G1 George Main S., $1,000,000, 1600m
Putting on display all her star qualities securing her ninth win at Group 1 level, Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) confirmed that she is once again a major player to be reckoned with this spring.
Increasing her prizemoney tally to beyond $9.2 million, Verry Elleegant won her 14th race from 31 starts. She is a daughter of Grangewilliam Stud's Zed (NZ), the regally bred Zabeel (NZ) horse who managed just a Hawke's Bay maiden victory from his four starts.
He has however done a great job at stud with his 14 stakes winners, Survived (NZ) is also a Group 1 winner.
A good example of the power of line-breeding, Verry Elleegant (bred by her understandably proud part-owner Don Goodwin) boasts a 4 X 4 cross of her own fourth dam, Eight Carat's (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {IRE}) wonderful daughter Cotehele House (GB) (My Swanee {GB}).
Of the 28 winners carrying a cross of that outstanding broodmare (dam of Danewin and Commands), six are Group winners; Cosmic Force, Tailleur, Fiscal Fantasy, Quilate and Fair Trade the others. And the last three of those are also direct descendants.
A sister to the Group 3-placed Verry Flash (NZ), Verry Elleegant is out of the two-time winning Danroad mare Opulence (NZ) who just recently foaled a full brother to her star daughter.
A Group 1 horse from a Group 1 family, Verry Elleegant can of course claim amongst her relations the big race winners Octagonal, Mouawad, Emerald Dream, Shooting To Win, Diamond Lover, Tristalove, Don Eduardo, Marquise, Diamond Lover and Shower Of Roses.
G2 The Shorts, $500,000, 1100m
On paper it looked as though it would be one of the most exciting races of the weekend and racing fans were not let down as Eduardo (Host {Chi}) showed plenty of heart, wearing down Nature Strip (Nicconi) over the final stages.
Recording the ninth win of his 22 start career, the dashing chestnut was bred by part-owner Jane Kaufmann out of her $4000 mare Blushing (Flashing Light {USA}).
He is the best of the seven stakes winners sired by Hussonet's (USA) triple Group 1 winner Host (Chi) who died early last year. Serving only small books in recent years, he produced Eduardo from his biggest crop of 88 foals in 2012; one which also produced his Listed Warrnambool Cup winner Inn Keeper.
The last of only three foals for the Fantastic Light (USA) mare Blushing, he is a grandson of the Group 3 winning Bletchingly mare Peggy Ann (NZ) whose dam Avon Angel (NZ) (Avon Valley {GB}) was also a big race winner.
G2 Tea Rose S., $200,000, 1400m
Adding the Tea Rose trophy to the cabinet alongside her Sweet Embrace victory, Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) did a great job winning her third race from just seven starts.
Retained to race by breeder Jonathan Munz's GSA Bloodstock having been passed in for $280,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Four Moves Ahead is one of the 113 stakes winners for four times Australian Champion Sire Snitzel.
What a great job her imported dam Doulmera (USA) is doing, the daughter of Mr Greeley (USA) boasting a 100 per cent black-type record with her first foal Emeralds (Sebring) winning the G3 Angst S.
Unfortunately, for her owner Doulmera has had just the one foal since producing Four Moves Ahead, a Pierro colt who was sold to the Ciaron Maher stable for $750,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale this year.
Doulmera is an unraced daughter of the Group 3-winning Anabaa (USA) mare Daltaya (Fr), dam of the French Champion Older Female Dalkala (USA) (Giant's Causeway {USA}). This is one of the Aga Khan's most prolific families with the very valuable Four Moves Ahead able to boast amongst her relations the multiple Group 1 winners Daylami (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) and Dalakhani (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}).
G3 Kingston Town S., $160,000, 2000m
She's Ideel (Dundeel {NZ}) got a good break on her rivals close to home, proving that she is well on track for her crack at the G1 Metropolitan H.
Deserving of her first win at black type, She's Ideel is the 15th stakes winner sired by Arrowfield Stud's six times G1 winner Dundeel (NZ).
Bred by Attunga Stud (her managing part-owner) and the estate of the late G Coull, she was passed in for NZ$100,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, a stroke of luck for her breeders.
The sixth Dundeel stakes winner line-bred to Sir Tristram (Ire), She's Ideel is a half-sister to the Group 1-placed Elusive Treasure and the city winner Wilcannia. Her dam is the metropolitan winner Ana's Mail whose sire Anabaa (USA) is, like Dundeel's high achieving sire High Chaparral (Ire), a descendant of the famed matriarch Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}).
Served last spring by Spirit Of Boom and Headwater, Ana's Mail is a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Shanzero and the Listed winner What's The Mail from the family of the Group 1 winners Danestorm and Danendri.
She's Ideal is bred on a 5 X 4 cross of Nureyev (USA), also carrying a strain of that great stallion's three-quarter brother Sadler's Wells (USA).
G3 Bill Ritchie Quality, $160,000, 1400m
With her game win (her second success on Australian soil), the Waikato Stud-bred Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) enhanced her already outstanding record; now being the winner of half of her 12 starts.
A daughter of Waikato Stud stalwart Savabeel (and one of that G1 W.S Cox Plate winner's 115 stakes winners), Atishu is a NZ$260,000 graduate of the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale (Book 1).
Bred on a 4 X 4 cross of Nureyev (USA), Atishu is a well-named daughter of the two times winning No Excuse Needed (GB) mare Posy (NZ), sister to the NZ Champion 3-Year-Old Daffodil (NZ) whose three wins at Group 1 level include the AJC Oaks.
Stakes winners Good Faith, Tully Dane, Mygoodgrace, Tavy, What's New, Believe Yourself, and last year's G1 NZ 2000 Guineas Aegon (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) - who is in Melbourne contesting spring carnival events - also hail from this family that has as its ancestress the high-class UK broodmare Felucca (GB).
