Eclair Calling (NZ) became the first Australian winner for Tartan Bearer (Ire) at Gawler on Wednesday.

The Phillip Stokes-trainer gelding was racing first-up in an 1100m maiden after failing on debut in August.  “He’s a beautiful big horse and still has a lot to learn,” in-form jockey Jamie Kah said.  “They took off too soon and I got a good trail into the race.  He only knuckled down in the last 100m and is definitely looking for more ground.”

Eclair Calling (4g Tartan Bearer – Pink Pier by Galileo) created headlines when he topped the 2015 NZB Select yearling sale at $525,000.  Stokes saw off some strong competition to buy the colt for his Hong Kong client Thomas Li.

He’s a half-brother to Thunder Fantasy who won a G2 Autumn Stakes at Caulfield for Anthony Cummings and a LR Classic Cup at Sha Tin, defeating Redkirk Warrior, for John Size.

“Thomas picked the pedigree and I did the inspection,” Stokes said at Karaka.  “I liked the look of him and then did a bit of research on Tartan Bearer – he was a good staying horse.”

Eclair Calling is from Tartan Bearer’s first crop conceived at Hallmark Stud in NZ.  His first winner arrived in Macau on March 3 when Eclair Infinity was successful for the Golden Friend Club.

Tartan Bearer (Spectrum) was trained by Michael Stoute for Ballymacoll Stud and won the G2 Dante Stakes before finishing a half-length second to New Approach in the 2008 English Derby.

A full-brother to G1 English 2000 Guineas winner Golan, he was bound for a stud career in Libya and then Turkey but both deals fell through.  He stood at Hallmark Stud for four years from 2012 until December 2015.

ECLAIR CALLING
Tartan Bearer colt on parade at Karaka before topping the 2015 NZ Select Yearling Sale