Loire bounces back to win the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas

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The Tony Pike-trained Loire (Redoute’s Choice) put a lacklustre last start display behind her with a victory in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Riccarton yesterday and became Group 1 winner number 36 for Arrowfield Stud’s late breed-shaping stallion Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) in the process.

The three-year-old filly had been mooted as a real contender for the Riccarton Classic after posting promising performances in the El Roca Trophy (Listed, 1200m) and Hawkes Bay Gold Trail Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) earlier in the season, but after she finished a well-beaten 12th in the Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) she was written out of many people’s reckoning for the Group 1.

Following that performance a vet inspection revealed the daughter of Redoute’s Choice had suffered a heart fibrillation with Pike confident she would still be able to show her best as he pressed on to the Group 1 feature for breeders Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud, who share in the ownership with Kate Plaw.

Due to her recent below par effortthe filly was sent off at 30/1, but she silenced her doubters under Michael McNab coming away with a quarter-length victory over Jennifer Eccles (Rip Van Winkle). Last start Soliloquy Stakes winner Travelling Light (El Roca)was a further half a length away in third.

“Ellerslie was a real mystery as her two runs at Hawke’s Bay over 1200 metres, a distance too short for her, were very, very good,” Pike said.

“We always thought this was the race but when you have those heart problems, they can be one-offs which we hoped was the case when the tests came back all clear.

“She had worked super coming into the race so we rolled the dice.

“She is a very good filly who is only going to get better as she gets up over further.”

Pike was also quick to praise McNab after their pre-race plans didn’t go as had been expected.

“It was a super ride by Michael off a slow tempo,” he said.

“We had talked about trying to be a bit closer as we thought there wouldn’t be much speed in the race.

“She got shuffled back but he didn’t panic and he has ridden her superbly.

“He rode her at Hawke’s Bay and has always liked her so it is a great result for Michael and for Brent and Cherry Taylor, who bred her as well.

“She’s a very valuable filly now. She had a little paddock injury so she couldn’t go through the yearling sales but I’m pretty sure they are glad they kept her.”

Part-owner Cherry Taylor reiterated those sentiments as she composed herself after cheering the grandstand down with her husband over the closing stages.

“I just started screaming from the turn but Brent was sitting down and then he finally saw she was coming so he stood up and started screaming as well,” she said.

“It’s a huge thrill as we have always had a big opinion of her.

“She had that heart fibrillation last time which was a big shock and disappointment, but Tony and his team have done a huge job and we’re just so thrilled.”

Loire (3 f Redoute's Choice - Syrah by Traditionally) has now won two of her six career starts which has seen her accumulate NZ$193,250 in prize-money.

The filly is out of Syrah (Traditionally) making her a half-sister to Thorndon Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner A Touch Of Ruby (Pins) and a further two winners.

Syrah herself is out of Group 2 winner Real Success (Success Express), who also produced Listed winner Bolton (Zabeel) and Group 1 winner Vouvray (Zabeel) the granddam of Listed winner Champ Elect (Choisir).

Further back this is same family as Grade 1 winner Toga Toga Toga (Saratoga Six).

In 2017 Syrah produced a filly by Waikato Stud’s Ocean Park (Zabeel) before foaling a colt by Ocean Park’s barnmate Tivaci (High Chaparral) and has most recently been covered by Rich Hill Stud resident Satono Aladdin (Deep Impact).

Loire joins the likes of The Autumn Sun and Lankan Rupee as top flight winners for Australia’s former champion sire Redoute’s Choice who died earlier in the year at the age of 23.

Pretty Brazen breaks fillies drought in Guineas

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Pretty Brazen (Brazen Beau) put in a brave performance to land the Sandown Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) yesterday, becoming the first filly to win the race since 2005.

Confirming her status as broodmare, Pretty Brazen settled just behind the front-runners in thirdbefore Luke Currie drove her up the inside of leader Heart Of Puissance (Puissance De Lune). She rocketed to the front and then held off a late charge from Lindsay Park’s Conqueror (Fastnet Rock), who finished second by half a length with Heart Of Puissance a further head away in third.

Pretty Brazen will now head to the paddock with an Autumn campaign in mind.

"Now that I know she can run a strong 1600 metres there's a number of races that will be available," co-trainer Tony McEvoy said.

"We can look to the Australian Guineas but there's also options in Sydney.

"She's got class, beautiful movement, has a beautiful temperament and the reason she cost $700,000 was I wasn't the only one that liked her.

"There was a lot of competition and I think we can relax now and enjoy the future.

"We had a sit down after Flemington after she ran so well and I said to the owners ‘let's have a go at the mile’.

"It's worked out magnificently and to win a Group 2 with a valuable filly just means so much."

Pretty Brazen (3 f Brazen Beau ex Pretty Penny by Encosta de Lago) was purchased by McEvoy Mitchell Racing at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $700,000 from the Coolmore Stud draft.

She is a half-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1 runner-up Dollar For Dollar (High Chaparral) as well as multiple stakes winner Sertorius (Galileo).

Late entry for Southern France pays off

A late entry for European import Southern France (Galileo) in yesterday’s Zipping Classic (Gr 2, 2400m) paid off when the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained entire rocketed home from the tail of the field to win by a length and three quarters.

Southern France finished 19th in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) but was caught out by a slow tempo and couldn’t use his blistering turn of foot that was on show at Sandown yesterday.

Stablemate, and runner-up in last year’s edition of the race, Dal Harraild (Champs Elysees) set a strong pace in front while Southern France was settled second-last with a mountain of work to do leading into the home straight.

He was still last with 300 metres to go but stormed past the entire field with the Graham Begg-trained Miss Siska (So You Think) coming in second and Mike Moroney’s Chapada (Bullet Train) a nose away in third.

When nominations were released on Monday, Maher believed the race was winnable so he elected to enter the entire off the back of a strong piece of work on Wednesday.

"I wanted to give him a gallop just to see how he was before we accepted and he worked really well on Wednesday," he said.

"That gave me the confidence to give him the nod.

"He needed a bit of a shake up but Mark (Zahra) rode him well.

"He had him back a bit further than we thought but there was a genuine tempo and he quickened up nicely.

"His run was a shade disappointing, and he didn't get a lot of luck, in the Melbourne Cup but he's made up for it now and it was a good win today."

Maher said he had a number of options for the former Aidan O’Brien-trained horse going forward, which could include a trip overseas.

"There's a couple of plans I mapped out the other day," Maher said.

"He could head straight back (to Europe) and maybe go to Dubai or he may stay here and head towards maybe the Australian Cup into a Tancred Stakes."

Southern France (5 h Galileo ex Alta Anna by Anabaa) is one of five foals from his unraced dam Alta Anna (Anabaa), four of which have raced, with three winning.

Alta Anna is out of Anna Edes (Fabulous Dancer) who herself is a dam of stakes winners Abbatiale (Kaldoun) and Bewitched (Dansili).

Big guns take out juvenile events

Anthony Freeman continued his stellar carnival yesterday as the Godolphin-owned Hanseatic (Street Boss) comfortably took out the Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m) on his debut.

Drawing barrier ten of 12, Luke Currie had the newcomer sat in the second-half of the field, three off the fence. He peeled out at the 400 metre mark to sprint home and win by a length and three quarters ahead of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Dubai Star (Pride Of Dubai) in second with River Night (Night Of Thunder) a further nose away in third.

Assistant trainer Sam Freedman said the stable has a big opinion of the two-year-old son of Street Boss (Street Cry) and they will now set their sights on the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) in February.

"We've got high hopes for this horse to measure up to better races, especially over 1200 metres," Freedman said.

"A big thank you to Godolphin. Obviously James Cummings is their main trainer but they've kept a lot of the horses we've had in the families that Lee and Anthony trained in years gone past.

"We were going to head to the paddock regardless of the result today and he gave a few signs in the yard that he might be ready for a little break, so we'll give him a short break and look to go back to back in the Diamond."

Hanseatic’s (2 c Street Boss ex Itameri by Exceed And Excel) third dam Scandinavia (Snippets) was a winner of the Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr 3, 1100m) who went on to finish runner-up in the Goodwood Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) as well as third in both the Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) and the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m).

She is also the dam of Group 1-winning stallion Magnus (Flying Spur) and Helsinge (Desert Sun) who is best known for producing champion mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and champion colt All Too Hard (Casino Prince).

Meanwhile, at Newcastle the Snowden operation continued their good form with juveniles as Tilia Rose (Written Tycoon) won the Max Lees Classic (900m).

After a string of good barrier trials, co-trainer Paul Snowden was pleased to see the filly put it all together on race day.

"It's good to see her do those little things that we like to see - jump, travel then quicken nicely under pressure," Snowden said.

"She's not a 1000-metre whippet, she's actually got a few gears to go through.

"The attitude is there... it's good to see in a young horse.

"She is going to learn a lot from today and we'll go from there."

Tilia Rose (2 f Written Tycoon ex Prevail by Redoute’s Choice) was a home-bred by Belinda Bateman and was the only foal produced by her dam before she died in 2018.

Her third dam Procure (Centaine) produced multiple stakes-winning two-year-old Hips Don’t Lie (Stravinsky), Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Ennis Hill (Fastnet Rock) and Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) and Blue Diamond Stakes placegetter (Gr 1, 1200m) Lake Geneva (Fastnet Rock).

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