Written by Paul Vettise
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have enjoyed abundant success with the younger members of their operation in recent seasons and they were again to the fore in the R. Listed Inglis Banner.
They had numbers on their side at The Valley on Saturday with four representatives and it was Sneaky Five (Fastnet Rock) who was to the fore with a smart victory at the expense of her stablemate The Art Of Flying (Flying Artie).
Sneaky Five, who had impressed at an unofficial trial, was given a sweet run near the pace by Jamie Kah before peeling three wide near the turn and dashed away to complete a perfect debut performance.
“The team have done a great job and the systems are working well so I’m very proud,” Maher said.
Sneaky Five was a $305,000 purchase for Rosemont Stud at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale where the filly was offered by breeder Goldin Farms.
She is a half-sister to the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic winner Beautiful Mind (So You Think {NZ}) and their dam Small Minds (Canny Lad) was a quality performer who was successful in the G1 Schweppes Oaks and the Listed Adelaide Guineas.
“It’s great to get a winner for Anthony Mithen and Nigel Austin and the Rosemont team. We picked this filly out at the Premier Sale,” Maher said. “She gets most of her price back today and she’ll be a lovely broodmare later on for them.
“She gets most of her price back today and she’ll be a lovely broodmare later on for them.” – Ciaron Maher
“She was the most inexperienced of our runners and I have to give Mitho some credit. We had a conversation after she trialled very well the first time and he said what about we just go to the races.
“I said I’ll take her to The Valley and give her a gallop and she was very impressive and had progressed well so we rolled the dice so what a nice second jump-out for $500,000.”
Sneaky Five and Jamie Kah
Kah said there was plenty more to come from Sneaky Five, who would benefit from her first race day outing.
“Obviously, she’s got a lot of class and a lot to learn still, but they all do. Her class prevailed and she got the job done well.
“I rode a few in the race at the trials and they all showed a lot of ability, but they have to come and put it all together on the day and Ciaron and the team have done a super job keeping her head right. I’m just lucky enough to be sitting on her.”
Tempest Charm (Trust In A Gust) came from well back to earn third money ahead of Mortal Witness (Star Turn).
What's in a name?
Sneaky Five was named the moment Rosemont’s Anthony Mithen and Nigel Austin bought her at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale
“We had a limit of $300,000 but got on the wrong leg and were $290,000, Brae Sokolski and Matt Scown beat us to the $300,000 bid, but I stood there with Nigel and I said to him ‘if you were going to be $300,000, you could be $305,000 couldn’t you?'
“And he said ‘yeah, go on, let’s be brave’ so we put in a little bid… we broke our rule and went $5000 over.
"Chris Russell bought the gavel down and said ‘well done Mitho, the sneaky five wins’.
“We had a laugh after and said, ‘well we’ve got her name anyway’.’’
