After a promising second at Bathurst on February 26, the Sweet Lou gelding Berocca Bernie was an impressive winner in a 2yo race at Bathurst on Wednesday night.
Driven by his trainer Bernie Hewitt, Berocca Bernie led throughout the 1730 metre trip and won by six metres from Count Your Blessin and Meant To Be Sloy.
Berocca Bernie rated a handy 1:58.3 and sprinted home the last half in 57 seconds off a pair of 28.5 quarters.
It was a timely win for Medowie Lodge who will offer a half-sister to Berocca Bernie as Lot 49 in this weekend’s Nutrien Sydney Yearling Sale.
The filly is by Captain Crunch from the Well Said mare Witherspoon which now has two winners from her three foals of racing age.
Captain Crunch had a big night at Gloucester Park last Friday night producing the winners of both the fillies and colt’s editions of the $100,000 WA Sales Classics.
Captain Stirling won the colts final rating 1:56.9 for the 2130 metres and lifting his earnings to $132,665 while the filly’s edition was taken out by Its Maa Time which has now won five of her seven career starts and earned stakes of $86,002.
The two feature race wins have taken Captain Crunch to the top of the Australian 3yo Sires List going into Sunday’s Sale.
Witherspoon was a winner herself and is a half-sister to Velox Equus which won 17 races and $136,418 while her dam Formalize is a half-sister to the 2011 Australian 3yo Colt/Gelding of the Year in Sushi Sushi.
Lot 49 is in Barn B29 at the Inglis Sales Complex and Darren Reay and his staff would be more than happy to get the filly out of the box for a closer inspection.
There happens to be a relation to Its Maa Time in Sunday’s Sale in Lot 184 which is a colt by Always B Miki from the Rocknroll Hanover mare Macelli.
Macelli’s dam Estasi is a half-sister to Its Maa Time’s dam Maastrict being by Albert Albert from Forest Glory. Lot 184 is being prepared by Emma Day and can be found in Barn K32.