see,” he said.“She maps to us like she will appreciate even further, 2000 metres plus.”Undaunting settled three back on the fence before rider Fred Kersley got her into the clear at the top of the straight and she lengthened stride impressively to romp home by two and a-half lengths.We sold the filly to Kavanagh Racing for A$250,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and is a half-sister to the two-time winner and multiple Group placegetter War Eternal.Their dam is the Fastnet Rock mare Aleria whose brother Thorondor won four times and finished runner-up in the G2 Danehill Stakes.The Kavanagh's purchased Aleria's yearling colt by Circus Maximus from us at the Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and the mare has an unraced Reliable Man juvenile named Neednoman and produced a colt by Per Incanto last season.

Apostrophe completed a notable domestic stakes double at Trentham for the late Tavistock when she reigned supreme in the G3 Manawatu Breeders’ Stakes over 2100 metres.And the loss of our much-loved stallion son of Montjeu was further emphasised across the Tasman where his daughter Good Banter triumphed in the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick.The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained Apostrophe delivered a hollow victory in the mares’ feature to follow the earlier winning lead of Outovstock in the G3 Manawatu Classic.Apostrophe lapped up the middle distance and lobbed along in midfield and let down powerfully in the straight for Masa Hashizume to win by three lengths.“We were a little bit worried about it being a slowly run race, but with only nine runners you’re never really going to get too far off them,” Wellwood said.“A bit of pressure came on at the turn so she could come up behind them and, when she got a gap, she was electric.“She has been screaming out to go over 2000 metres her whole life but we’ve never been able to get her there. Now that we have, she was very good.“There may be one more race for her at Te Rapa after this (G2 Travis Stakes, 2000m) but she is probably destined for the broodmare paddock at the end of this preparation.”Apostrophe was bred by Greenwich Stud and sold through Cambridge Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale to James and Wellwood for $60,000.She is a daughter of the Cape Cross mare Cape South whose pedigree features our Highly Recommended mare Polygon, winner of the G2 Royal Stakes and the G3 Eulogy Stakes.The Bax family-bred Good Banter was a determined winner of the Adrian Knox, but trainer John O’Shea was luke-warm on a start in the G1 Australian Oaks.“My preference wouldn’t be to, I think she’s got a lot to offer going down the road,” he said.“If we just take our time we might end up in Queensland at a lesser level, albeit it a Group 1, up there.”Bred by the Bax family, Good Banter was a A$280,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale buy for Astute Bloodstock and is out of a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Danzdanzdance.

Genuine six-year-old Here To Shock doubled his stakes tally with a sterling performance to land the G3 Victoria Handicap at Caulfield.The Ben, JD and Will Hayes-trained son of Shocking’s victory in the feature event was full of merit as he had to overcome the outside gate in the 1400 metre feature.Second-up after a resuming third in the defence of his Echuca Cup title, the Cambridge Stud graduate unwound powerfully for Daniel Stackhouse in the run home to earn his eighth win with a Listed Golden Mile success also on his record.“He’s a horse that enjoys his races spaced and it was a great ride from Dan from the wide gate,” Will Hayes said.“I was really confident at the top of the straight, he had relaxed so well. “He’s a horse that will continue on for races like the Winter Championship (Listed, 1600m), there’s lots of options for him.”Here To Shock was taken back to beyond midfield and when he let down in the straight was in a league of his own.“He deserved that win, he’s ultra consistent and we had to take our medicine from the gate,” Stackhouse said.“He travelled well and really accelerated off the corner to put them away.”Here To Shock carries the colours of syndicator Slade Bloodstock, who purchased him at Karaka for $70,000.Bred by the Sunlight Trust, he is out of the Lonhro mare Frescoes and is a half-brother to Listed winner Turn The Ace.