Basilinna Delivers Melbourne Cup Dream

Media Release - Tuesday May 20

A perfect gift continues to keep on giving for expatriate Kiwi horsewoman Emma-Lee Browne who is now in the luxurious position of having a guaranteed Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner with a homebred.

Pakenham-based Browne and husband and training partner David produced Basilinna to triumph in the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington to earn a golden ticket into the spring staying feature.

Basilinna winning the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m).  Photo: Bruno Cannatelli

Basilinna is a daughter of the late Shinko King mare So Royal, who was purchased by David as a present for his wife.

“It was just after we had lost our good jumper Monarch Chimes and David saw the mare on a gavelhouse auction and bought her for $500 to make me feel better,” Emma-Lee Browne said.

Also by Shinko King, Monarch Chimes won three on the flat for the couple and four over the smaller fences, including the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) and was fourth in the Great Northern (4190m).

He was also successful over the big fences in Australia and placed in the Grand National Steeples (4500m), Crisp Steeples (3900m) and Brierly Steeples (3450m).

“It was a lovely gesture by David to buy the mare and we put her to Staphanos, and Wentwood Grange foaled her down,” Browne said.

“The mother was a big, strong mare and she (Basilinna) was also a big girl as a yearling and we thought about sending her to the sales, but she was still growing so we kept her when we moved over here.

Advertisement

“At that stage, we had no owners for her and we had an open day and nearly all our existing owners came in with us and they’ve had a fantastic ride.”

As a spring three-year-old, Basilinna finished third in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) after also running third in the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) and was subsequently runner-up in the Gr.2 Kewney Stakes (1600m).

“She really put us out there and we had a few little issues with her as a spring four-year-old,” Browne said.

Following a break, she was a first-up winner at The Valley and ran second in both the Country Oaks (2100m) and Listed Port Adelaide Cup (2500m) before claiming top honours in the Andrew Ramsden.

“We’ve got the luxury now of knowing she’s in the Cup and we can make a plan to get her there in the best possible order, we’re obviously really looking forward to that,” Browne said.

They are also closely following the career of Basilinna’s younger sister Shangri La Impact, who was sold through Westbury Stud’s draft for A$60,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, she placed in her first two starts before successfully stepping up at a middle distance at Hawkesbury last week. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
One to Watch – Ballarat
An Ole Kirk filly from a famous female family started a short priced favourite at Ballarat on Monday and duly got the cash.
Tara Talks Racing - We Chat with the Breeder of Raging Force
The Group III ATC San Domenico Stakes was won last Saturday by exciting Cosmic Force gelding Raging Force, so this week we’re chatting to his breeder Dr Richard McClenahan of Mullaglass Stud, who has a self-confessed ‘mare addiction’!
Kiwi Bred Basilinna Books Melbourne Cup ticket
Emma-Lee and David Browne’s victory in the A$300,000 Listed Lexus Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington on Saturday was enormously valuable in more ways than one for the Kiwi couple.
Vale, G1 winning horseman Tony Dennis
A member of one of New Zealand racing’s most famous and successful families has died, with the recent passing of Tony (Anthony) Dennis, aged 86.
Spring Trial Watch – Caulfield
With a plethora of Group racing for colts and geldings last weekend and fillies to take centre stage Sydney on Saturday for the Group II ATC Furious Stakes it was interesting to see a Caulfield trial on Tuesday morning that featured six stakes-winning 3YO’s.
Winning Debut for Blueblood Frankel Filly
We usually associate the Mark Walker stable with the tangerine colours of Te Akau racing, but it was John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds colours in the frame for the astute Kiwi trainer trainer at Benalla on Tuesday carried by blueblood Frankel filly Chateau Eze.
Zoustar 7YO Chasing G1 for Cambridge Stud
South Africa will tackle the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday night and earlier in the day a horse named after one of their favourite sons will be vying for Group One glory down the road at Ellerslie Racecourse.
First Foals for Lofty Strike
One of the most interesting young stallions that we saw on the recent Victorian stud tour was at Swettenham Stud and it has not taken long for the big baldy face of Lofty Strike to find it’s way on to one of his first foals.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday September 2
Here is the full list of 30 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 1
Here is the full list of 22 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.