A solid third at her career debut at Moonee Valley, the Phillip Stokes-trained filly Headwater filly Aquagirl defied a betting drift in Sunday’s Firstly Sprint (1000m) at Flemington to become the third winner for her Vinery Stud-based sire.
To the delight of her big band of owners, Dean Holland guided Aquagirl to a half-length win over the well-supported Snitzel filly Bombay Rocket with a further three-quarter of a length back to the Wandjina filly Mysterious Art in third.
“She’s real trier this filly and it’s great to get a winner for Wylie Dalziel and the team and get one up for the country boys,” Stokes said.
“Dean (Holland) said he walked the track and thought it was very even so we thought to keep to the rail and keep it simple and she did the rest.”
Aquagirl was purchased by Dalziel Racing/Peter Moody/Phillip Stokes for $50,000 out of the Cressfield consignment at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is the sixth winner from as many to race out of the top-class Dehere mare Galapagos Girl winner of the Group III VRC Frances Tressady Stakes and Group III MRC Mannerism Stakes and placed in the Group 1 STC Coolmore Classic.
Galapagos Girl is a half-sister to Group III winner Procrastinate (Jade Hunter) who is the dam of the influential broodmare Laisserfaire (Danehill) whose progeny included the stakes-winners A Time For Julia, Foreplay, Personify and Time Thief.
The 21yo Galapagos Girl is still going strong at Cressfield. She has a yearling filly by All Too Hard and late last year foaled a full-sister to Aquagirl.
The three winners sired by Headwater to date places him one behind Spill The Beans in the race for leading first season sire for number of individual winners.
