Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Sequinned lives up to her pedigree with a slashing victory
It was the Chris Waller-trained and Godolphin-owned 2-year-old filly Sequinned (Pinatubo {Ire}) who showed she had taken significant improvement from her earlier campaigns, producing an eye-catching first-up victory after a pair of encouraging Rosehill trials.
The half-sister to the outstanding sprinter and exciting young sire Bivouac appreciated the genuine tempo set by Eviction Notice (Stay Inside), with Muscle Beach (Dirty Work) racing fiercely and greenly to the outside throughout the early stages.
The speed battle ensured a truly run race, allowing the well-backed Wanda's Spark (Tagaloa) to enjoy a perfect trail behind the leaders before issuing a strong challenge at the 200-metre mark. However, Sequinned proved too strong late, surging clear to score by just over a length.
Wanda's Spark produced an encouraging debut to finish second, while Eviction Notice had merit in third after doing plenty of work on the speed.
Charlie Duckworth | Image courtesy of Chris Waller Racing
"It's a good result for Godolphin as she is an incredibly well bred horse," said stable representative Charlie Duckworth.
"She has an excellent will to win as she had to dig deep and the speed up front definitely helped her as she can fire up a little bit. She has plenty of upside too."
"She (Sequinned) has an excellent will to win as she had to dig deep and the speed up front definitely helped her as she can fire up a little bit." - Charlie Duckworth
Zac Lloyd had partnered Sequinned in a trial last preparation and was familiar with the filly, producing a polished ride to bring out her best.
"A good barrier helped and I was barely touching the reins the whole way around.
"She had a great attitude the last 300 metres the way she pins her ears back, so if she can just learnt to race properly and hopefully a day out like today can get her going in the right direction."
Sequinned winning at Randwick | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Sales info: Sequinned was bred and is raced by Godolphin.
Pedigree info: Sequinned is one of seven winners out of the dual juvenile winner Dazzler (More Than Ready {USA}). Among those winners is the outstanding three-time Group 1 winner and exciting sire Bivouac and the dual Listed winner Coruscate (Exceed And Excel).
Dazzler is also a half-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner Guelph (Exceed And Excel), the dam of the Group winners Amanate (Lonhro) and Encryption, and also to Ghibbelines, who was a Group 2 winner on the track and a successful sire in New Zealand.
Sequinned's second dam Camarilla (Elusive Quality {USA}) and third dam Camarena (NZ) (Danehill {USA}) were also Group 1 winners on the track and both successful broodmares.
Since producing Sequinned, Dazzler has produced a yearling filly by Anamoe named Tucana, a weanling filly by Cylinder and was left empty last season.
Crown Of Fire burns brightest at Kensington
The Ciaron Maher-trained 2-year-old filly Crown Of Fire (Too Darn Hot {GB}) proved too strong in the 1550-metre maiden under a clever ride by Tim Clark.
After finishing fourth over 1200 metres on debut at Sandown on a heavy track a fortnight ago, the lightly raced filly relished the rise in trip and shaped as a potential staying prospect for the future.
The race developed into a steadily run affair, with Ironblood Empress (Churchill {Ire}) leading and Crown Of Fire settling outside the pace.
Clark allowed his mount to stride to the front soon after straightening, but the favoured fillies Claudel (So You Think {NZ}) and Artgirl (Flying Artie) quickly issued their challenges. Crown Of Fire responded strongly, drawing clear to score by just under a length from the honest Artgirl (Flying Artie), while Gold Globe (Farnan) worked home well to finish third.
Trainer Ciaron Maher was quick to praise Clark's ride.
"I thought it was a good ride by Tim, he took a bit of luck out of it going forward.
"I knew up to the trip there would be no problem at all and you can see coming around the turn how green and new she was, especially for the first time this way of going. But the good money on offer. It was certainly worth a roll of the stumps."
Crown Of Fire winning on the Kensington | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
When asked whether extra work had gone into preparing the filly for the rise in distance, Maher said it was largely her natural ability.
"It was just basically all on ability, because it's not that long a turnaround (between runs). Especially with the trip up as well, we didn't have a lot of time. So, you can see she's basically done that just on raw ability, but no, it was a good result."
In terms of future plans, Maher indicated the stable would assess her next target once she returned home.
"She's still coming on. She's got a bit of a winter coat on her but she's going to be up early. So, I'd say we might raise the bar a little bit more, maybe give her another run, or we could reset for something maybe a bit higher later in the spring."
"I'd say we might raise the bar a little bit more, maybe give her (Crown Of Fire) another run, or we could reset for something maybe a bit higher later in the spring." - Ciaron Maher
Clark was equally impressed with the filly's effort.
"I think she's quite progressive, still learning her craft, but I thought it was a good effort to jump in trip, switch states for a really inexperienced filly.
"She was very strong through the line.
"As I said, she really wants to please you. The talent's there, just as I said she's still learning her race craft, but Ciaron will nurture her and she'll get there in the end."
Ciaron Maher | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sales info: Crown Of Fire was purchased for NZ$250,000 by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock from the Carlaw Park draft at the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.
Pedigree info: Crown Of Fire is the only foal out of Princess Siyouni (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), who was placed as a 3-year-old in Great Britain.
Princess Siyouni is a half-sister to the American Listed winner and Group 1-placed mare Frenzified (GB) (Yeats {Ire}) and is out of the dual winner Librettista (Elusive Quality {USA}), who is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Colette (Hallowed Crown) and to the dam of the dual Group 1-winning Beiwacht (Bivouac).
Connections of Crown Of Fire after winning on the Kensington | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
This is also the extended family of the Group 1 winner and sire Naval Crown (GB), Hong Kong Champion sprinter Wellington (All Too Hard) and four-time Group 1 winner Ceolwulf (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}).
Miss Lola relishes the heavy going at Sandown
It may have taken Miss Lola (Blue Point {Ire}) nine starts to break her maiden, but the well-bred 3-year-old filly needed only another two runs to register her second victory, producing a strong finish at Sandown in heavy conditions for Chris Waller and Jye McNeil.
Carrying the famous Glenn Ritchie colours worn by Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun), Miss Lola settled second last as race favourite Electric Elvis (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) set the pace with Artistic Genius (Flying Artie) racing alongside.
Approaching the home turn, with the track cutting out noticeably, McNeil saved ground near the inside before angling into the clear to chase the leaders.
At the 250-metre mark it became obvious Miss Lola was relishing the testing conditions, charging home to defeat Electric Elvis by just over a length. Star Trip (Star Turn) looked the likely runner-up before peaking late and finishing third.
"That was good. Off the back of a little bit of a disappointing performance up in grade last time, she was probably just a bit too close to a fast enough speed the other day, I didn't save enough for the finish," Winning jockey Jye McNeil said.
"But she began a bit slow today which allowed me to ride her a bit quieter and in heavy conditions which is something she likes, she savaged the line."
Sales info: Miss Lola was purchased for $480,000 by Chris Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock from the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Miss Lola as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pedigree info: Miss Lola is the fifth foal out of Reemah (Redoute's Choice), a winner over 1200 metres who showed her class when placed in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes as a 2-year-old.
She has now produced four individual winners from four to race, with the best of them being the three-time winner Demebi (Lonhro).
Miss Lola's grandam Vormista (Testa Rossa) was a Group 2 winner on the track and was also placed in the G1 Manikato Stakes, G1 BTC Cup and G1 Australia Stakes before producing nine individual winners.
In recent years, Reemah has produced a 2-year-old filly named Amble (I Am Invincible), a weanling filly by I Am Invincible, and last season was served by I Am Invincible's son Hellbent.
Exceed The Sale breaks through in style at Eagle Farm
Tony Gollan-trained 2-year-old Exceed The Sale (Exceedance) continued her improvement from a debut third on the track a fortnight earlier, producing a dominant performance to win comfortably by a length and a half under apprentice Chelsea Baker.
The well-backed favourite Srigan (North Pacific) showed plenty of speed under Martin Du Plessis to take up the running one off the fence, while Weownachevy (Winning Rupert) used the inside draw to hold a position along the rail.
The genuine tempo suited those settling off the speed and Baker had Exceed The Sale travelling strongly throughout before the filly asserted her superiority in the straight.
Iskenderun (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) finished solidly for second for trainer Kevin Kemp, while Weownachevy was brave in third after working throughout and looks close to breaking through.
Sales info: Exceed The Sale was passed in short of her $50,000 reserve at the 2025 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Pedigree info: Exceed The Sale is the second winner out of Brown For Sale (Arg) (Big Brown {USA}), who was a three-time winner in Singapore and Argentina.
Exceed The Sale as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
She boasts an outstanding pedigree as a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize {USA}), who sold for US$5 million (AU$7.2 million) as a broodmare, Argentine Group 1 winner Blue Stripe (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}) and Argentinian Group 2 winner Blue Caviar (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}).
Brown For Sale has since produced a weanling colt by Churchill (Ire) and missed to Trapeze Artist last spring.
