The filly with the real Oaks pedigree, Miami Bound, kept the ball rolling for Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien and Victoria Derby-winning jockey Damien Oliver when she proved a class above in Thursday’s $1 million Kennedy Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.
Emulating the victory of her dam Miami Bound found a back to follow when Vegas Jewel went forward. She hit the front at the 400 metres and was there to be run down but nothing could get close and it was plain sailing from there on to emulate her dam, the 2007 VRC Oaks heroine Arapaho Miss (Danehill Dancer).
The daughter of Reliable Man (IRE) was still full of running at the 200 metres and Oliver had the luxury of sitting down hands and heels as Miami Bound put three and a quarter lengths on the Stuart Ramsay homebred Never Listed (Trusting) who was coming off am 8-length win at Scone, with the ever-reliable Moonlight Maid (Puissance de Lune) a further two lengths back in third after coming from near the tail of the field.
Oliver rode O’Brien’s first-ever Group 1 winner, Porto Roca in the 2001 Coolmore Stud Stakes.
“It was a great effort. It wasn’t one of my prettiest rides,” Oliver said
“She actually threw me a bit before the race, she stopped and didn’t want to go into the mounting yard and I thought she wanted to go to the toilet, but that wasn’t the case.
Then in her prelim, I got around to the 600m and she stopped again and didn’t want to come back to the gates, so I just wasn’t sure what was going on with her. I was a bit indecisive from the gate and caught a little bit deep, but fortunately, I was able to get a bit of cover off the Kavanaugh horse which took us into the straight as far as it could. She was left there a fair way out, but she was the best stayer in the race and she was too good.
“Brien said it was the culmination of a long range plan.
“It’s been fantastic, the two main horses we thought were going to measure up cup week was Vow And Declare and her, they’ve had three runs here and won them all,” O’Brien said.
“I’m thrilled for this filly, we’ve has real high hopes for her and we’ve looked forward to this day and thankfully it has paid off.
“We’ve been waiting to run her at 2500 metres from the day we got her and I knew when he let the brakes off today she would just charge and she’s got that motor, that stamina to run a strong mile and a half.”
Made a Breednet One To Watch when she broke her maiden at Bendigo back in August, Miami Bound finished third behind Moonlight Maid in the Group II Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington on October 5 before finishing fourth to Thought Of That in the Group III Caulfield Classic.
She earned favouritism for the VRC Oaks with a hard fought win in the $300,000 Group II G.H. Mumm Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington
Purchased by O'Brien Thoroughbreds out of the Westbury Stud draft for $120,000 out of book 1 at Karaka in 2018, Miami Bound advances her record to four wins and two from seven starts with earnings of $887,750.
The daughter of the French Derby and ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Reliable Man is a daughter of the 2007 VRC Oaks winner Arapaho Miss (Danehill Dancer) who has five of her six named foals to race with five winners, which include the $713,000 earner De Little Engine (Encosta De Lago) who won the Listed VRC Andrew Ramsden Stakes over 3200 metres.
A bargain $22,500 purchase at the 2006 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Arapaho Miss was purchased by Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud for $650,000 out of the Amarina Farm draft at the 2011 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and she was sent to New Zealand in 2015.
The 15yo daughter of Danehill Dancer has a 2yo filly by Swiss Ace and was covered by Reliable Man (GB) again last year having missed to Tarzino the previous season.
Miami Bound becomes the second Oaks winner for Westbury Stud’s Reliable Man (GB) who already had the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks heroine Sentimental Miss.
