Sire potential to the fore with a G3 winner for Too Darn Hot

American Eagle, a tough and emerging son of Too Darn Hot, played a hand in the season’s upcoming sires’ races with a victory in the G3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday, August 29.

With just a single start to his name – a debut win at Sandown in mid-July – the three-year-old colt was a race favourite and justified it, confidently taking charge in the straight and fending off a late challenge to win by a nose.

Ridden by Mark Zahra, the colt posted a winning time of 1:11.88 for the 1,200 metres. 

Trainer Sam Freedman, who co-trains with Anthony Freedman from Mornington, said American Eagle looked the real deal.

“Anthony had an opinion of this horse since his early days up in Sydney, and he came down here and he’s been all class at home,” Freedman said.

“He’s gone on Soft ground twice now, so he’s still got to tick the box on firm ground, but he looks the real deal.”

The trainer said the obvious targets for the colt would be a Guineas or Coolmore Stud Stakes.

American Eagle was bred by Yulong Investments and, from the Redoute’s Choice mare Awake The Stars, is a half-brother to the stakes-placed Stardealt. This is the extended family of the Group-placed New Zealand performer My Chicharita.

American Eagle was a $400,000 Magic Millions yearling, and racked up a sixth McNeil victory for Anthony and Sam Freedman while stamping himself a formidable option for the sires’ races ahead.

The colt is the 17th Australian stakes winner for Too Darn Hot, joining a bubbling list of talent that includes G1 winners Broadsiding and Tropicus, and very recent stakes winners Bootlegger and Afireofgidgeecoals. 

American Eagle represents the 36th stakes winner worldwide for Too Darn Hot, the son of Dubawi who has lived right up to his name as one of the most commercially sought sires in the world.

He has returned to stand the Australian season at Kelvinside at a fee of $275,000 incl. GST.