Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
In a week when Victorian vendors want winners by Victorian stallions, it was cheers all round at Bendigo on Tuesday when the Simon Zahra-trained Shesallshenanigans, a 2-year-old daughter of Toronado (Ire), won the juvenile feature.
It was the second time of asking for the filly after her debut fourth behind King’s Gambit (I Am Invincible) in the Listed Debutant S. in October, and she did it in fetching, front-running fashion. She posted a 1.25l win with jockey Blaike McDougall, leading home Tymon (Rubick) and Godolphin’s Heuristic (Street Boss {USA}).
It was a stylish win and, in the process, Shesallshenanigans provided a timely update to her half-sister, Lot 112 in this week’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. Both are from the Dane Shadow mare Segenhoe Valley, and Lot 112 is consigned this Sunday by Segenhoe Stud on behalf of an ownership group that includes the ‘old firm’ of Peter O’Brien, Michael Kirwan and Shane McGrath.
“Lot 112 is a filly that we bought as a weanling,” O’Brien said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “We have a little weanling pinhook group among ourselves, and she was purchased along with the half to Sunshine In Paris, who is also in the sale (Lot 250).”
Lot 112 was last year part of the 2022 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale. She appeared in the Rushton Park draft and sold to James Harron Bloodstock for $210,000. Both she and Shesallshenanigans are half- and full sisters to the Listed winner Shelby Cobra (Toronado {Ire}).
Lot 112 - Brazen Beau x Segenhoe Valley (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
The pedigree is very respectable.
It features such Group winners as Royal Discretion (Royal Academy {USA}) and Sun City (Zoustar), not to mention the stakes-performed and now winning juvenile Shesallshenanigans.
“This filly (Lot 112) is magnificent,” O’Brien said. “She’s a low-slung individual with a beautiful head, a huge hip and a fantastic walk. She looks a dead-set 2-year-old and that equates to this family.
“I haven’t seen Shesallshenanigans but looking at her in her two races, she looks in the exact same mould as her sister going to Premier.”
“I haven’t seen Shesallshenanigans but looking at her in her two races, she looks in the exact same mould as her sister (Lot 112) going to Premier.” - Peter O'Brien
Owing to his vested interest in Lot 112, O’Brien has kept an eye on Shesallshenanigans in Zahra’s Flemington stable. In October, when the filly was fourth to King’s Gambit, he thought the result was better than it looked.
“She was very well-backed in the Debutant and she really over-raced, and she got well-beat by King’s Gambit to fourth,” he said. “But I know Simon Zahra has a massive opinion of her and she did it all herself today. She looked to me like she was pulling away again at the end and I’d say she is definitely stakes-class after that.”
A quick-bouncing juvenile
Two-year-old Shesallshenanigans was bought by Zahra at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She was Lot 63, a striking filly with three white socks and a white blaze.
She was consigned by Kulani Park and, in two starts, she’s just under halfway to earning back her purchase price of $115,000. She is raced by a syndicate that includes the Victorian-based Merricks Station.
Shesallshenanigans as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
On Tuesday, Shesallshenanigans burst from barrier four for a comfortable seat on the rails. She stayed there for much of her 1100-metre sprint, and in the straight she had only Heuristic badgering her. She kicked well inside the 100 metres to win her race comfortably, posting a final time of 1:04.53.
For jockey Blaike McDougall, who had been aboard the filly in the Debutant S., it was faith returned.
“I’ve always liked this filly,” he told the raceday broadcast. “I always thought she’d be a 2-year-old, hence why we ran her in that early race at Caulfield, and she’d probably just come to the end of it (her prep) then. Her trials have been okay this prep so it was nice to see her come out and do that today (Tuesday).”
“I’ve always liked this filly (Shesallshenanigans). I always thought she’d be a 2-year-old... Her trials have been okay this prep so it was nice to see her come out and do that today (Tuesday).” - Blaike McDougall
Shesallshenanigans has had two jump-outs through February in small fields and she was second in both. It’s been enough for McDougall to remain aboard and, as much as she powered to the line in her Tuesday win, he said it isn’t easy for 2-year-olds to do it all upfront.
“She bounces quickly and has always controlled early,” the jockey said. “She quickened really nicely (on Tuesday) but she’s still really new. She had a really good look around so there’s plenty of improvement still to come.”
Shesallshenanigans’ victory earned a VOBIS Sires Boost of $30,000 in vouchers, being by the Swettenham-based Toronado. It was also the stallion’s 67th Australian winner of the season and his 16th Australian 2-year-old winner overall.
