While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!
Sent out a short priced favourite due to her unbeaten run, Ciaron Maher’s flashy looking Trapeze Artist filly She’s An Artist was all the rage and after a good getaway from the outside barrier of eight down the Flemington straight, jockey Jamie Melham had the chestnut settled a few lengths from the Bridal Waltz (Snitzel) who had taken up the lead.
With the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained Bridal Waltz appearing to appreciate being out in clear running, She’s An Artist was still tracking along out wide, looking as if she would just go past the leader when asked for an effort.
When things started to get serious at the 200m mark, it was clear the husband and wife duo of Ben and Jamie Melham were going to fight out the race, but it was Ben aboard Bridal Waltz that was too strong on the line, extending away from She’s An Artist to win by three-quarters of a length.
Working home well into third was Zoustar filly Duchess Zou who had come from back in the field to secure her first black type placing at just her fourth career start.
With the husband Ben getting the better of wife Jamie in the run to the line, it surely would be an interesting trip home for the duo.
“I’d be a fair chance of sleeping in the spare room, I’d imagine!” the winning Melham joked.
“We drew the right barrier to be able to control the speed, I felt from that draw, I’d be able to dictate the rest of the field out to probably what’s the little bit worse going. That was probably the difference.
“In saying that, my filly dug really deep when I needed her to, she got into a lovely rhythm for me…she was a fit horse, and she let down too good for them in the end.”
With over four lengths separating the pair last start with She’s An Artist winning, and Bridal Waltz in third, Moody felt he had his filly ready to produce the goods on Saturday.
“She went into that probably slightly underdone, and she was ready to peak today,” Moody said.
“We were obviously respectful of the other two that beat her the other day, but we thought we were in the wrong part of the track too, so we were quietly confident we could turn it around.
“We just had to maybe hope the favourite wasn’t as good as the hype.”
Bred by O E & D R Pope Pty Ltd, Bridal Watz is the second winner and second stakes winner out of the Lonhro mare Charleston Dancer, herself a half-sister to the Listed winner Chloe In Paris (dam of Listed winner Bold Bastille), Listed winner Ideas Man and also to the to the dam of Listed winner Larimer Street.
From the family of Group 2 winner Innovation Girl, successful in the Ascot Vale Stakes (now Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes), Bridal Waltz is a half-sister to Street Boss’ She Dances who was trained by the Moody/Coleman stable to success in the Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes.
The current 2yo out of Charleston Dancer is a full sister to Bridal Waltz named Eyes Of Blue (Snitzel) in the same stable, while the current yearling is a full-sister to She Dances and the mare is currently in foal to Darley’s Anamoe.
Having record two prior stakes placed performances, Bridal Watz became the 161st individual stakes winner for Arrowfield Stud’s four-time Champion Sire Snitzel who was humanely euthanized a few weeks back after succumbing to age-related issues just over two months short of his 23rd birthday.
