News

Will she Reign in the Nursery?

10th Dec 2016

She Will Reign will back up in Saturday’s $500,000 Inglis Nursery after producing arguably the best 2YO performance of the season in winning on debut at Kembla Grange today.

She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain x Courgette) blitzed her rivals by eight-and-a-quarter lengths in a powerful display of speed and strength to rocket into contention for all the major 2YO races.

She will likely start favourite in the Nursery – despite the presence of fellow unbeaten youngster Serena Bay – and is now a $15 Golden Slipper chance with TAB, on the second line of betting, in from an opening quote of $51.

She Will Reign’s winning time today was 0.01 secs outside the track record set by Emila in 2011.

She Will Reign, trained by Gary Portelli, was a $20,000 Inglis Classic purchase by Darby Racing from the Ambergate Farm draft.

And her family’s connection with her current owners goes back a long way.

Darby Racing’s racing manager Mark Holland broke in her mother, Courgette, for her initial trainer Gerald Ryan in 2009, after she was purchased for $25,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

The Darby Racing team then purchased Courgette as a tried horse in 2011.

Things never went to plan with her on the track so it was decided by fellow owner Garry Bachell to breed with her.

She Will Reign is the eldest of her three foals and the first to race.

Courgette has two other foals on the ground, a Shamus Award filly and a Time For War colt.

And ironically, Courgette started her racing career in the Inglis Nursery – just as was the initial plan with She Will Reign – finishing seventh behind Chance Bye in 2009.

“I remember after I’d broken Courgette in and she went to Gerald’s, he rang me and was like ‘wow, this thing can gallop,’’ Holland recalled.

“She was always above average but she had soundness issues. But it looks like she might have transferred some of that class to her broodmare career too, which is no surprise really.’’

Scott Darby was stunned after today’s race.

“We were all hoping for something special but I don’t think anyone expected that,’’ Darby said.

“We were going to go first-up into the Nursey next week but with that element of fear of not gaining a start with no prizemoney, Gary thought it would be safer to go to Kembla, try to win without taxing her and then we’d be assured of a start, and that’s exactly how it’s turned out really.’’

The Inglis Nursery headlines a fantastic meeting at Randwick next Saturday, which also features the $250,000 Inglis Villiers and $250,000 Inglis Sprint.