Peter and Paul Snowden's smart filly Anaheed (Fastnet Rock) has put forward her case for inclusion in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. with a comfortable success in the G3 Catanach's Jewellers Blue Sapphire S. at Caulfield on Wednesday.
The five previous winners of this race have all gone on to contest the Coolmore Stud S., with a good record of success. Flying Artie (Artie Schiller {USA}) won both races in 2016, while 2017 winner Formality (Fastnet Rock) and 2015 victor Keen Array (Bel Esprit) were subsequently placed in the feature 3-year-old race down the Flemington straight.
While Anaheed benefitted from the best run in the race on Wednesday, sitting just in behind the pace before powering through along the inside, her margin of victory was a clear 1l over Li'l Kontra (Krupt), with Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) another 0.1l back in third.
Twice a Group 2 winner as a 2-year-old, Anaheed had yet to put her best foot forward when ridden on the pace in Sydney this campaign, with her most recent showing a 3.2l fifth in the G2 Tea Rose S.
Being ridden with a sit certainly seemed in her favour and she showed her versatility to take win number four and her prizemoney to nearly $1.3 million.
"It was a great ride. It was good to see her take that run, it was a good win and she won it comfortably," stable representative Andrew Angelone said. "It helped having a bit of rain, but she's a very good filly and we’ve always known it. She showed that today."
"It helped having a bit of rain, but she's a very good filly and we’ve always known it. She showed that today." - Andrew Angelone
Angelone said a decision will be made in the next few days about her next destination, with the Coolmore Stud S. the logical next step.
"We’ll see how she pulls up and if she does that well, we’ll go on from there," he said.
Anaheed has already had one shot at trying to match her dam, Rostova (Testa Rossa), as a Group 1 winner, finishing sixth in the G1 Golden Slipper S. earlier this year and looks well poised for another shot at the elite level, despite having never run at Flemington before.
Rostova when sold through the 2015 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale
Tim Stakemire purchased Rostova for $850,000 out of the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on behalf of Sheikh Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. She had visited Frankel (GB) the previous spring and subsequently produced the stakes-placegetter Farooq.
Anaheed was bred the following year and retained by Sheikh Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, always loomed as a top class filly. She opened her career with a win in the Victory Vein S. at Randwick almost exactly 12 months ago.
Spelled for the rest of the spring, she was a little disappointing when resuming in the G3 Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield in January before returning to Sydney to win the G2 Sweet Embrace S. She then finished fourth in the G2 Reisling S. and sixth in the G1 Golden Slipper before a narrow all-the way win over subsequent Group 1 winner Flit (Medaglia d'Oro {USA}) in the G2 Percy Sykes S.
Anaheed, Li'l Kontra and Brooklyn Hustle are all now eligible for a $500,000 bonus should they go on and contest the Coolmore Stud S.
