Burning Passion wins Group 3 Bargain Buy Adds to Darby Success

A sensational season for popular syndicators Darby Racing continued at Doomben on Saturday when Northern Meteor gelding Burning Passion posted his first Black Type win in the Group III BRC WJ Healy Stakes. One of the last runners for James Cummings before he takes up the role of head trainer for Godolphin in Australia, Burning Passion produced a career best performance to win the 1200 metre sprint by half a length. A full brother to Group I winner Romantic Touch, Burning Passion has the overall record of six wins and seven placings from 21 starts with prizemoney of $421,430.

Bred by Gooree Stud and initially retained to race, Burning Passion was offered as a tried horse at an Inglis Mixed Sale in May 2016 as part of a Gooree reduction where he was snapped up by Darby Racing for just $24,000. At that time he had won just the one race, so the investment has been a good one!

Burning Passion is the second stakes-winner for Dearness, a half-sister by Snippets to Group I winners Desert War and Laser Hawk. He is the 23rd stakes-winner for ill-fated Northern Meteor, who died prematurely in 2013 after leaving just four crops of foals. His sire sons are now poised to make an impact with the first runners for Zoustar, Eurozone and Fighting Sun all set to hit tracks next season. Burning Passion adds to the success of a remarkable season for Darby who have tasted Group I success with star fillies She Will Reign and Yankee Rose.