Tailed off last early, the 4yo Shamus Award mare Duais gathered her opponents in so quickly in the straight that Josh Parr had the luxury of standing in the irons, saluting the crowd over the final 50 metres of Monday’s $1,500,000 Group 1 Kia H E Tancred Stakes (2400m).
An historic first winner of a Group 1 race at Newcastle, the Edward Cummings-trained Duais defeated Stockman (Tavistock) by three and a half lengths with The Chosen One (Savabeel) a further length back in third.
The winner of the Group 1 Queensland Oaks last year, Duais started a short-priced favourite after her barnstorming win in the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington at her most recent start.
With her third Group 1, Duais advances her record to seven four one from 18 starts with earnings of $2,669,565.
“She is a very talented filly, there is no doubt about that,” Edward Cummings said.
“I must admit, getting to the 1000m mark I saw Josh (Parr) just starting to niggle her along, she had switched off a little too well.
“Even as Stockman started moving up three and four wide, I was talking to Alex, my right-hand man, and he was like, ‘çome on Joshy, what are you doing mate, it’s time to get going’. She is a very special filly.
“She’d have run a mile-and-a half in the Australian Cup and it would have been a gap job like you just saw. The world is her oyster at the moment.
“What we do next is still up in the air, but on the ease of that win, you’d have to say she’s got at least one more (run) in her and then she can take her pick in the spring.”
“It (the Sydney Cup) is definitely a consideration. I think on the strength of that win she will run it out, no dramas.
“We haven’t changed much of her work, she is just a natural athlete, you can do whatever you like with her.”
Josh Parr said the daughter of Shamus Award was the best he has been associated with.
“What a fantastic mare. You hear jockeys speak of having confidence in a horse and I’m starting to really respect that with this mare because she seems to just reassure me for every step of the way,” Parr said.
“Her turn of foot at the backend of a mile-and-a-half is just incredible and she handled them quite easily.
“I was very aware that going into today to pay respect to a couple of those hard-headed geldings and the stallion obviously; not to give them too much of a start.
She’s the most talented horse I’ve sat upon, she’s remarkable. She is not gross in size but the power her stride has is incredible.”
Duais is a homebred for Matthew Irwin and the Harris family from Queensland, who purchased her dam Meerlust (Johannesburg) for $22,000 at the 2009 Scone Yearling Sale.
Meerlust has two stakes-winners and a Doomben winner from three of her first four foals.
The first stakes-winner was the Casino Prince mare Baccarat Baby who won the Group III Sunshine coast Guineas and Listed SCTC Princess Stakes while banking over $500,000.
Consigned by Telemon Thoroughbreds to the National Broodmare Sale, Baccarat Baby was purchased by Spendthrift Stud for $650,000 and is in foal to first season stallion Dirty Work.
Duais is a direct descendant of the great racemare and influential producer Fanfreluche (CAN) the dam of L'Enjoleur, La Voyageuse and D'Accord and ancestress of Flying Spur and Encosta de Lago.
Meerlust has an unraced 3yo sister to Duais named Amity Gal, who has a win, a second, and a third from three starts
After missing in 2018 and 2018, Meelust has an All Too Hard weanling filly and was covered by Bivouac last spring.
