News

Exceed Filly Excels in $50K Grafton Bonus Win

15th Jul 2010

The Hudson family of Lustre Lodge were celebrating an Inglis Race Series windfall today when their filly Liesele scored a most impressive win in the Southern Cross Ten Inglis Bonus Plate (1200m) at Grafton.

LIESELE (P$75,000 2009 Premier, 2f Exceed And Excel-Love’s Here) earned high praise from both trainer Liam Birchley and jockey Stathi Katsidis after unleashing an impressive turn of foot.

Race favourite SINCERO ($8000 2009 Classic, 2g Umatilla-Yours As Always) made a late charge to get within a neck on the line, but Liesele had the race in her control from the 200m point.

In winning, Liesele picks up a $50,000 Inglis Race Series Bonus, in addition to the $17,500 first prize and $10,000 BOBS Bonus. Lustre Lodge made the decision to pass the filly (pictured a yearling) in after failing to meet her $80,000 reserve and buyers may well be lamenting the one that got away, as she appears to have an exciting future.

Birchley has a good record in Inglis bonus races, having won the $250,000 Inglis Classic with Fear No Other in 2009 and running second in this season’s $250,000 Inglis Nursery with Slice And Dice.

The Brisbane based trainer, who completed a winning treble on the card, atoned for the defeat of Fear No Other by The Mikado in this race last year. The Mikado went onto stakes success as a three-year-old and this filly has a similarly bright future.

“It was a good win. We have always had a lot of time for this filly. She’s been a bit immature but she’s putting things together and has a good turn of foot. She won very well,” Birchley said.

“She’s definitely a horse of the future.”

Katsidis was also suitably impressed by the win.

“I didn’t know a lot about her before today, but her turn of foot was amazing,” he said.

The next bonus in the $2.6million Inglis Race Series comes up this Saturday at Caulfield, where the $70,000 Inglis Bonus Handicap (Race 2) carries a $100,000 bonus for qualified graduates.

Nominations for 2010 Inglis yearling graduates to be included in the next Race Series close on July 31. Nomination forms can be downloaded HERE