News

Inglis Fillies Target Spring Group Ones

24th Oct 2015

The next outing for Inglis graduates Jameka and Lake Geneva will be to contest Group 1 races over the Melbourne Cup Carnival, after stakes wins at Moonee Valley today.

Inglis Premier graduate Jameka (Myboycharlie x Mine Game) dominated the Group 2 MVRC Moonee Valley Vase over 2040m, becoming the first filly to win the contest since Rockets Galore in 1990.

Jockey Damien Oliver steered the filly off the fence where she showed an exceptional turn of foot to take the lead and hit the line a length ahead of her opposition.

After today’s victory, trainer Ciaron Maher is confident his filly is ideally prepared for the Group 1 VRC Crown Oaks over 2500m at Flemington on Thursday 5 November.

“We’ve really targeted the Oaks with her, so great job by Ollie and the team at home, she seems to be coming together nicely,” said Maher

“With that run under her belt and she looked quite fresh in the yard today so I think she’s just starting to peak at the right time,” Maher said.

“She’s just got that lovely long striding action and is very clean winded, so everything in that regard says she’ll stay but she’s probably bred more on the speed side,” Maher added.

A $130,000 purchase for her trainer from the Gilgai Farm draft at the 2014 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Jameka has won or placed in all but one of her eight career starts, taking her earnings past $400,000.

Earlier in the day, Lake Geneva (Fastnet Rock x Hips Don’t Lie) stormed home on the inside to win the Listed MVRC William Crocket Stakes over 1200m for Team Hawkes and James Winks.

Despite being stakes placed on five occasions, twice at Group 1 level in the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper in her two-year-old year, this is the first stakes win for the well-related daughter of Fastnet Rock.

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes was impressed with the filly’s run, and eluded to the possibility of Lady Geneva contesting the Group 1 VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes over the same distance at Flemington on Derby Day in a week’s time.

“She certainly didn’t have the winners run and that is obviously why she got a bit tired towards the end, but it was a great effort, she worked hard and did everything right,” Hawkes said.

“We will see how she pulls up, but they do a race called the Coolmore next Saturday.”

Lake Geneva was sold from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2014 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale to Hawkes Racing, and today took her earnings to just shy of $600,000 and greatly increased her future broodmare value.