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Inglis pedigree expert Mark Dodemaide runs a rule over Group 1 Crown Oaks field

4th Nov 2015

Herald Sun - by Michael Manley - Wednesday 4 November, 2015

Inglis pedigree expert Mark Dodemaide found it a tough exercise coming up with a top seed on pedigree for today’s VRC Oaks but settled on Ambience.

“There are three outstandingly bred fillies and it was hard to sort them out,” Dodemaide said.

“I love Ambience’s pedigree as an Oaks proposition. As well as being a half to Pierro she is by champion stallion Street Cry who is noted as a sire of outstanding fillies such as Winx and Zenyatta,” he said.

“She’s also out of a good Daylami mare who won to 2400m on metro tracks in France and Australia. Daylami himself won six Group 1’s at 2000m and longer.

“Also her grand-dam is by Sadler’s Wells sire of Galileo, High Chaparral, Montjeu and her third-dam is a stakes-winning mare by Shirley Heights who won both the English and Irish Derby.

Dodemaide pointed that Ambience is also a half sister to champion colt Pierro, who won the Golden Slipper Stakes.

Dodemaide rated Ambience 8.5/10, who was retained by her breeders, just in front of another filly Dawnie Perfect at 8.4 who was also not offered at the sales.

“Dawnie Perfect’s sire Big Brown won a Kentucky Derby and his horses are improving with age. Her dam by Zagalia, is by Zabeel and won the Queensland Oaks,” he said.

Dodemaide pointed out that most of the fillies contesting the Oaks brought good money.

His third rated filly at 8.3, Sacred Eye, cost $270,000 as a yearling at the Inglis Easter Sale which makes her the second most expensive horse in the race.

Sacred Eye is by English Derby winner High Chaparral, who is the sire of It’s A Dundeel and Monaco Consul, and her dam by Rock Of Gibraltar was a Group 3 winner.

The most expensive filly in the race is Ritzy who cost $500,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale.

Ritzy is a half sister to VRC Derby winner Fiveandahalfstar and is by the sire of champion US filly Rachael Alexandra.

Dodemaide said the cheapest yearling sold in the VRC Oaks was Peter Moody’s Pasadena Girl. “Peter Moody really deserves credit for taking a chance on her. She made only $25,000 at Melbourne Premier and that would have been in the bottom 10% of the catalogue,” he said.

“She has currently earned over half a million on the track and worth very good money at a broodmare having already won the Champagne Stakes.”