Impressive Group Winner Becomes Classic Prospect For Calyx

Sepals (3g Calyx – What’s New, by Casino Prince) emerged as a strong contender for the Australian Guineas when running out an impressive winner of Saturday’s Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes at Flemington.

A promising fourth on debut in December, Cliff Brown’s charge earned a step up into stakes company after winning his next two starts in good style. The son of Calyx justified connections’ belief by bolting up by three and a quarter lengths under Blake Shinn.

“It was a dominant win,” Shinn confirmed. “He had a lovely draw in barrier one, he switched off beautifully and everything presented for him, but he had to capitalise and it was such an impressive win. He's got a great mind and when I asked him to extend in the gap at the 300 he really exploded well.

“It's exciting for Cliff's team, especially heading towards a Guineas. On that performance I guess you've got to have a throw at the stumps and we can all dare to dream he might be a Guineas winner in a few more weeks' time.”

Trainer’s representative Tony Lane was equally optimistic at Sepals’ chances at the highest level, saying: “The horse has done nothing wrong, he'd won his past two, so we threw him in the deep end to see if he could swim and he can definitely swim. He's just gone ahead leaps and bounds the last month-and-a-half and I don't think the ceiling's even there yet.”

Owned by his trainer with HA Brown and Imperial Racing Stable, Sepals hails from the first of two Southern Hemisphere crops by Calyx. The GJ Perry-bred three-year-old becomes his sire’s second stakes winner and fourth blacktype performer Down Under.

Calyx is responsible for four Group winners overall, and a total of 14 blacktyper performers. They include two Group 2 scorers, as well as Group 1 Irish Oaks third Purple Lilly and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes third Eben Shaddad.