Cover image courtesy of Dan Himbrechts for AAP Photos
Combined efforts from Victoria, New Zealand and New South Wales produced Group 1 gold at Randwick on Saturday as Etah James (NZ) scored a tenacious victory in the Schweppes Sydney Cup.
Etah James was bred in New Zealand by her owners, Mark and Cath Lupton, Terry Reid and Gary Howes. She began her career in Victoria in the stable of Matt Cumani and won seven races, culminating in the Listed Pakenham Cup in December.
Mark Lupton brought Etah James home at the beginning of this year and trained her himself from his Matamata stable. Her two-start New Zealand campaign produced a third placing in the G2 Avondale Cup on February 15 and a fourth in the G1 Auckland Cup on March 7.
Etah James (NZ) winning the G1 Schweppes Sydney Cup | Image courtesy of Dan Himbrechts for AAP Photos
That gallant Auckland Cup performance over 3200 metres at Ellerslie made the Sydney Cup an obvious target, but coronavirus protocols on both sides of the Tasman prevented Lupton from making that trip as her trainer. Instead, he put his faith in Ciaron Maher, David Eustace and their Sydney-based assistant trainer Annabel Neasham.
Less than a month after her arrival in the stable, Etah James lined up at Randwick on Saturday and scored a career-defining victory.
“She was unbelievable,” Neasham said. “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Matt Cumani and Mark Lupton. In the circumstances we are in, we were just fortunate to be sent her from New Zealand. The target was always this race and then the Brisbane Cup.
“She was unbelievable... I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Matt Cumani and Mark Lupton. In the circumstances we are in, we were just fortunate to be sent her from New Zealand." - Annabel Neasham
“That’s the reason we ended up with her – logistically it suited her to come to Sydney. They’ve done most of the work with her, we’ve only had her in the stables for about a month, so a lot of credit to them.
“It’s always handy coming into these two-mile races when you know they can run the trip. I was pretty confident coming around the turn that she was going to be right in it, her work has been very good leading into this. It’s just great for Terry Reid, Mark Lupton and the owners, and she’s now a Group 1 winner.”
Glen Boss | Image courtesy of Dan Himbrechts for AAP Photos
The 7-year-old mare was ridden to Sydney Cup victory by Glen Boss, who less than an hour earlier had won the Australian Oaks on hot favourite Colette (Hallowed Crown).
Etah James came from the opposite end of the betting market, but proved her staying superiority with a hard-fought head victory over fellow Kiwi raider The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel). The hot favourite, English raider Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) was prominently placed at the turn but faded away to finish eighth.
“Full credit to Ciaron and his team because he has just had her long enough to put a bit of polish on her,” Boss said.
“I’ve been riding her work and I trialled her here in a very fast trial, and I said, ‘This is flying, this thing.’ Her work on Tuesday was exceptional, actually.
“I said to Ciaron this morning, ‘This will be the best 30-to-one shot I ride in a Group 1 race’. I wasn’t expecting to beat the English horse to be honest, but I was expecting to be in the one-two-three.
“When I saw that most of them were off the bridle and chasing at the 600 metres and she was coming up underneath me, I knew she was going to run very well. It’s nice to be here today with a good book of rides and getting the job done.”
Etah James is by Raise The Flag (GB), who stands at White Robe Lodge in New Zealand’s South Island for a service fee of NZ$6000.
He has sired 72 winners from 209 runners including seven at stakes level, five of them in Australia. Etah James is his first Group 1 winner.
Raise The Flag (GB) | Standing at White Robe Lodge
