News

She’s a budding star

11th Aug 2012

She’s A Fox stamped herself a genuine Group 1 contender when notching her maiden stakes success in today’s Listed Rosebud at Warwick Farm.

Punters hammered the Fastnet Rock filly into $1.40 on the back of a superb first up win and after settling at the tail of the field, she showed her now trademark acceleration to put the race to bed in a couple of strides.

It was the first leg of a two-state stakes winning double for Inglis graduates today, with Shanghai Warrior later triumphant in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star at Flemington.

SHE’S A FOX ($600,000 2011 Easter, 3f Fastnet Rock-Forest Native) was bred and sold by Luskin Park Stud, who also sold her Group 1 winning older brother Foxwedge for $925,000 at Easter.

Soon after the win, Luskin Park tweeted “Thrilled with the win of She’s A Fox. Did it easily. Very exciting having a filly like that.”

Exciting indeed. Fixed odds markets reacted by slashing her quote for the Group 1 Golden Rose next month, but trainer Anthony Cummings is undecided whether he will take on the colts in that race or stick to the Princess Series.

“Once again we have had a fairly comprehensive win,” Cummings said. “She gave them all a start and a beating in a race that was run a little bit against horses from that spot. Hughy (Bowman) knew what he had underneath him, he rode the right race and she looks to have a very bright future.”

Bowman also gave the filly, now the winner of three races in four starts, the big tick of approval.

“I thought I would just travel up and I was surprised how easily she gobbled them up," he said.

“If I had known she was going to do that I might have held her a bit longer but I didn’t want to be left holding the baby; she had the race won before I let her go and that was what we wanted to see.”

Inglis Trifecta In Aurie’s Star

Shanghai Warrior struck paydirt in the traditional spring pipe opener when gunning down warm favourite Golden Archer in the Group 3 feature.

SHANGHAI WARRIOR (4h Elvstroem-Emily Blue, $105,000 2010 Premier) led home an Inglis trifecta, with Golden Archer being an $80,000 Easter graduate and third placed Zamorar secured for $18,000 out of the Australian Weanling and Breeding Stock Sale.

Shanghai Warrior was coming off an Open 3YO win at Flemington and comfortably handled the step to Group status with his strong finishing win for trainer Pat Hyland.

Sold by Supreme Thoroughbreds, Shanghai Warrior now boasts five wins in nine starts.

Hyland, 71, rides Shanghai Warrior in his work and believes he will excel over 1600m later in the spring, but his immediate goal is the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield next month.