Oakwood Farm’s Top Echelon is well into the veteran category nowadays, but he showed he still has the ability to still get a good horse as his daughter Lady Banff made light of 59kgs to win Saturday’s Darley 2yo Handicap (1100m) on a heavy track at Rosehill Gardens.
The Matt Dunn-trained filly made the trip down from Murwillumbah with a record of two wins and a second from four starts. Her only failure came at her most recent start in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic at the Gold Coast on January 11.
With James McDonald in the saddle, Lady Banff missed the start and only had two of the eight starters behind her on the home bend.
Angled out to the centre of the track, Lady Banff stormed home to defeat the Not A Single Doubt colt Meadow Land by a neck with the Hinchinbrook filly Mrs Maisel one and a quarter lengths back in third.
Lady Banff - image Steve Hart
Dunn’s wife Keira said they may look at a spring campaign in Melbourne for the daughter of Top Echelon.
“I was nervous when she jumped slow and didn’t muster her usual speed. I though ‘this isn’t good’ but you have to be confident with James on board and he gave her a good ride in the end and she was able to hit the line well,” Dunn aid.
“The outside of the track may be the place to be, but it’s all credit to her she had to lump the big weight today, first up on a heavy track and there is loads of improvement.”
Lady Banff was a $40,000 purchase by Matthew Dunn/Neil Jenkinson out of the Oakwood Farm draft at the Magic Millions March Yearling Sale.
Lady Banff as a yearling
That made her the sixth most expensive yearling by her sire, which is more an indication of his limited representation at the sales rather than his commercial appeal.
Dunn must be a fan of the breed as in 2017 he signed the ticket for the most expensive lot by Top Echelon, a $150,000 colt named Our Echo who won a race at the Gold Coast in January.
The best of two winners from as many to race out of the winning Magic Albert mare Alberta, Lady Banff descends from a family devoid of black-type for four generations.
A Group 1-placed son of Umatilla, Top Echelon has ridden the wave of popularity with plenty of seasons covering just a handful of mares before the likes of the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap winner River Lad and the ‘Rockhampton Rocket’ Our Boy Malachi put his name back up in lights.
The near-white 21yo stallion will stand his 18th season at Oakwood Farm in 2020 after covering 53 mares last season with his fee listed as on application.
