More Stakes Success for Air Assault

A Group winner at two and a stakes-winner last spring, Air Assault (3g Justify x Elegant Eagle,by Zabeel) is now a four time stakes-winner after adding the Listed SAJC Port Adelaide Guineas (1800m) to his tally at Morphettville on Saturday.

The Andrew Gluyas trained son of Justify led for home and kept up a good gallop all the way to the post holding off a late challenge from spring stakes-winner War Monger to win by a head as favourite.

“He really had to earn that today and showed a lot of heart and those Justify genes to really kick to the line and he’s held on well after leading the whole way over 1800,” said Andrew Gluyas indicating he would go next to the Group III SAJC Chairmans’s Stakes over 2000m on April 27.

Passed in as a yearling and retained to race, Air Assault has won five of 14 starts earning over $390,000 in prizemoney. He was bred by Harry Perks and partners and was raised at Mill Park in South Australia with further stakes targets in his home state on the radar in coming weeks.

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 being the third stakes-winner among seven winners from outstanding producer Elegant Eagle, who retired from stud duty last year.

A winning daughter of champion sire Zabeel, Elegant Eagle is a full sister to the dam of Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed from the family of Golden Slipper winner Ha Ha, so it’s a genuinely versatile family at the elite level and has now had some success on the international stage.

Southern Speed is at stud in Japan and recently produced a new stakes-winner with promising three year-old Cosmo Kuranda winning the Group II Nakayama Hochi Hai Yayoi Sho Deep Impact Kinen.