Go Racing’s multiple Group One winner Atishu will kick-off what they are hoping will be a lucrative spring preparation at Randwick on Saturday in the Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m).
The daughter of Savabeel was a standout last spring, finishing runner-up in the Gr.2 Golden Pendant (1400m) and Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) before winning the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Champions Day.
Following her autumn preparation, which included victory in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) and placings in the Gr.1 Australian Cup (2000m) and Gr.1 Queen of the Turf (1600m), she was earmarked to be sold as a broodmare proposition, however, a vote amongst her owners has extended her racing career into another season.
“We entered her in the Magic Millions sale,” Go Racing General Manager Matt Allnutt said. “There was a lot of discussion around whether the owners wanted to sell her or not. In the end we put it to a vote and there was a clear majority that wanted to race her on for another season, so that is what we have done. Hopefully it is a decision that pays off.
“She is a multiple Group One winner in Australia, so she has got a good value on her and will be sold as a broodmare at some stage.”
Until then, her owners are hoping to have plenty of fun with her over the next season, which will kick-off in the Winx Stakes on Saturday where she will be ridden by Tyler Schiller from barrier 10.
The seven-year-old mare trialled over 900m at Rosehill earlier this month and Allnutt said trainer Chris Waller is pleased with her ahead of her first-up target.
“Her trials indicate that she has come back really well,” Allnutt said. “She is probably going to need the run on Saturday, there might be a few in there that are a bit more forward than her. She has drawn wide, so she is going to need a bit of luck as well, but it is not an overly big field, which will help.
“She is coming up really well and has hopefully got a nice season in front of her, with plenty of Group One targets hopefully.”
Following her first-up run, Atishu will head to Melbourne next month where she will tackle the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), and she is set to return to the venue in November to try and replicate her feats from last year’s Melbourne Cup week.
“She will go to the Makybe Diva next and at this stage she will go to Melbourne Cup Week,” Allnutt said. “She just grows another leg at Flemington, she absolutely loves it there. She has performed well at that venue in the past, so it is a good option and a good way forward.”
Prior to the weekend, Go Racing are hoping Lord Ardmore can gain an automatic entry into the A$2 million The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick in November when he contests the Murwillumbah Cup (1550m) on Friday.
“He has been a consistent performer for us,” Allnutt said. “He is probably looking for 2000m but there is just a lack of races around for him over that distance.
“The reports from the stable is that he has been working well. Despite the distance being short of his best, he should be right in the finish tomorrow from a good barrier (1).
“We are hopeful of a good run from him and it is a qualifier for The Big Dance, so it would be great if he could win it and book a spot in that race.”
Meanwhile, Allnutt said they are a bit perplexed with their Group One-winning filly Velocious’ subpar first-up performance at Taupo on Wednesday where she finished second-to-last in the Taupo Pak ‘N Save 3YO Fillies (1100m), which was taken out in impressive fashion by Alabama Express.
“It was a bit of a headscratcher,” Allnut said of the Stephen Marsh-trained filly. “Her trial was good and Stephen seemed to think the track played fair yesterday. At the start having to be taken out of the barriers and then reloaded after being vetted wasn’t ideal, but we are certainly not making that as an excuse.
“She is a big, long-striding filly and I just wonder whether she likes a really firm track and a bigger, roomier track where she can really stretch out.
“The winner was obviously very impressive and showed a really good turn of foot, but we probably did expect better going into the run yesterday.
“From all accounts, she vetted up perfectly after the race, she is fine this morning and ate up overnight. She has come through it well and we know we have got a really classy filly on our hands, so we are certainly not panicking at this stage.”
An Australian spring campaign was on the cards for Velocious, but Allnutt said they will now let the dust settle following her Taupo outing before making any decisions.
“If she went out and raced really well yesterday and won, or was a very good second, Australia was certainly on the cards,” he said.
“I guess we have got to have a bit of a rethink now. We are just going to give her a couple of days to get over the run and then we will plot a path from there.
“We aren’t ruling Australia out, but we will just see what happens in the next few days and once we have had a good discussion with Stephen early next week, we will be in a better position to know where she is going.”