Son of a gun scores smart win on debut

Regally-bred colt Bucharest has kicked off his career with an impressive win over 1500 metres at Newcastle.

The sixth foal to race out of five-time Group One winner Miss Finland, Bucharest looked comfortable to hold out his more favoured Chris Waller-trained stablemate Zarzou.

After a slightly tardy start, the Arrowfield-bred and retained colt hunted through quickly to park at the leader’s hindquarters.

When given his head at the 300m by premier rider James McDonald, he breezed past the leader and raced clear to score by three-quarters of a length.

Bucharest is by seven-time champion Japanese sire Deep Impact and is a half-brother to Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me.

Named after the birthplace of leading racehorse owner and breeder Nick Columb, who had a long association with Arrowfield, the valuable colt is among 324 nominations released last week for the $2 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

Bucharest’s dam Miss Finland achieved the rare feat of winning both the Golden Slipper and VRC Oaks and she has been a tremendous success as a broodmare with all six of her foals to race being winners.