Arrowfield Stud had excuse for cheer on Tuesday afternoon when juvenile filly Chimes (Snitzel) won the first event on the card at Newcastle, a 2-year-old Maiden H. over 900 metres.
Chimes was close to the speed in the early stages of the race, and kicked clear for jockey Tim Clark in the straight, winning by 1.3l to market favourite Heavenly Field (Deep Field) and third-placed Snow Drop (Capitalist).
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the filly was having her first racecourse outing, with only a previous trial a fortnight ago when she was second to fellow Arrowfield juvenile Yearning (Snitzel) at Rosehill.
On Tuesday, Chimes did little wrong. Only two of the 10-horse field had raced before, with Snowdrop and Wilderness Star (Stratum Star) lining up with races behind them, but Chimes showed plenty of sensibility in the straight when others around her ran green.
She be little
“The trial was the right move in the end by Gai and Adrian,” said trackside stable rep Neil Paine. “She did everything right and was ready to go the races, and she proved it today. I really liked the last 100 metres, when Tim asked her to go and she really stretched her neck out and got going.”
"She (Chimes) did everything right and was ready to go the races, and she proved it today. I really liked the last 100 metres, when Tim asked her to go and she really stretched her neck out and got going.” - Neil Paine
Tim Clark said it was a textbook finish.
"There's not a lot of her, and she seems pretty straightforward," the jockey said post-race. "This race looked perfect for her when Gai and Adrian found it, and it worked out well. If anything, she got out a bit soon and the leader didn't take us far enough, but she's done a really good job."
Chimes isn’t a big filly, and Paine said the stable would likely send her for a spell.
“She’s proved she’s got some ability, so hopefully she can go out and get a bit stronger,” he said. “On saying that, there’s been so many horses that have been small. As long as they’ve got the right heart and can gallop, it’s a big plus.”
Bred in the purple
Chimes is the first foal from American-bred mare Time Check (Shamardal {USA}). Time Check was lightly raced in England, with only four lifetime starts for a maiden win at Doncaster. The mare was sold by Godolphin at Tattersall’s in June 2017, a £300,000 (AU$540,105) purchase for Badgers Bloodstock before her importation to Australia that August.
She has been a loyal Arrowfield resident since, visiting Snitzel for three seasons and served by The Autumn Sun on the very first day of the 2020 breeding season.
Chimes' full sister sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale this year
Chimes was withdrawn from the 2020 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, but her full sister was sold on the Gold Coast this year for $625,000 to a partnership between Willinga Park Operations and Australian Bloodstock.
It’s a remarkable family.
Second dam Alizes (NZ) (Rory’s Jester) is the notable producer of Essaouira (Sepoy), blue-hen dam of Alizee (Sepoy), Darley sire Astern, Tassort and Mogador (Lonhro).
Further down the page there’s La Baraka (Euclase), joint second-top filly on the 1997/98 Australasian 3-Year-Old Classification.
