News

Cox Plate For Fenway More Than Just A Hope

3rd Oct 2015

An exciting 48 hours of racing in Hong Kong and Australia saw four Inglis graduates add a Group 2, a Group 3 and two HK Group 3 wins to their records.

Group 1 winning mare Fenway (High Chaparral x Deedra) strode to victory overnight in the Group 2 MVRC Stocks Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley. After an unlucky first up run in the Group 2 MRC Let’s Elope Stakes last month, a positive ride saw the four-year-old dive to victory in the last 100m ahead of May’s Dream and Scratchy Bottom.

From the family of Denise’s Joy, Fenway was bred and sold by Strawberry Hill Stud to Colm Santry Bloodstock for $700,000 at the 2013 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Fenway is raced by Greg & Jenny White of Alpara Lodge, and trained in partnership by father-son duo Lee and Shannon Hope, who were confident she would be competitive if she got a start in the Cox Plate.

"We were always going to just wait until we got past today,” said Shannon Hope.

"We’d love to have a Cox Plate runner. I think 2000 metres is her pet distance,” Hope said.

Blake Shinn, who was also aboard for her Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes earlier this year, expertly steered the mare to the line.

“I had to be positive early, I didn’t want to be in a position to be dictated to. I wanted to dictate the race myself and I had the barrier to be able to do that,” said Shinn.

"It was an exciting race from the 400m but she dug deep and she just delivered,” Shinn said.

Fenway’s dam Deedra is a sibling to multiple Group 1 winner Sunday Joy, and Fenway herself is half-sister to fellow Inglis Easter graduate War, a son of More Than Ready, who is standing his second season Blue Gum Farm.

Fenway has notched up three wins and two placings from nine starts and in excess of $480,000 in prizemoney.

Fenway’s sire High Chaparral is represented by Lot 7 in The Star Ready2Race Sale, just one of 155 quality two and three-year-olds catalogued to sell from 11am on Tuesday 6 October. Inspections begin tomorrow, Sunday 4 October at Inglis’ Newmarket Complex in Sydney.

Also at Moonee Valley, Inglis Premier graduate Escado (Casino Prince x Secret Cause) lead the field the whole way to win the Group 3 MVRC JRA Cup over 2040m. After failing to meet his reserve of $60,000 when offered from the draft of Bombora Downs at the 2011 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the now six-year-old has earned upwards of $800,000 in prizemoney for a large group of owners.

Trainer Matt Laurie was delighted at the win, saying “I knew he was in good order but he’s a horse that you tend to second-guess yourself. He does carry a lot of condition,”

“It was a great ride from Ben, he summed it up and he was super tough, I’m just thrilled.” Laurie added.

The gelding will now head towards the Bendigo Cup and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The John Moore-trained Not Listenin'tome (Dylan Thomas x Flame Of Sydney) blitzed the field in the HK-3 National Day Cup at Sha Tin under the guidance of Neil Callan. Bred by Michael Pitt & Mark Read, Not Listenin'tome was purchased by George Moore for $270,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the 2012 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

The gelding, which races for Matthew Wong Leung Pak, has recorded five wins and five placings from 15 starts, and over A$1 million, and it is suggested his next target will be the Group 1 Hong Kong International Sprint.

Also in Hong Kong, Inglis Classic graduate Contentment (Hussonet x Jemison) was steered to victory by Joao Moreira in the HK-3 Celebration Cup over 1400m, marking the gelding’s first stakes win. Bred by Paul Favretto, Tony & Judy Hodgson, Paul Rowe and David & Peter Sinn, Contentment was a $65,000 purchase for John Foote at the 2012 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale from the draft of Arrowfield Stud. John Size has trained the five-year-old to seven wins from ten starts and in excess of A$1.3 million in prizemoney for Benson Lo Tak Wing.