Inglewood Stud savoured a champagne afternoon after a memorable black type double for their resident sire Zacinto (GB) on Saturday. The North Canterbury farm celebrated royal results for Zacinto with the Dansili stallion’s daughter Zigwig successful at Riccarton and a little over 15 minutes later it was the turn of his son Ugo Foscolo at Te Rapa.
Inglewood Stud is a family operation and managed by Gus Wigley, who was handed the reins in 2012 by his father Nick, who also trains Zigwig. "This is just huge for the stud and the stallion,” Nick Wigley said.
Zigwig’s victory in the Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes, later matched by Ugo Foscolo’s success in the Listed Hamilton Vets Equine Stakes, executed a long-term plan. "This is the race we kept her for,” Wigley said. "She would have been turned out before this if it wasn’t a stakes race.” Zigwig was put aside after a debut placing in the summer and a fortnight ago she finished a creditable third on her return on the course after racing five wide in a 17-horse field. "Jacob Lowry got off her and said she was still six months away from her best,” Wigley said. "I think she’s going to be a real Guineas horse in the spring.” With senior jockey Terry Moseley getting the call up for Saturday, Zigwig raced kindly within touch of the pace and when she was asked for a serious effort in the straight the juvenile quickly put a margin on the field. She coasted over the closing 200 metres to have three and a half lengths to spare at the post on Disturbance, who made ground strongly, with Shirley Maude third ahead of the first-starter Cobblertothestars. The favourite What Choux Want was in front early in the run home before wilting to finish fifth.
Commanding favourite Ugo Foscolo was given a serious test at Te Rapa and the highly-regarded youngster responded with a record-breaking performance.
The hot pot set a new course mark of 1.03.54 for the 1100 metres in the Listed Hamilton Vets Equine Stakes and in the process maintained his unbeaten record. Ugo Foscolo was on the slick early tempo before rider Michael Coleman eased him back and the son of Zacinto, whose daughter had earlier landed the Listed Berkley Stud Champagne Stakes at Riccarton, then finished determinedly to down Memories Only. "They ran hard up front and that other horse is pretty smart – he kicked very hard and certainly wasn’t stopping,” said trainer Stephen Marsh, who also won the event 12 months ago with No More Tears.
"The margin wasn’t big, but we can take plenty out of the race and times tell everything.” A runaway winner on an unsuitably soft track at Rotorua last month, Ugo Foscolo will now go to the paddock and return in the spring with Group One business to attend to. "He’ll go to the paddock now and I’ll have a meeting with the owners later on, but I think we’ll be looking solely at the 2000 Guineas,” Marsh said. "I rate him extremely highly – he’s a serious horse and what he's done so far proves that. He's capable of much bigger and better things." The runner-up Memories Only is also headed for the spelling paddock with owner-trainer Linda Laing considering a future Melbourne campaign for the son of Patapan.