Daffodil Stakes Claim On Melbourne Trip
- Saturday, 19 September 2009 05:45
AJC Australian Oaks winner Daffodil scored a brilliant victory in the Group One Windsor Park Plate on a wet track at Hastings on Saturday.
The mare is entered for the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup and, on Saturday's performance, is capable of posing a big threat in Melbourne.
"She's very, very good," Daffodil's trainer Kevin Gray said.
"She's got the pedigree and is such a laid-back type."
The beautifully named Daffodil is by No Excuse Needed out of the O'Reilly mare Spring.
Asked about future plans, Gray was non-committal.
"We'll just take it race by race," Gray said.
Daffodil lobbed along near the rear of the field early in the 1600 metre weight-for-age race and was still among the tail-enders as they turned for home.
But jockey Hayden Tinsley pulled her to the outside and the mare responded with huge strides to gather in her rivals.
She hit the line powerfully to beat Sarerra with the little-fancied Sterling Prince third.
Daffodil was having her 19th start and boosted her winning tally to seven, three Group One triumphs among them.
Before her Oaks win last autumn she had won the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton.
Daffodil is now set to start a popular favourite in the rich Kelt Stakes, New Zealand's premier weight-for-age event, at Hastings in two weeks.
Earlier, St Germaine won the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), the first race in the Filly Of The Year series.
The three-year-old, ridden by Mark du Plessis, bounded to the lead in the straight and was off and gone for a convincing victory.
The John Sargent-trained race favourite scored by 1-3/4 lengths from Eileen Dubh with another 1-1/4 lengths to Katie Lee.
Two races later, Melbourne Cup entry Hoorang surged away from the pack for an impressive victory in the Traderacks Hcp (2000m).
He beat Halls with Harris Tweed running home well to grab third.
The Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained Harris Tweed, runner-up to Roman Emperor in the AJC Australian Derby last autumn, is also entered for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
He carried 57.5kg on a wet track at Hastings, the same weight as Hoorang.
Fellow Melbourne Cup hopeful Six O'Clock News was slightly disappointing, finishing sixth.
