Punters rallied to boom 3yo prospect Planet Red when the son of Admire Mars kept his race record intact by going back-to-back with a victory at Sandown on Wednesday.
A debut winner at Pakenham in May when a market drifter from $5 to $12, Planet Red returned from a short let-up to claim the MRC Membership Feel The Thrill Handicap (1200m).
However, there was no luxury odds available this time. The 3-year-old was sent out a dominant $1.85 favourite before winning as expected against a strong field. Planet Red defeated Vega For Luck ($9.50) by a long neck with Bingi ($7.50) a length further away in third.
Planet Red ridden by Mark Zahra
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable are very bullish about Planet Red stating they believe the gelding is bound for Black Type in the Spring.
Mick Kent Jnr said. "He will follow a natural progression and we'll keep stepping him up in grade. No doubt Stakes class beckons for him now.
"The second horse ran second in the Karaka Millions and is no slouch, and there is a lot of black-type about him as well. But we've got a black-type horse, it's just a matter of what level he fits into."
Although this win was over 1200m, both Kent Jnr and Zahra believe Planet Red will be better as the distances increase.
Mick Kent Jnr continued "I really think he would enjoy taking a slight sit and finishing off as we saw when winning on debut at Pakenham, He's very versatile. It's a great asset to have in Australia, to have tactical speed.
"I think he could get a mile. His sire was a Champion miler. He looks like a miler and we're going to find out."
Mark Zahra commented that he was constantly at Planet Red encouraging him to pick up the bit early in the race after being urged Planet Red forward at the start.
Zahra said "Being Lakeside, I sent him forward, and he just wanted to relax, it wasn't the day for that, so I had to keep asking him every furlong, but he kept picking up and he's done a good job as he was a little outside his comfort zone.
"I'm surprised the second horse got as close as he did as I quickened up really well, but he was strong at the end."
Planet Red maintains his unbeaten record under Mark Zahra
Planet Red is a son ADMIRE MARS who was the Champion 2yo / Co-Champion 3yo and Champion Miler of Japan.
ADMIRE MARS - Sire
Such was his class that connections took him to Hong Kong for the International and he became the first and only 3yo to win the World Class, prestigious Mile.
ADMIRE MARS stood at Arrowfield Stud and his first crop have just turned 3yo’s and the 2025 yearlings have just turned 2yo’s.
ADMIRE MARS only has a small number to represent him here in Australia.
Whilst the professional market never thought his progeny would be 2yo’s here in Australia, the common view was always that they will be perfect to aim at the Classics at 1600m and further as 3yo’s.
From his First Crop there were just 51 live foals. Only 36 have been named. Just 8 x 2yo’s faced the starter. Planet Red was a winner whilst three others were placed: Highstrung, Miss Kasei and Giapponese whilst Awesome Force had finished fourth.
In Japan ADMIRE MARS is proving a highly successful young sire with 29 Winners of 43 Wins including 2 stakes winners:
EMBROIDERY (22f, Kurofune, Agnes Tachyon). 4 wins from 1400m to 1800m, A$2,444,297, 1st Hanshin Oka Sho, Gr.1, Tokyo Daily Hai Queen Cup, Gr.3
NAMURA CLARA (22f, Storm Cat, Kris S). 3 wins from 1200m to 1400m, A$599,752, 1st Chukyo Kobai S., L, Hakodate TVH Hai
Overall ADMIRE MARS has seen 40 Colts face the starter for 18 Winners and 6 Placegetters.
His Second Crop numbers here in Australia are also very small. There are 48 Live 2yo’s here in Australia 23 Colts and 25 Fillies and to date just 5 of the 2yo’s have been named.
In addition to the promise shown by Planet Red, Team Dynamic have been following the fortunes of the CIARON MAHER trained NAMESAKE (4yo g Maurice x Banksia) since we purchased his yearling Half-Brother by ADMIRE MARS at the 2025 Magic Millions.
Our Colt by ADMIRE MARS x BANKSIA 1/2 Brother to Stakes Winners BANK MAUR & NAMESAKE
NAMESAKE winning at Caulfield recently:
Namesake splitting the gap at the 150m then held off a fast-finishing pack to pick up
his fifth win and second win in this preparation
NAMESAKE has an overall career to 22 Starts = 5:1:2 and Prizemoney: $425,550
This win above was the third win NAMESAKE has recorded since we purchased his half-brother in January, and he has added another $185,000 to his earnings since then.
NAMESAKE is from the beautifully bred REDOUTE’S CHOICE mare BANKSIA and she is proving a sensation as a broodmare.
In addition to NAMESAKE winning a 2yo stakes race and having total earnings to date of $425,550, BANKSIA’S first foal is the successful racehorse BANK MAUR a 5yo gelding with a record of 32 starts = 4:3:3 and Prizemoney: $893,525.
BANK MAUR as a yearling
Trained by Bevan Laming he won the MVRC Alister Clark S., Gr.2, 2d MRC Manfred S., Gr.3, 3d MVRC Abell S., L, 4th VRC Australian Guineas, Gr.1, MRC Sandown S., Gr.3, Bel Esprit S., L.
The current 4yo mare BANK BOOK is a winner and is back in training.
Our Colt
Our COLT we purchased in January is the next (fourth foal) from BANKSIA.
BANKSIA
BANKSIA won 2 races at 1000m and importantly she is a Half-sister to Gr1 Winner and sire FOXWEDGE, Stakes Winner SHE'S A FOX, Gr2 placed Paulownia (dam of Gr3 and LR Winner Gr1 performed LILAC), She's a Wildcat (dam of LR Winner and Gr3 placed UNTAMED - SUPER BUDDY (H.K.)), and to the dams of Gr2 and LR placed Litchfield County and to 4-time Gr3 placed Foxy Cleopatra.
It's no fluke we purchased our colt; he was targeted.
Bred at Arrowfield Stud, the leading thoroughbred nursery of the Hunter Valley, what attracted us to the colt to start with was his sensational genetic rating which piqued our interest as an A+++ and a Quality 6 factor. That had the colt rated in the Top 30 yearlings being offered in the catalogue.
Then the commerciality of the female family mattered. Once we saw him, we were mesmerised by his sensational looks, as he is as close to perfection as you can find in any yearling, and moved like a catwalk model.
Yearling catalogue page has seen updates from both NAMESAKE and BANK MAUR
He was by a sire we didn’t know a lot about, so we deep-dived into his racetrack performances and were wowed by his success.
ADMIRE MARS - Sire
ADMIRE MARS was Japan's Champion 2YO Colt, 2018 - Unbeaten in 4 starts at 2.
Then he was crowned Japan’s Co-Champion 3YO Colt, 2019.
ADMIRE MARS was a Triple Group 1-winning miler, winning the Tokyo NHK Mile Cup G1 in 1:32.4 and is the only 3YO winner of the Hong Kong International Mile Gr1 when defeating Waikuku and champion Beauty Generation in 1:33.25.
ADMIRE MARS is the Best SON of his own Champion Sire DAIWA MAJOR - Champion Sprinter & Miler in Japan in 2006 & 2007. 9 wins, 1600m to 2000m. Champion First Crop Sire 2011, Leading Japanese Sire of 2YOs in 2015.
These Admire Mars progeny “weren’t expensive horses, but they’re nice horses. They have good temperaments, placid, athletic, extremely good movers and have a really good brain on them.”
It will be no surprise that Admire Mars hits the mark in Australia.
After all, he’s a three-time Group 1-winning miler, an unbeaten Champion 2YO Colt who trained on at 3 to claim the NHK Mile Cup G1 and became the first and so far, only 3YO winner of the Hong Kong Mile G1.
Admire Mars has much to offer the growing story of Japanese stallion success in our part of the world.
A son of Group 1 winner & leading sire Daiwa Major (by Sunday Silence) & is from the French Group winner Via Medici.
We also had two additional pieces of information.
Firstly, our veterinarian Dr Tim Roberts had vetted both BANK MAUR and NAMESAKE as yearlings for trainer Bevan Laming. He passed both colts and Bevan purchased BANK MAUR whilst Bevan was outbid upon NAMESAKE.
Tim believed the ADMIRE MARS colt from BANKSIA was a far superior individual to both those colts.
Secondly, Ciaron was of the belief NAMESAKE was going “terrific” and would be winning more races and he has proven to be correct with NAMESAKE winning a further 3 races and has $185,000 more in the bank.
Ciaron was as strong on the ADMIRE MARS Colt as we were, so we joined forces to ensure we didn’t bid against one another.
As the saying goes, “buy the one you want, not the one you’re left with.”
Since then, our colt has broken-in like a Ferrari and we are very bullish about the future of our ADMIRE MARS x BANKSIA colt with Ciaron.
In paddock 3 April
Working inside with stablemate Palace Pier x You're So Good Colt 27 June
Working on outside with stablemate Palace Pier x You're So Good Colt 27 June
Under saddle 7 July