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Pinhook Success Scores At Sandown

24th Jun 2009

Racing And Sports - Nathan Exelby - Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Hussonet notched his second juvenile winner in as many days when the Rodney Douglas trained Illusionary scored a narrow win over 1200m on the Lakeside course at Betfair Park today.

Illusionary had run third on debut to the talented Gibraltar Moon at Flemington earlier this month and was able to get up on the rail to secure a narrow victory today.

The filly is from the Redoute's Choice mare Illusional, who is in turn a half-sister to talented G2 winner Sonic Quest, being from the G2 winning New Zealand mare Lodore Magic (Kingdom Bay).

Illusionary was originally knocked down to Slade Bloodstock for $95,000 from the Riverslea Farm draft at the 2007 Inglis Australian Select Weanling Sale.

Taken north for the 2008 Magic Millions, the filly was sold through the draft of Robyn Wise (as agent) to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for $450,000.

Illusionary races in the colours of Jonathan Munz's Pinecliff Racing Syndicate, but the ownership team also includes John Messara's Arrowfield and Alan Jones Belford Productions.

Douglas has a good opinion of the filly and said she would be aimed at some races at the tail end of the spring carnival, with the aim of securing some black type.

The trainer expects the filly to blossom into a genuine stakes performer next autumn and feels 1600m is likely to prove an ideal distance for her.

Illusionary was the fifth highest priced yearling by Hussonet in 2008.

The filly is the third winner (from nine to race) for Redoute's Choice as a broodmare sire.

Illusionary's win today follows the debut success of Hussonet's Ashaki, who won at Kyneton yesterday.