News

Twilight Royale grabs more Inglis Race Series cash

13th Feb 2013

The Bjorn Baker purchased and trained filly Twilight Royale took her earnings to almost eight times her yearling sale purchase price when winning the $250,000 Inglis Premier over 1200m at Mornington on Wednesday.

Twilight Royale ($45,000 2012 Premier, 2f Testa Rossa-Royal Season) was the only interstate trained runner in today’s rich Victorian event, but the wide Mornington straight enabled the youngster to overcome the anticlockwise way of going to finish over the top of the gutsy Resistant to win the Restricted Listed race.

The winner sat back off a hot speed upfront, which included Resistant sitting three wide the entire journey, before she looped around the field into the straight and ran away to a two length victory under jockey Brenton Avdulla.

“Today she left the gates as good as she can. There was a bit of tempo on early and I just rode her like the best horse in the race,” Avdulla said.

A winner of the $250,000 Inglis Nursery at Warwick Farm in December, today’s Inglis Premier victory took Twilight Royale’s earnings to $353,000, which is almost eight times the $45,000 trainer Bjorn Baker secured the filly for at last year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

The daughter of Testa Rossa was sold from the draft the Kitchwin Hills Stud on behalf of breeders Terrann Investments Pty Ltd.

“I must thank the owners. I did not have too many horses when I bought this filly and I am grateful for them coming into this filly, which has worked out super,” Bjorn Baker said.

“I thought she was good value at the time. I bought her off Terry Dickson, who has remained in at 10 percent and he’s given me another horse to train, so he’s been a good supporter.

“I’ve been very lucky, I’ve got good staff and I train at Warwick Farm which has the best training facilities I’ve seen anywhere in the world,” Baker added.

Twilight Royale is raced by Mr R S Edwards, Mrs S F Edwards, Mr S A Edwards, Mr J F Harbridge, PROF R J Harbridge, Mr T J Harbridge, Mrs S F Homewood, Mr C A Saleh, Mr T N Dickson, Mr C S Tognolini & Mr R A Vosper.

This year’s running was the first time the Inglis Premier race has carried black type. Form from the 1200m event has been extremely strong in past years with the last two winners, Snitzerland and Masthead, going on to place second in the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond Stakes respectively.

10 yearlings by Twilight Royale’s sire Testa Rossa are catalogued for the upcoming 2013 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Kitchwin Hills are set to offer 6 yearlings at the four day sale including two lots by their resident Group 1 winning first season sire Duporth.

The full Melbourne Premier catalogue is available online at www.inglis.com.au and on the updated Inglis Sales iPad app.