Flemington Metro Double for Churchill

Churchill has been running hot in Europe in the past week siring three Group winners – Blue Rose Cen, The Foxes and Yashin - and in Australia had a metropolitan double on Saturday at Flemington.

Stakes-placed filly Jenny Jerome (3f Churchill x Tortoni, by Strategic) is racing well in her current preparation for Patrick Payne and stormed to the line out wide to make it back-to-back metro wins in the Benchmark 78 event over 1400m.

A homebred for the Tait family, Jenny Jerome has been very consistent with four wins and three placings from 13 starts and prizemoney just shy of $180,000.

She is a half-sister to Group II winner Cherry Tortoni and is one of four winners from Tortoni, a half-sister by Strategic to Champion Stayer and 13 time Group I winner Tie the Knot.

Bringing up the double for Churchill was First Immortal (3g Churchill x Storm Siren, by Excites), an up and coming staying prospect trained by Mark and Levi Kavanagh.

He’s making rapid progress through his grades and score a dominant victory over 2000m, his third win from just eight starts with earnings topping $134,000.

“He’s very green and will get better with time,” said Mark Kavanagh.

“He’s a very promising horse with a very good turn of foot. We won’t push him to go to Queensland at this stage, I’d rather keep him here and go through his grades and there might be something better for him in the spring.”

A $160,000 Inglis Classic purchase for Kavanagh Racing from the Widden Stud draft, First Immortal is the best of two winners from Storm Siren, a half-sister by Excites to Group I winner Hot King Prawn and Group III winner Siren’s Fury.

Churchill returns to Australia this spring at a fee of $22,000.