Story from www.racingandsports.com.au
Uate Ready To Prove His Worth
Story By Chris Scholtz
Monday, 26 September 2011: Connections of crack Newcastle three-year-old Uate will know in a matter of days if they made the right decision to reject a $1 million offer for the classy colt.
Offers for have been rolling in since last season and only last week a major Hunter Valley-based stud inspected the son of Ad Valorem.
A Melbourne agent also tabled a $1million offer but the Australian Bloodstock syndicate that owns Uate have their own designs on a breeding career for the colt.
‘We rolled the dice because Uate is such an exciting prospect and he will stay with Kris Lees,’ Australian Bloodstock principal Jamie Lovett said.
‘If he goes to Melbourne this spring and wins a Group One race he will be worth four or five times what we have already been offered.’
Uate rose to a Timeform rating behind only Sepoy, Helmet and Smart Missile as the fourth best juvenile colt in Australia last season after winning three of his five starts.
He won the G3 Skyline Stakes at Warwick Farm and went on to finish second to Helmet in the G1 Sires Produce Stakes at Randwick.
While Sepoy, Helmet and Smart Missile have already carried on with their outstanding form this season, Kris Lees has held Uate back for a late start to his spring program at Randwick next Saturday.
He resumes in the G2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) off a second in a Broadmeadow barrier trial last Tuesday with the G1 Coolmorte Stud Stakes at Flemington on October 29 his major spring goal.
It could be a big spring for Australian Bloodstock as their German purchase Lucas Cranach arrived in Melbourne on Saturday to be trained by Anthony Freedman for the Melbourne Cup.
‘We are extremely excited about his Melbourne Cup prospects, but it has not been decided whether he will go for the Caulfield Cup as well,” Lovett said.
‘Lee Freedman has been looking after him during quarantine in England and he thinks the horse is the real deal,’ Lovett said.
