News

Holdontoyahorses makes it two

10th Jan 2011

Stallions - Michelle Cullen - Sunday, 9 January 2011

A stiff north wind, and thirty degrees, did not stop Holdontoyahorses making it back-to-back wins in the Thomas North Plate at Caulfield on Saturday.

One of two fillies a race that had pre-race headlines dominated by a hulking colt in Covered in Class (Exceed and Excel – Sunshine by Kenmare) who was on a seven-day back up. Holdontoyahorses was able to sit off the speed and put pay to the colts in a couple of strides to claim a nice two-and-three-quarter length victory.

The other filly, Flor Do Mar (Dash for Cash – Storm Tossed by Rory’s Jester), picked up the runners-up cheque from the first colt home, Redangelo (Testa Rossa – Angel of the South by Agnes World) a half-neck away.

Covered in Class and Chateauneuf Dupape (Darci Brahma) set a red-hot tempo and Damien Oliver on the Mick Price trained filly told TVN he was more than happy to sit last on the bay filly as the colts flew along. Staying near the rail as he cornered Holdontoyahorses took the run when it presented itself and she showed a ‘good turn of foot’ wearing the blinkers for the first time.

With Price at the Gold Coast, his stable foreman Mick Nolan was at the track and he said “She’s not the best worker at home, but, had made great improvement off her Seymour win and I was impressed with how she put the race away.”

Oliver said, “She worked well in the blinkers last Tuesday morning so I was confident she would run well.”

When pressed by Jason Richardson of TVN on the topic of the Blue Diamond, Oliver replied, “She deserves a crack at it.”

While Nolan said, “The track is really firm today – so we’ll see how her shins hold up before we make any recommendations to the owners’. Then it’s up to Mick (Price).”

Out of the non-winning Dorothy Dinosaur, $22,500 purchase, Holdontoyahorses is the first winner for the Canny Lad mare and has now returned the owner-breeder Mr. Douglas a profit on his investment.

Douglas had Dorothy Dinosaur served by Dane Shadow (ex Slight Chance by Centaine) when his fee was $7,700 (inc GST). Although he offered Holdontoyahorses at the Inglis Classic sale in 2010, he passed her in when bidding stopped at $47,000 with a reserve price of $50,000.

It appears that decision was a good one as the filly as now earned more than $51,000 from her first two outings.

Dane Shadow stands at Kitchwin Hills Stud, last spring his fee was $16,500 (inc GST), and the son of Danehill will be represented by nine juveniles at the Inglis Classic sale (Jan 23-25) and a lone yearling in Melbourne at the Premier sale (Feb 28-March 3).