Any thoughts that the Kiwis were taking pity with the defection of Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Prowess was dispelled when New Zealand Oaks heroine Pennyweka (NZ) was in a class of her own in the $1,000,000 Group 1 The Star Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Overcoming a wide run under Damian Lane, the Jim Wallace-trained daughter of Satono Aladdin (JPN) revelled in the conditions to defeat the So You Think filly So Dazzling by one and three-quarter lengths with the Contributer (IRE) filly Premise a further three lengths back in third.
It was survival of the fittest as the field spread out over a furlong at the finish.
Coming off a three-length win in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks at Trentham, Pennyweka advances her record to three wins a second and two thirds from ten starts with earnings of $1,006,060.
Wallace originally was not going to make the trip across the Tasman before a phone call from the ATC encouraged him to make the $22,000 second payment.
“I was convinced that after the Oaks, she’d be ready for it. She came out on the Monday, trotted up, and the girl who rides her all the time said to me, ‘she feels better today than she did on Friday’,” Wallace said.
“She carried on that week and did nothing wrong so we thought, ‘oh well, we’ll roll the dice’, and here we are.
“First time away from home, and she travelled like an old toff.
“There’s 70 of them (owners). My sister-in-law and my brother run a little syndication company. “
“There are 70 in it, and 40 of them are here today having the time of their lives.
“A lot of them have only got one per cent, two per cent, but they can walk into the pub on a Saturday night and say ‘my horse won the Oaks’ which is great.
“We talked about it before with Damian (Lane), and I said as long as you’ve got a back to follow, she’ll be right, I think she’ll stay the trip.”
“She will go to the paddock now for six weeks, and then we’ll think about it after that."
It was the second consecutive win in the race for Damian Lane after El Patroness twelve months ago.
“She’s been going great over the ditch (in New Zealand). I was the only horse travelling on the corner and we put them to the sword in the straight,” Lane said.
“I always like to think I have a good affinity with the fillies. Just being on the right horses at the right time.
“So tough. When I was doing her form, she started racing in September. Had a short six week let-up through December and she’s raced all the way since January. For Jim (Wallace) to have her up that long it was a great effort. To be able to sustain her condition all the way through, this far into her prep.
“I’ve ridden enough New Zealand horses and had enough success on them to know that what you see is not always what you get. What she is is just tough, big heart. Heart bigger than herself."
Bred and part-owned by Wallace and his brother Les, Pennyweka is a half-sister to stakes-placed steeplechaser Albaron (Burgundy).
She s the best of three winners from four to race for the unraced Pentire mare Threepence, a half-sister to Group 1 Aukland Cup winner Titch (Lord Ballina).
Pennyweka comes from the first crop of Deep Impact’s Group1 Yasuda Kinen hero Satono Aladdin (JPN), who stands alongside the unstoppable Proisir at Rich Hill Stud
