Act Up gets up in $1 million Golden Gift
Act Up channels his sire's lightning turn of foot to win the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill. (PHOTO: Georgia Young)
Two days after Castelvecchio’s daughter Bella Verona won the $350,000 Inglis Bracelet, his 2YO son Act Up produced a sub-33 second final 600 metres at only his second start to take out the $1 million ATC Golden Gift 1100m LR on Five Diamonds Day at Rosehill Gardens.
It was a performance reminiscent of the 2019 Inglis Millennium victory that marked Castelvecchio’s own emergence as a serious juvenile talent, and Act Up’s $590,000 prizemoney has already secured a Golden Slipper spot.
Co-trainer Will Hayes said, “He’s very mature, very forward, and obviously we’ve got him right up there with the best group.
“But we still have a lot of two-year-olds yet to be unleashed … it’s an exciting time. We like working backwards from races like the Golden Slipper, so it’s very good and that was just a great ride and a great watch.”
ACT UP OVER THE TOP💥 What a win in the Golden Gift! Another 2YO winner for Team Hayes 👏 @nashhot @lindsayparkrace https://t.co/jAw3OvXsCS
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) November 7, 2026
Jockey Nash Rawiller said, “Just gave me the feel of a good horse going to the gates…I knew I was going to be hard to beat at the 350-metre mark. He quickened well and came up behind them. Timmy’s horse [Silent Intent] showed a fair bit of fight. I thought we had to dig pretty deep over the last 100 metres to win the race.”
Debut third placegetter Torshavn (by Maurice) is one to watch, as Andrew Adkins confirmed, “He is a pretty nice horse. Still a big kid. His eyes were popping out of his head. Closed the race off very very well.”
Bred by Phoenix Broodmare Farm, Act Up is the fourth winner out of Sista Act (by Falvelon) and was a $240,000 purchase by Lindsay Park & agent Dean Hawthorne from the Glenbeigh Farm draft at Magic Millions. Sista Act, who traces to the 1897 VRC Oaks winner Eleusive, has a yearling colt by King’s Legacy and foaled a full sister to Act Up in September.
Act Up is Castelvecchio’s 7th stakeswinner and his 4th stakes performer this Spring, after Modella, Verona Rose and Aeliana, whose 4th placing in the VRC Champions S. G1 pushed her career prizemoney past $5.3 million.
