The I Am Invincible blueblood Waltz On By earned her chance to emulate her dam Stay With Me in the Group I MRC Thousand Guineas after winning a dramatic Listed Jim Moloney Stakes at Sandown-Hillside on Sunday.
Ridden by Luke Nolan for Peter Moody, the Arrowfield Stud homebred gained the judge's decision as five horses crossed the line locked together.
Given a positive ride on a day where the swoopers have dominated, Waltz On By defeated the Churchill (IRE) filly, Jenny Jerome, by a nose with the Hellbent filly, Hell Hath No Fury, a nose back in third.
Assistant trainer Katherine Coleman said the lack of early pace determined Walz On By racing outside of leader Portray.
“We would have loved to see her get a bit of cover, but it just didn’t pan out that way (and) Luke had no other option,” Coleman said.
“She obviously got there a little bit soon and was vulnerable late. My heart rate went through the roof that last little bit, but she hung on really well and was absolutely rapt with her going forward to the Thousand Guineas.
“We’ve always had the opinion that when she does get a bit of cover, she switches off.
She just want to do things a bit hard at the moment when she’s out there vulnerable in front with no cover.”
With her stakes breakthrough, Waltz On By advances her record to two wins and a second from six starts with earnings of $177,050.
A half-sister to the winning Deep Impact filly Always On My Mind, Waltz On By is the second foal of Street Cry (IRE) mare Stay With Me, the best of six winners from Arrowfield Stud’s Champion 2YO and 3YO Filly Miss Finland.
Arrowfield sold a Dundeel filly from Stay With Me to Hawkes Racing for $1.7million at Inglis Easter this year. She has a yearling colt by Dundeel and is back in foal to Waltz on By’s sire I Am Invincible.
Waltz On By is the 82nd stakes-winner for Yarraman Park Stud’s reigning champion stallion I Am Invincible.
