News

$50K Bonus for Tigress at Gosford

18th Nov 2010

Improving filly Tigress Lily continued her climb through the ranks when posting an impressive win in the De Bortoli Wines Inglis Bonus 3yo Benchmark 65 Handicap at Gosford today.

In winning, TIGRESS LILY ($400,000 2009 Easter, 3f Snitzel-Empress Lily) picked up a $50,000 bonus for connections, continuing a healthy few weeks for trainer John O'Shea, who prepared Elite Falls to win the $250,000 Microflite Inglis Banner on Cox Plate Day as well and Gujju to land a $100,000 Inglis Bonus at Randwick last month.

Tigress Lily has now won two of her three starts with today's $90,000 haul taking her earnings into six figures. O'Shea plans to spell the filly before aiming at next year's Inglis Guineas (1600m) at Scone en route to Brisbane for the winter carnival.

Prepared for sale by Arrowfield Stud, she was the most expensive yearling by Snitzel sold in 2009. Her dam Empress Lily was a classy daughter of Zabeel, being Group 1 placed behind stablemate and Easter graduate Serenade Rose in the 2005 VRC Oaks.

In turn, Empress Lily is a daughter of the wonderful New Zealand mare Tycoon Lil, winner of eight races, where her three Group 1 wins included a ridiculously easy Canterbury Guineas success.

O'Shea has long held a high opinion of Tigress Lily and recommended her Redoute's Choice three-quarter-sister to stable clients at this year's Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The filly, bred on the same Redoute's/Zabeel cross as former glamour filly Samantha Miss, fetched $550,000 to the bid of BBA Ireland.

Arrowfield will offer a Redoute's Choice colt from Empress Lily at Easter in 2011.

The next chance to secure a bonus in the rich Inglis Race Series for 2009 yearling graduates is at Sandown next Saturday, November 27, with an extra $100,000 up for grabs.

2010 graduates run for a $50,000 bonus the following day at Canberra.