Whilst it’s all too obvious to say that the progeny of Trapeze Artist are flying – the facts show that in fact they are. He is the leading second season stallion in the country and his two STAR fillies LEITZEL and CONCELLO were both equally eye catching winners over the last 4 days.

Yesterday at Eagle Farm it was our 3 year old filly LEITZEL who did a great job to power home in the 1,400 metres maiden and win comfortably after settling well back in the field. Her rider Damien Thornton had assessed that it was probably best to stay closer to the rails as opposed to going wide at the turn and so after turning for home, he weaved a passage through the field and in the words of caller David Fowler “LEITZEL goes up hits the lead…and moves away to score”.

Chris’ foreman Brett Killion explained it well: the filly had run nicely in her only 2 prior starts both which looked to be good form races. The application of blinkers, race experience and fitness, together with a sound “game plan” worked to perfection with the filly taking the lead just after the 100 metres mark and drawing clear to win by just over a length. Her performance yesterday suggests that LEITZEL has a bright future and her win may be the first of many.

LEITZEL was a 2022 Inglis Classic yearling purchase from the draft of Widden Stud, also the farm where Trapeze Artist stands. At the time of the sale, Randwick Bloodstock Agency’s Brett Howard commented that she was “a gorgeous filly, with a lovely deep girth and plenty of strength – moves well and has an amazing temperament.” All attributes this filly has now taken to the racetrack! LEITZEL was named after renowned Circus Hall of Famer Lillian Leitzel, a German-born acrobat and trapeze artist for the Ringling Brothers Circus.

Congratulations to the winning LEITZEL owners CGO Racing, Katherine Bell, Rebecca Bell, Sully Racing (Manager: Wayne Sullivan), Christopher Mills, Paramount Racing (Manager: Kathryn Wood), Martin Ive, Rachel Ive, Anne Hickey, Boeara Holdings (Manager: Denise Dunphy), Roger Cheetham, Heather Wilson, Michael Woodcroft, George Woodcroft, Scott Maybury