Air Assault Wins Balaklava Cup

Group I placed last season in the SA Derby, talented gelding Air Assault (4g Justify x Elegant Eagle, by Zabeel) has been a stakes-winner at two and three and now at four winning the Listed BTR Excavations Balaklava Cup (1600m) on Wednesday.

Ridden by Jason Holder for Andrew Gluyas, Air Assault repelled all challengers down the straight to defeat win by a long neck taking his overall record to six wins, a second and four thirds from 19 starts, with earnings of $575,975.

“The horse means a lot to us,” Gluyas said.

“There were a few queries today after coming off a poor run over 1400m (in the Leon McDonald Stakes).

“Credit to Stubbie (Jason Holder), he is on fire and loves this horse, and that was a great win.

“We were always going to be forward depending on what Sir Kingsford was going to do. He put a lot of pressure on us, and he absorbed that. He is a real racehorse and genuine.

“Leon (McDonald) is very emotional as he did not win the race, but he has some good friends here, including Doug Hall.

“We will look at the Toorak Hcp (Group I).”

Bred by The Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust, Air Assault was passed in short of his $100,000 reserve when consigned by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds to the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

He is a half-brother to Group I ATC Champagne Stakes winner Go Indy Go, Group III winner Essay Raider, and Group III placed Battle Brewing. He is the third stakes-winner among seven winners from eight to race for the outstanding producer Elegant Eagle, who was pensioned in 2023.

A winning daughter of champion sire Zabeel, Elegant Eagle is a sister to the dam of Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed from the family of Golden Slipper winner Ha Ha.

Justify is not back in Australia this spring but has a terrific crop of foals being born after covering 188 mares here last year.