Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday February 17

The Peter Moody-trained Waltz On By will attempt to go one better than her dam and emulate the deeds of her granddam in Saturday’s Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) at Flemington.

The Arrowfield Stud homebred is a daughter of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Stay With Me, who made her career debut in the Talindert in 2015 when runner-up to Pasadena Girl.

Stay With Me (image Grant Courtney))

Stay With Me’s dam, the champion Miss Finland, won the race in 2006 before finishing second to Nadeem in the Blue Diamond.

Miss Finland put in the 2yo performance of the season, a four and a half romp in the Golden Slipper, while the juvenile season of Stay With Me came to a close when fifth in the Reisling Stakes won by English.

Like Miss Finland, Stay With Me was trained by David Hayes. She had her revenge on Pasadena Girl in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley with the top-class Jameka in third.

Miss Finland (image Mark Smith)

Two starts later, Stay With Me earned a career highlight when defeating Jameka again in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.

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The daughter of Street Cry (IRE) raced five more times without winning. She was fourth in the Randwick Guineas won by Le Romain from Press Statement and was third behind Ghisoni in the Surround Stakes at Randwick.

Ghisoni’s son Renosu (Exceed And Excel) lines up against Waltz On By on Saturday.

Like Miss Finland and Stay With Me, Waltz On By sports the black and yellow diamonds yellow cap of Arrowfield Stud.

When time was called on Stay With Me’s career on the track, she was off to Japan for a date with Deep Impact. She was accompanied by her 5-time Group 1 winning dam Miss Finland.

While Miss Finland went in foal, Stay With Me had to wait another year.

Miss Finland produced a colt named Bucharest, who won two of 10 starts in Australia and placed in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes and Group III Gloaming Stakes before his sale to Hong Kong.

The result of the Stay With Me mating was the filly Always on My Mind.

The 3yo daughter of Deep Impact created a huge impression when coming from near last in a winning debut at Pakenham on February 3.  

Trained by Ben and JD Hayes, Always On My Mind holds nominations for the Australian Guineas on March 5 and the ATC Australian Oaks in April.

Waltz On By made her debut a week earlier in the Group III Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield.

There was a lot to like about her run, hitting the line strongly when fourth behind Miss Roseiano, who franked the form when runner-up to Revolutionary Miss in last weeks Group II Blue Diamond Prelude.

This has been quite a closely held family, so the Dundeel filly out of Stay With Me should be a highlight at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale beginning on April 5. (lot 448)

After foaling a Dundeel colt at Arrowfield last spring, Star With Me revisited Yarraman Park Stud’s I Am Invincible.  

The 18yo Miss Finland has a yearling filly by Dundeel. After foaling a Castelvecchio colt last spring, she was again covered by Dundeel after missing on an earlier cover to Maurice (JPN).

I Am Invincible’s two-year-olds are making their presence felt moving to the second half of the season.

As we noted before Counttheheadlights made a winning debut at Moonee Valley on January 22, the Merson Cooper Stakes winner Ebhaar was the lone two-year-old winner for I Am Invincible so far this season.

How quickly that has changed.

He has five acceptors in Saturday’s Group II Silver Slipper at Rosehill, including recent stakes winner Cythera, Queen Of The Ball, and Ebhaar.

The runaway Bendigo winner Hafey, Annabel Neasham’s Pierro Plate winner Mumbai Jewel, and the promising Bonheur wait in the wings.

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