Tim Black's gavelhouse New Zealand buy Wilbermere gave him an extra Christmas present, winning her Australian debut when storming home to win over 1650m at the Nhill Cup meeting on Boxing Day.
Bought online in late September from
Westbury Stud for $15,000, she was immediately exported to Australia to be
trained out of Chris Oxlade's Mt Gambier stable.
Despite being slow out of the gates and settling at the rear of the field, Wilbermere made up good ground when jockey Krystal Bishop managed to obtain clean air and she swamped her rivals late to win by a half-length.
"It was extremely pleasing to see the mare perform so well on a firm surface and over a trip she has never really been competitive at," commented Black.
"Chris has put buckets of patience into this mare as she's has more than her fair share of emotional issues to deal with so she will now be spelled to target bigger riches in the winter as she has already shown plenty of potential on rain affected tracks and over more ground."
A daughter of Westbury Stud's Group One winning son of High Chaparral in Redwood, Wilbermere was sold having had four starts and winning her maiden at Matamata over 2000m a month earlier.
From the unraced Encosta de Lago mare Haliburton, Wilbermere's second dam is the outstanding filly of her generation in Tartan Tights who won both the 1000 Guineas and Oaks to be crowned New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.
Currently online is the latest gavelhouse.com New Zealand auction which features among the 10 Lots, the lightly tried winning son of Tavistock in Major Domo. Bidding is set to close from 7pm on Monday 7 January.
Entries for the next gavelhouse.com Australia auction are also due on Monday at 7pm AEDT – contact Josh Murphy or Shona Drechsler via info@gavelhouse.com to enter your horse or call +61 3 9614 4882.
