Emirates Park has not had the best of luck with four previous $1 million plus yearling purchases, which included the ill-fated $4 million colt Emaratee, however, the $1,7 million purchase Estijaab looks to have the world at her feet following a hugely impressive debut at Randwick on Saturday.
The daughter of Snitzel has brilliant barrier speed and she bounced straight to front by Brenton Avdulla and led at every call to defeat Dio D'Oro by four lengths with another two and a quarter lengths back to Tell No Tales in third. (photos Steve Hart ).
Trained by Team Hawkes, Estijaab carries the same silks as 2014 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun, who was also purchased from Inglis Easter, and Michael Hawkes said the $3.5 million Rosehill feature is on the agenda for the Snitzel filly.
"She's a very nice filly and we're really lucky to have her," Michael Hawkes said.
"Since she's stepped into our stable she's been very relaxed, has a very good attitude and today she really shone.
"Her mum was a very good racehorse and of course her dad was too, but you've got to bring your A-game to the course.
"We are lucky Emirates have been very good supporters of ours and Brian (Carlson) and Hussain (Lootah) were at the sales and they asked us who we thought the best filly on the ground was and this was her.
"Hopefully she is Slipper bound and we will have to plot a path but we will just take it one step at a time and get through today. We were pretty confident today and Brian was here and I know the boss was watching it from overseas."
Avdulla said he has no doubt the filly is top class.
"I've been waiting for her for a while. She gave me a nice feel at her first barrier trial and I know the stable has big raps on her," he said.
"She's obviously an expensive yearling so she is very well educated and she turned up here and did everything right.
"From the outside gate she jumped quickly, I rode her for speed and I was always pretty confident throughout and when I asked her just to finish off a little bit she did and still had more in store.
"She would probably be the best filly I've ridden (this season) and she'd be right up there with a couple of the leading contenders for sure."
A half-sister to the stakes-placed Fastnet Rock filly Alter Call, Estijaab was consigned by Arrowfield Stud to the 2017 Inglis Australia Easter Yearling Sale where she was purchased by Emirates Park Pty Ltd / B Carlson for $1.7 million.
She is the third foal of the Charge Forward mare Response who came out of the same sales ring nine years earlier when purchased by Barry Griffiths for $50,000.
She went on to win four races for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, three of those came in stakes races highlighted by the Group I Sangster Stakes and Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
At the conclusion of her career on the track, Response was consigned to the 2012 Australian Easter Broodmare Sale where she was knocked down to SF Bloodstock for $840,000.
Her first foal by Fastnet Rock, Alter Call, sold for $1,050,000 to China Horse Club at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling sale. Her second foal, the Exceed And Excel colt named De Gaulle suffered a tendon injury in training and did not reach the track. The 3yo covered 22 mares at John Pratt's Brooker Park in Darnum, Victoria in 2017.
Response was back in the sale ring again in 2015 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $1.5 million.
At the recent Magic Million Yearling Sale, Arrowfield Stud consigned a Snitzel filly out of Response who was purchased by Moody Racing for $350,000.
Response has another filly foal by Snitzel and was bred back to the champion son of Redoute's Choice again last spring.
