The saying goes that barriers win races. Attention is a colt who has had little luck in the barrier draw for each of his three starts, drawing 5 of 6, 9 of 10 and 12 of 14, but under a great ride from Blake Shinn he was able to overcome the last-noted position to take out the Group 3 T L Baillieu Handicap at Rosehill this past Saturday. Blake allowed this free-striding colt to use his great action at Rosehill where he was soon up with the pace and too strong for his field in the straight. Attention is a colt with a touch of the x-factor – horses who pin their ears and fight so hard to win often keep stepping up to another level as they work through their grades. He now heads to the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce at Royal Randwick on day 1 of The Championships, where the draw has been kinder – this time he will jump from barrier 1!
Attention was a $620,000 James Harron Bloodstock yearling purchase from the 2015 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale – the 2016 edition of this sale kicks off next week in Sydney. He is a son of Golden Slipper winner Stratum and was reared in Ron and Debbie Gilbert’s exceptionally successful nursery of Highgrove Stud. He is a full brother to the Gr.2 placed Flamboyant Lass, and from the family of Australiasian Oaks winner Tempest Morn. Interestingly another of the 2016 Sydney 2YO Group winners – Group 2 Skyline Stakes winner Good Standing – also hails from this family.
A big congratulations to the owners of Attention – Belinda Bateman, Fergus & Delia Doyle, John & Fran Ingham, Donna & Rob Love and Gary Diamond