Lightly raced Justify (USA) filly Lilac had her first crack at Black Type company at Caulfield on Saturday and emerged triumphant scoring a thrilling win in the Listed MRC Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m).
Trained by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, Lilac broke her maiden at her second start at Wyong in August and then was narrowly beaten in what looked a strong midweek Benchmark 64 event won by Written Tycoon colt Private Life with another promising filly Declichy Boulevard in third.
Sent to Melbourne for this assignment as was Declichy Boulevard, the pair fought out the finish with Lilac clinging on under Mark Zahra from a determined late bid by the runner up to win by a head.
“It worked out well, she was good out of the gates and I felt like we had the leader covered all the way, she as about a length and a half off and relaxed and it was just a matter of when to ask her to quicken and she did,” said Zahra.
A $300,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase for Champion Thoroughbreds / Annabel Neasham Racing from the Curraghmore draft, Lilac is the first winner for Champion Thoroughbreds to come out of this stable and her owners also include Coolmore, who retain an interest in the filly, who was bred and raised in Australia at Coolmore.
“It was great to get a stakes win for some fantastic connections for Champion Thoroughbreds and Coolmore are in there as well,” said Annabel Neasham.
“She’s a well bred filly so to get that stakes win is really pleasing. She makes her own luck as she is so good out of the gates, although I thought we were going to get nabbed late, but it was a brilliant ride by Mark.”
Lilac has two wins and two placings from four starts with earnings topping $145,000. She is the second winner from Group II placed Fastnet Rock mare Paulownia, a full sister to Group I winning sire Foxwedge and stakes-winner She’s a Fox with the family also producing Group II winner Bank Maur and stakes-winners Namesake and Untamed.
Paulownia has a Wootton Bassett (GB) two year-old filly that was sold by Coolmore at Inglis Easter for $420,000 to Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Kestrel Thoroughbreds and she has a yearling colt to follow by Home Affairs.
Paulownia is one of several Coolmore owned mares that have gone to Kentucky this year to be covered by Justify to Southern Hemisphere time and they also include $3.4million Inglis Chairman’s purchase She’s Extreme.
Lilac is the 37th stakes-winner for Justify and is his fifth from a daughter of Fastnet Rock with the nick running at 22% SW to runner highlighted by four other stakes-winners including Group II winners Storm Boy and Learning to Fly, who was trained by Annabel Neasham..
