Cifrado Strikes in Vo Rogue

Winless in four starts since the $1,000,000 Group II BRC Aquis Stallions Sires’ Produce at Eagle Farm in May, the recently gelded Cifrado staged a last-to-first performance in Saturday’s $300,000 Group III Magic Millions Vo Rogue Stakes (1350m) at Doomben. Ridden by Damian Thornton for Rex Lipp, the son of Encryption came with a barnstorming finish down the centre of the track to defeat Star Thoroughbreds Better Than Ready gelding Chrysaor by a half-length with the Under The Louvre filly Ringer’s Reward three-quarters of a length back in third.

Cifrado had Chrysaor in third place in the Sires’, and the pair are likely to meet again in the $3million Magic Millions Guineas at the Gold Coast on January 13. The most expensive yearling from the first crop of Lonhro’s brilliant Group II winning son Encryption, Cifrado, was bought for $320,000 by Cliff Little at the Magic Millions January Sale from the Eureka Stud draft. Also, the winner of the Group II Spirit Of Boom Stakes, Cifrado, advances his record to four wins, two seconds, and a third from 12 starts with earnings of $1,073,275.

“It will be seven weeks next Tuesday since he was gelded,” Lipp said. In that time, he had a fortnight in the paddock at my property. We put him to work gave him a soft trial, and he was fantastic last start when he was one of the unlucky runners in the race (Listed Gold Edition Plate). He proved today that he is a different horse since he has been gelded. He won those two-year-old races on raw talent… He will go to the Guineas now.”

Bred by Black Soil Bloodstock, Cifrado is a half-brother to stakes-winner Miami Fleiss and stakes-placed Cochrane from the Excites mareMadame Fly, a half-sister to Group III winner Chapter and Verse. Madame Fly passed away in 2021. Her last foal, a filly by Spirit of Boom, sold for $475,000 at Magic Millions to Yes Bloodstock. She has been named Bombard and is in training with Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr).