News

Lady Shenandoah proves too strong in Toorak Hcp

10th Oct 2026

Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) secured a fourth career G1 win today when scoring a heart-stopping victory in the $1m Toorak Hcp at Caulfield.

It was a memorable ride by jockey James McDonald, who was struggling to get a gap at any stage of the Caulfield home straight as Lady Shenandoah looked destined for another luckless result.

But the split came at the 100m mark and the 5YO mare didn’t disappoint, surging through under McDonald’s vigorous riding to clinch a sixth career win in the most memorable fashion.

Carrying the hefty impost of 58kg, the Chris Waller-trained Lady Shenandoah became the first mare to win the Toorak Hcp since More Joyous in 2010.

Lady Shenandoah is one of 127 individual Inglis graduates to win a G1 since 2018.

Owner Hermitage Thoroughbreds, working with trainer Chris Waller and bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster, purchased Lady Shenandoah for $525,000 at the Easter Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Arrowfield, who co-bred the mare with Planette Thoroughbreds.

She has now won more than $5m in prizemoney.

Lady Shenandoah’s victory continued an extraordinary run of results for Arrowfield, who have now had 11 individual Stakes winners in the past 14 days – either sales graduates of theirs or Stakes winners by stallions standing at the farm.

“It’s amazing, the farm is going amazing, we’ve had a hell of a run these past few weeks and there’s no better time to be doing things like this than the middle of the spring carnival,’’ Arrowfield’s John Messara said.

“Lady Shenandoah is such a beauty. I’m very pleased for her owners, they’re both partners of ours as well as clients and I’m so thrilled to see them have another G1 success.

“They probably owe JMac a postcard, nobody but him would have got through that gap, it was a literal needle-eye opening but he found a way and the mare did the rest.’’

Lady Shenandoah’s win was extra special for Messara, who lost her sire Snitzel 16 months ago.

“I wish he could have lived forever, he was wonderful to the farm and we all loved him so dearly,’’ Messara continued.

“He keeps on doing it and he’s got another crop this coming season, his last crop and I can assure you the ones heading to Easter are incredible.’’

Winning trainer Waller added: “She’s a very good horse and she proved that again today.

“That ride, it was one of the all-time greats today. When a mare has 58kg, James saved every inch and kept the momentum up and that was the difference between winning and losing.

“It was tight, it was very tight…but she was good the last 100m.’’

For much of the home straight Welcometotheshow – the HTBA Sale yearling and Ready2Race Sale graduate trained by Tyler Donaldson-Aitken - had looked a likely winner of the race, only run down late to eventually finish 3^rd, beaten just 0.4 lengths.

Later on the Caulfield program Persian Spirit (Cable Bay) scored a seventh career victory – and first at black type level – when winning the Listed Weekend Hussler Stakes.

The Symon Wilde-trained 6YO was luckless in the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at his most recent run prior to today but returned to the winners’ circle with a strong performance in the last race of the day.

John Price Bloodstock and Grand Syndications teamed up to buy the Woodside Park Stud-bred Persian Spirit for just $6000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, from the Stockwell Thoroughbreds draft.

In a remarkable ROI for his owners, Persian Spirit has now won $655,000 in prizemoney.

Meanwhile at Rosehill today Attrition’s love affair with the $2m G2 Hill Stakes continued when the 7YO won the race for the second time in three years.

The Mitch Freedman-trained entire wished he could contest the Hill Stakes every start – he won the race in 2024, finished 2nd in it last year and won it again today.

Of Attrition’s almost $4.4m career prizemoney, almost $2.7m has come from his three Hill Stakes performances alone.

Trainer Mitch Freedman bought the Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust-bred Attrition (Churchill) for $180,000 at the Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Mill Park Stud.

In a shock to nobody, Freedman is already planning an assault on next year’s Hill Stakes.

“We’ll mark it in the calendar, mark it as the fourth-up run and do our best,’’ Freedman said.

“It has been a target race for us with this horse. We’ve been so confident in the lead up to the run, the way he was going, the way he was tracking, the way he travelled up.

“He’s a seven-year-old now. He hasn’t had a heap of racing but he’s had plenty of racing at the top level. It’s not too many times he’s out of that weight-for-age level and he keeps showing up.

“He’s a beautiful, sound horse. He’s got the best temperament that you’ll ever come across and he’s a much-loved member of our team, that’s for sure.”

And undefeated star Proxima Dea (Tarzino) will head to the G1 Spring Champion Stakes in a fortnight following a narrow yet impressive win in today’s G3 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill.

The David Payne-trained 3YO is yet to experience defeat from four career outings and firmed into a $5 third favourite for the Spring Champion, alongside fellow Inglis graduate Genesis Runner and behind other Inglis stars Global Goal ($2.80) and Stormy Marco ($4.60).

Bred by Transtasman Breeders, Proxima Dea is a $300,000 Easter Yearling Sale purchase for Ciaron Maher Racing from the North Bloodstock draft.

Satisfied trainer Payne said: “She’s got a big heart, she’s unbelievable…she’s got guts.

“She is so game and just keeps coming, she doesn’t know when to give up and she will even be better once you go further.

“She has had a bit of a spell between runs and there is improvement to come for the Spring Champion.’’

Proxima Dea led in an Inglis graduates quinella today, defeating Wonka.

Interestingly the last filly to win the Spring Champion was Montefilia in 2020, an Inglis graduate trained by Payne.