Written by Paul Vettise
Nettoyer (Sebring) is full of attitude and can be hard going, but there’s no doubt she has an abundance of talent and that may well be rewarded with a Group 1 prize at Flemington on Saturday.
The cantankerous 6-year-old will step out in the Empire Rose S. and off the back of a last-start win further success will be a healthy dose of compensation for Warwick Farm trainer and part-owner Wendy Roche.
She originally held hopes of a crack at a more prestigious title last Saturday, but they failed to materialise and the focus then turned to the Empire Rose with Nettoyer.
“She was going to the Cox Plate, but we didn’t get in so this is Plan B and then the Matriarch S.,” Roche said.
“She’s enjoying her racing and she’s finally matured physically and matured a little bit more mentally. ''
“She’s enjoying her racing and she’s finally matured physically and matured a little bit more mentally.'' - Wendy Roche
“She’s a bit of a handful and she’s always been like that, from the moment I purchased her as a yearling through to breaking her in. She’s not for the feint hearted.”
Police investigation
And neither was a particularly dark incident in Sydney ahead of the Melbourne trip after Roche’s float had its tyres slashed and the axles and electric brakes grinded through. The incident is now under police investigation.
"They designed it so if you went at a certain speed the float would collapse in and roll. The horses could have been killed. I could have been killed or whoever was driving," she said.
Roche had the kindness of fellow Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith to thank, whose own truck was out of action but lent her his float to make the trip.
“She arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning and travelled well, she’s terrific,” she said.
“She arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning and travelled well, she’s terrific.” Wendy Roche
Nettoyer was originally bought out of Riversdale’s draft at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale for $20,000 by Roche’s partner, vet John Crowley and subsequently failed to meet her $80,000 reserve when offered at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale.
“I breezed her up and put her through the sale, but people wanted to steal her,” Roche said. “I kept her because I knew she had ability and we've just gone from there.”
“I kept her because I knew she had ability and we've just gone from there.” – Wendy Roche
Now raced by Roche and Crowley with Robrick Lodge’s Greg White, Nettoyer is out of Cleanup (Dehere {USA}) who won twice as a 2-year-old and has produced four winners at stud.
She is a half-sister to the G3 Tibbie S. winner She’s Clean (Redoute’s Choice) with the international headline act in the pedigree the former champion Japanese sprinter-miler and dual Group 1 winner and sire Kinshasa No Kiseki.
Nettoyer as a yearling
It’s also the family of the G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Abbey Marie (Redoute’s Choice) and her G1 Australian Oaks winning sister Absolutely.
The temperamental Nettoyer may have required plenty of patience, but it has been well-rewarded with the mare the winner of four races and last time out she was successful for the second time at Group 3 level in the Angst S. at Randwick.
Prior to that she had finished an unlucky third in the G3 Cameron H., and came from last to finish sixth in the G1 Epsom H. “She’s been flying this preparation and she’s keeping the weight on,” Roche said.
