NZ Draws First Blood with Probabeel in the Futurity Stakes

Mark Smith - Saturday February 20

 The $500,000 Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) turned into a battle of the star mares with New Zealand’s Probabeel defeating the Western Australian Arcadia Queen.

A third Group 1 for Probabeel (image Grant Courtney)

With Damian Lane in the saddle for trainer Jamie Richards, the 4yo daughter of Savabeel powered home to defeat the 5yo Pierro mare by a half-length with the 5yo Shamus Award gelding Mr Quickie two lengths back in third.

It was the third Group 1 for Probabeel after the ATC Epsom Handicap and Surround Stakes whiling advancing her record to ten wins and six seconds with earnings of $2,867,978.

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For the 31-year-old Richards it was Group 1 win number 40.

“To sit deep in that quality of field and put pay to them pretty comfortably was a terrific effort,” stable representative Brad Taylor said.

“She’s a grand, fit mare now and Jamie and the whole team at home can be proud of her.

“Ashley, who has travelled over and spent a lot of the last year looking after these horses, does a fantastic job and I’m sure Jamie and Karen will be very proud of her.

“It was a really good turn-of-foot. She showed that here first-up and when she sprinted clear of them it was a nice watch over the last hundred metres.

“(Jamie) is a very good mate to me. I take a lot of inspiration from what he does. He gets up at 1:45am every morning and gets into the office two hours before any staff member turns up. He dedicates his life to it. He probably misses out on a few things that he would like to have done with his mates.

Looking every inch a triple Group 1 winner (image Grant Courtney)“But for days like this he deserves everything he gets, and the success he has is fantastic. He’s been put in a very good position and I’m sure if he was here he’d say a big thank you to David Ellis and Karen. They put a lot of trust in him and he’s delivering the results.”

Probabeel and Arcadia Queen could meet up again in the $5 million All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley on March 13.

Sporting the silks of Brendon and Jo Lindsay's Cambridge Stud, Probabeel was purchased by David Ellis for $380,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft at the 2018 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.

She is the only foal of the stakes-placed Pins mare Far Fetched who died at the age of seven in 2017.

Far Fetched was a three-quarter sister to Group II MRC Thousand Guineas Prelude and Group III Manfred Stakes winner Legless Veuve and the Group III MRC Mannerism Stakes winner and Group 1 WRC Telegraph Hcp runner-up Tootsie.

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Race Result - Lamaro's Sth Melb. Futurity Gr1 1400m

Caulfield Track: Good(4) Time: 1:22.76
1
Probabeel
- 4m Savabeel (AUS) x Far Fetched (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: J W Richards Rdr: Damian Lane 57
2
0.5
Arcadia Queen
- 5m Pierro (AUS) x Arcadia (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: G & A Williams Rdr: W Pike 57
Pierro
3
2.5
Mr Quickie
- 5g Shamus Award (AUS) x Special Favour (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: P Stokes Rdr: Jamie Kah 59
4
2.9
Behemoth
- 5g All Too Hard (AUS) x Penny Banger (AUS) (Zedrich (AUS))
Tnr: D R Jolly Rdr: D Oliver 59
5
3.6
So Si Bon
- 7g So You Think (NZ) x Black Minx (NZ) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: T Dabernig & B Hayes Rdr: L Nolen 59
6
4.4
Streets Of Avalon
- 6g Magnus (AUS) x Kamuniak (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe (USA))
Tnr: S P Nichols Rdr: Zac Spain 59
7
6.4
Too Close The Sun
- 5g Carlton House (USA) x Old Money (AUS) (Old Spice (AUS))
Tnr: L Smith Rdr: Declan Bates 59
8
6.5
Ole Kirk
- 3c Written Tycoon (AUS) x Naturale (AUS) (Bel Esprit (AUS))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: K Mc Evoy 55.5
9
6.6
Crosshaven
- 3g Smart Missile (AUS) x Irish Colleen (NZ) (Shinko King (IRE))
Tnr: T Dabernig & B Hayes Rdr: D W Stackhouse 55.5
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