Tycoon Evie to follow in brother's footsteps

By Glenn Davis

The cream always rises to the top and that’s what trainer Rex Lipp hopes for with promising filly Tycoon Evie at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Tycoon Evie is a full sister to former top performer Winning Rupert who was rated one of the country’s best young sprinters winning five of his six starts before injury curtailed his career.

The daughter of Written Tycoon will be chasing only her second win from seven starts when she steps out in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1400 metres.

Winning Rupert was trained by Sydney’s Bjorn Baker and won the Group 2 Champagne Classic at Doomben in May 2016 before going on to win the Listed Gold Edition Stakes and Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate.

His career was cut short by injury soon after finishing fourth in the Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast in January, 2017.

Tycoon Evie - who has worn blinkers most of her career - was bred by part-owner Jeff Cullen who decided to keep the filly after selling Winning Rupert at the Magic Millions yearling sales.

Cullen was the former principal of the boutique stud Wicklow Lodge, between Brisbane and Warwick.

Apart from Winning Rupert, Cullen also bred recent Magic Millions Sprint winner Jonker and has a half-sister by Capitalist to Tycoon Evie.

Lipp has a good opinion of Tycoon Evie, who is coming off a last start second to the Tony Gollan-trained Bleu Zebra in a three-year-old race against her own sex at Doomben on January 23.

It followed a similar placing in Class 1 company at the Sunshine Coast on January 8.

Little Evie - a Mark Du Plessis mount - has raced in blinkers most of her career.

Lipp made the gear chance when she finished third behind the Michael Nolan-trained Kisukano in her first appearance as a three-year-old at Doomben in August last year.

“I put the blinkers on at her second start to help her concentrate and they’ve done the job,” Lipp said.

“Her last run was very good and she hit the line strongly so I expect she’ll be very competitive again.

“She’s progressing well but she’s still six months away from her best.

“She needs to pick up more prizemoney to improve her rating and if she does then we’ll look at the Brisbane winter carnival with her.”