Australian Group double for Frankel

Francesco Guardi formed part of a Group race double for Frankel on Saturday winning the Gr.2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup with My Whisper following up later with a win in the Gr.3 Tesio Stakes.

Taken from the ANZ Bloodstock News, 23rd October 2022:

Chris Waller-trained gelding, Francesco Guardi, who has now won three times in 14 starts in Australia, scored by three and three-quarter lengths ahead of Lunar Flare, with Persan finishing third, six and a half lengths from the winner, with the field spread 30 lengths from first to last.

Francesco Guardi was a 200,000gns buy for Amanda Skiffington from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2019. He is out of French-bred mare Trophee, herself a stakes-placed mare in the US and a half-sister to dual Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve.

Chris Waller will seek to target next year’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup with Francesco Guardi, after the Northern hemisphere-bred four-year-old demonstrated his staying prowess with a dominant win in yesterday’s Moonee Valley Cup.

"He might have caught us a little off guard with his improvement, but he's been up a long time and we always thought that next year will be his year," Waller told Racing.com.

"Autumn comes around so quick and he will be well on his way to becoming a Melbourne Cup horse this time next year. The horse has been working his way into form. The writing was on the wall with a good run at Flemington last start and backs it up in a massive prize money race today. Winning races like today is one thing, the Melbourne Cup is a whole new level. We'll
regroup after today and have a good throw at the stumps next year."

Two races later on the same card My Whisper bounded clear to win the Gr.3 Tesio Stakes (1600m). The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained three-year-old won by a long neck ahead of Roots and Sirileo Miss, who was a further length and a half away in third.

“It’s good to see her back in form. I know she likes the Melbourne way and she’s been given a peach of a ride. She’s got a lot of fight in her and, if anything, the tougher the run, the tougher she is. You can keep her to a mile or go to 2000 metres, I think she’s pretty versatile. Yulong have done a great job and she’s a lovely filly, they’ve bred her well.” commented stable representative Andrew Angelone.

My Whisper, who won the Gr.3 Auraria Stakes (1800m) at Morphettville earlier this year, before finishing third in the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m), was retained by Yulong after being passed in as a yearling. She is the first foal out of Hersigh, herself a half-sister to Listed winner Ennaadd.