Don Corleone’s uncanny resemblance to Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside convinced Newgate Farm supremo Henry Field to take a gamble on the colt as a weanling, and the investment looks like paying dividends.
The youngster proved superior in Saturdays Petaluma Handicap (1000m) at Randwick despite receiving no favours in the run when he was posted three and four-wide from an outside draw.
Don Corleone ($6.50) still had the temerity to range up to the leading group on the corner and wear down Kundalini($11) by three-quarters of a length with Coincide($3.90 Texbet fav) holding third another three lengths away.
Field, who stands Stay Inside at Newgate alongside the sire of both horses in Extreme Choice, paid $650,000 for Don Corleone, the most he has paid for a weanling “by a long way”.
“He is by Extreme Choice, who is a special stallion, and he is in the image, physically, of Stay Inside. He is like a doppelganger,” Field said of Don Corleone.
Stay Inside made a winning debut in the corresponding race at Randwick two years ago before going on to claim the Pierro Plate then finishing fourth in the Todman Stakes ahead of his Slipper triumph.
Co-trainer Peter Snowden said was yet to lock in autumn plans for Don Corleone as while the horse had been showing above-average ability at home, he had disappointed in his trials and he wanted to see the juvenile perform on race day.
“His trials I thought had been OK, but that was why I put the blinkers on today because I wanted to a make a statement with the colt,” Peter Snowden said.
“I wanted to make sure he is the horse I think he is going to be.
“So, I thought no loafing today, put him in the race, he needed to show us he had the ability to go all the way, or whether he was just a pretender.
“It was good to see him do that today.”
Having proved to Snowden he is the real deal, Don Corleone will now be considered for starts in the major two-year-old races in both Sydney and Melbourne.
“We have Blue Diamond options and Golden Slipper options,” Snowden said.
“After today, I am confident no matter where he goes he will be competitive.”
Don Corleone vaulted to the third line of Golden Slipper betting at $11 and was at $15 for the Blue Diamond Stakes following Saturday’s win.