New Zealand’s reigning champion sire Proisir has had five Group I winners to date, but one of his progeny that is G1 class although hasn’t won the G1 yet is Yonce, who returns from injury at Caulfield on Boxing Day.
A six year-old mare prepared by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Yonce won six of seven career starts through 2021 and 2022 before a tendon injury derailed her progress following a fourth to Nimalee in the Group I ATC Queen of the Turf Stakes, which was her lone defeat.
She has accepted for the Listed MRC Christmas Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield which will also see the return of globe-trotting sprinter The Astrologist, who was last seen finishing fifth in the Group I Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
"She'll race fairly fresh I'd say," David Eustace told Racenet.
"We'd love to run over 1200m, she appears to be 100 per cent and she looks great but has been trialling fairly gassy, her trials haven't been visually that eye-catching."
Rain predicted is also seen as a positive for Yonce coming back from the tendon strain.
"She likes it wet and we'd be delighted kicking her off with some ease in the ground," Eustace said.
All going well Yonce will progress towards the Listed MRC John Dillon Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Australia Day second-up, with a jumpout in between, before a possible trip to Syndye for Group I mares races in the autumn.
