Herman Hesse becomes Frankel's 150th stakes winner

Herman Hesse handed Frankel his 150th individual stakes winner with his victory in the Listed R M Ansett Classic at Morning on Sunday.

Taken from the ANZ Bloodstock News, 30th September 2024:

Bred by Lady Bamford, the eight-year-old was bought by owners Australian Bloodstock and Ronald Rauscher for 75,000gns at the 2020 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale. Herman Hesse is out of the Group 2 scorer and Group 1-placed mare Dream Peace (Dansili), making him a brother to Epsom Oaks (Gr.1) winner Soul Sister and French Group 3 winner Dreamflight. In winning Sunday’s Listed contest, the gelding became Frankel’s 18th individual Australian stakes winner.

The Ciaron Maher-trained Herman Hesse will now take aim at the Herbert Power Stakes (Gr .) at Caulfield on 12th October after he showed tenacity in spades to win the Listed Ansett Classic at Mornington on Sunday. Raced by Australian Bloodstock and
ridden by Declan Bates, the eight-year-old gelding added a seventh win to his record when he defeated the Symon Wilde-trained Hit The Road Jack (Jakkalberry) by a length. Commando Drift (Complacent) finished a further 1.8 lengths away in third.

“He was very strong, actually even after the line I couldn’t pull him up,” Bates said. “We landed in a good enough spot, he began OK, we took a bit of time to organise ourselves, just with the outside horses coming around. I didn’t want to be snagging him so I
had to go with them and let it unfold a bit, he was nice and relaxed … by the 800 metres he started to build and I knew I was going really well.

“As the front two started to tire I didn’t want to really hang around, I wanted to let him stride, he’s ready for this trip now, and wanted to go with him. “He maintained that all the way to the line and even through the line, so it was a good strong win.”

The Herbert Power Stakes holds a ballot exemption for the Caulfield Cup (Gr.1) which takes place a week later.