Admiral Promo has notched the first win for Westbury Park sire My Admiration and he did it in style at Ascot.
Making his debut in the DVG Maiden Plate (1200m) on Wednesday, the long-striding 2yo gelding angled off the fence in the straight to mow down Frost Giant duo Fingermark and Miss Frost.
Admiral Promo is a homebred for Gold Front Thoroughbreds owners Alan & Sue Olive. His dam Promotional (Al Maher) won up to 2000m at Morphettville for Leon Macdonald and she was part of a multi-mare deal between the Sunspeed couple and NSW based Yashraj Breeding in 2012.
ADMIRAL PROMO
When Westbury Park owner Phil Ibbotson imported My Admiration two years later, the Olives joined the stallion’s syndicate which also included Graham Daws, Kevin Berry and Alan Macalister.
Trainer Dan Morton booked Willie Pike for Admiral Promo and he rode a copybook race on the first-starter. “He’s a big, steady type and I didn’t want to bustle him. He was off the bit early and there weren’t a lot of options so I let him follow the rail and waited until we balanced up.
“When I asked him to find the line, he had the leaders in hand. It was a very good effort.”
My Admiration is a son of champion sire Encosta de Lago and he competed at the top-level in Hong Kong for trainer John Moore winning the G2 Chairmans Trophy and being placed in a G1 Classic Mile.
His dam Provence (Redoute’s Choice) is a three-quarter sister to Wandjina and he’s bred on the same cross as fellow first-season sire Zoustar.
“We knew they would need time and the winners will start coming now,” Ibbotson predicted. “Apparition and Cryptic Love have both been placed and there are some other smart ones with Grant Williams and Trevor Andrews.”