Profondo wins Group 1 Spring Champion

Winning a Group 1 race as a Spring 3YO is hard enough.

Win an Australian 2000-metre Group 1 race at only the third start of his racing career and we’re looking at a very special kind of colt. 

His name is Profondo (Italian for “deep”) and he was already special before his sweeping, two-length victory in Saturday’s $1 million Spring Champion S. 2000m G1 at Randwick. 

The Arrowfield-bred colt is a son of the legendary Japanese sire Deep Impact and the Group-winning 2YO Honesty Prevails, a stunning daughter of Redoute’s Choice from the family of the great American sire A.P. Indy. 

He topped the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Sale at $1.9 million, the final bid made by Ottavio & Wendy Galletta, who also enjoyed Group 1 success with Arrowfield-bred-&-sold Castelvecchio. 

Sent to Castelvecchio’s young trainer Richard Litt, Profondo was educated and developed quietly as a 2YO, trialling twice in April and May, and again this Spring before his winning debut over 1400 metres at Randwick just five weeks ago. 

A close second in the Gloaming S. G3 followed on 25 September and the progress Profondo made between that run and the Spring Champion Stakes was evident in the pre-race parade, and brilliantly clear during the race.  

“It’s all go for Profondo!”

Profondo takes the honours in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes!!@littracing @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/eKxgp9lH3m

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 9, 2021

Richard Litt said, “He’s such an exciting colt and he will only get better. He’s left me speechless. We have come here today, he was very relaxed, and gee, the world is his oyster. It’s scary.”

“He will go to the paddock now, have a nice spell and we are going to have a big attack come the Autumn. He’s got some amazing races coming up. He’s very exciting.”

Profondo’s Group 1 victory brings up several significant milestones. He is Arrowfield’s 77th graduate Group 1 winner, and the 6th Group 1-winning sale-topper offered by the Stud since 2001. 

He is Deep Impact’s 52nd Group 1 winner and the fourth of his sons to win a Group 1 race in Australia after Real Impact, Fierce Impact & Tosen Stardom. 

Profondo and Caulfield Guineas G1 winner Anamoe are both out of mares  by Redoute’s Choice who now counts 23 Group 1 winners on his exceptional record as a broodmare sire. Already a two-time Champion in that category, 
he leads the current Australian Broodmare Sires’ premiership with $6.3 million earnings.

And Profondo has given the breeding career of his dam the perfect start, from a seven-figure sale result to the Group 1 winner’s circle.

Honesty Prevails’ second foal, a Shalaa colt named Custodian was bought for $1.15 million by James Harron at this year’s Magic Millions Sale. She also has a yearling colt by Dundeel and visits Maurice this Spring. 

Honesty Prevails herself was a $720,000 purchase by John Hutchinson’s Scone Bloodstock & her trainer, the late Rick Worthington, from Arrowfield’s 2015 Magic Millions draft. She won the Widden S. G3 at her juvenile debut and was subsequently fifth in the Golden Slipper G1.