News

Yankee goes to town on the boys

8th Oct 2016

Yankee Rose became the first filly to win the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and led in an Inglis graduates trifecta in doing so in today’s Randwick feature.

And now she has the Cox Plate in her sights.

Yankee Rose (All American x Condesaar) was a $10,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale bargain buy for Darby Racing from the Widden Stud draft in 2015 and proved today to be the best staying three-year-old in Sydney.

She beat Swear (Redoute’s Choice x Crossyourheart, a $725,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate) and Prized Icon (More Than Ready x Tropical Affair, a $250,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate).

The win – Yankee Rose’s second at Group 1 level following her Inglis Sires Produce success during The Championships earlier this year - took the filly’s earnings to $1,917,700.

That figure will skyrocket should she become the first filly since Surround in 1976 to win the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in a fortnight.

“We have always dared to dream, and we won’t be stopping now. Bring on the Cox Plate,’’ jubilant owner Scott Darby of Darby Racing said.

“She proved all the doubters wrong today and showed she can run 2000m, she beat the boys, now we head to Melbourne and see if we can beat the world in the Cox Plate.’’

For winning jockey Dean Yendall, it was the culmination of a career in the saddle trying to win a Group 1 race.

The 42-year-old had never given up on success at the top level and, like Yankee Rose’s owners, is daring to dream about further Group 1 glory at Moonee Valley in a fortnight.

Yankee Rose will carry just 47.5kg in the Cox Plate but Yendall says he will be ready to ride her if he gets the call.

“I can ride at that, it won’t be a problem,’’ he said.

Even winning trainer David Vandyke knew Yendall was his man for Moonee Valley should Yankee Rose win today.

“He doesn’t have to waste. He said all he’s got to do is stop eating junk food, and that’s not as easy as it sounds,’’ Vandyke laughed after today’s race.

Vandyke was always confident Yankee Rose could return to the winner’s circle today, a week after running second in the Group 1 Flight Stakes, also at Randwick.

“I said to the boys, this filly has never done well like this going into a race,’’ he said.

“She put on 5kg, she’s been eating up, I couldn’t fault her. If she ran the 2000m, I was confident she’d win.

“And gee whiz, what a ride Dean Yendall, he timed his run to perfection, he was patient, it was just 10 out of 10.’’

The current crop of three-year-olds, such as fellow Inglis Classic graduate Extreme Choice, are certainly proving top competitors at Weight For Age level this spring and Yankee Rose’s connections will be hoping the run continued at Moonee Valley in two weeks.

YANKEE ROSE All American (AUS) – Condesaar (AUS) Sale: 2015 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Price: $10,000 Vendor: Widden Stud Breeder: Wexford Farm, Doyles Breeding & Racing, Wamslet P/Ship Group 1 win: ATC Spring Champion Stakes Trainer: David Vandyke Owner: S G Darby, M J Royal, Mrs S E Weigall, H C Sharpe, P G Davis, J Fowler, Mrs H E Sumner, M A Slack-Smith, A C Beckmann, W M Bell, Ms J E Falls, D G Penno, I F D Thacker, Ms C M Mcgee, R J Cooke, L Kotevski, J K Martin, J A Green, J D Porter & S K Todd