As the most expensive yearling filly by Shalaa (IRE) sold at public auction, Eagle Nest had a bit to live up to, and it took until she was five to open her stakes account in Saturday’s Listed Toyota Forklifts Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
Ridden by Tom Sherry for Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, Eagle Nest led and fought on mightily to defeat the 5-year-old Kobayashi gelding Our Kobison by one and a quarter lengths with the 6-year-old Headwater gelding Tristate back in third.
With her stakes breakthrough, Eagle Nest advances her record to five wins, four seconds, and a third from 19 starts with earnings of $385,925.
Tom Sherry said he had learned a lot about the daughter of Shalaa (ITRE) after riding her at her most recent start at Randwick.
“When I rode her first-up, when I came back in they said I went to slow,” Sherry said.
“I thought that if I went a bit quicker, I would string them out. I did that today. She travelled well and put a bit of a margin on them at the 400m and she held that to the line. She is a quality mare with a bit of the x-factor about her.”
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A $550,000 Inglis Easter buy for IRON / George Moore Bloodstock from the Segenhoe Stud draft, Eagle Nest sold for $300,0000 to the bid of Newgate Bloodstock when offered by Arrowfield Stud at the 2024 Inglis Chairman's Sale.
Eagle Nest is a half-sister to Group III Canberra Black Opal Stakes winner Kalashnikov (Capitalist) out of the winning Flying Spur mare Rough Ride, a half-sister to Group 1 Queensland Derby and multiple Hong Kong stakes-winner Eagle Way (More Than Ready), the Listed winner and Group 1 Sangster Stakes third Impressive Eagle (Rubiton) and the Listed winner Soaressa (Twining), the dam of multiple Group III winner and near $1million earner, Thermal Current.
Eagle Nest is the 19th black-type winner for Woodside Park Stud’s Shalaa (IRE).
