Treasurethe Moment makes impressive comeback
VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) heroine Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) stamped herself one of the most exciting horses in the country – and another budding superstar for Yulong – with an imperious first-up win in Saturday’s Angus Armanasco Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m).
The Matt Laurie-trained Yulong homebred was having her first run since her Flemington staying triumph, and shooting to extend her winning streak to five, over what some might have considered a worryingly short distance. She also had topweight of 59.5kg in the set weights and penalties three-year-old fillies’ affair.
Punters embraced her class, however, backing her in to start a $2.70 favourite, and Treasurethe Moment raced accordingly. After jumping well from gate six of eight she sat outside leader and second-elect Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot), racing without cover into a stiff northerly wind down the railway side, then charging to the front in the first half of the straight to put the race to bed.
On the line she had a length to spare, with the fast-finishing Jenni The Fox (Too Darn Hot) and Too Darn Lizzie filling the minor placings for their sire.
While Too Darn Hot remains the talk of the town, Treasurethe Moment is continuing to put her young sire Alabama Express’s (Redoute’s Choice) name up in lights. Yulong’s eight-year-old stallion has 28 winners from 68 runners including three stakes winners, one in Australia – plus two in New Zealand from only five runners there.
With two crops running the eight-year-old – who covered 223 mares for his fifth book last spring at a fee bumped from $22,000 (inc GST) to $55,000 (inc GST) – has a further seven stakes placegetters.
And more black type highlights would appear likely in the autumn from Treasurethe Moment based on Saturday’s brilliant effort.
Laurie said the filly would stay amongst her own age and sex for her autumn targets: Flemington’s Kewney Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), Rosehill’s Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), and the ATC Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) at Randwick.
The trainer was as impressed as anyone else witnessing Tresurethe Moment’s return at Caulfield for her third stakes win.
“It was painless sort of viewing, wasn’t it?” Laurie told Racing.com.
“They hadn’t got to her at the turn and you knew she was going to have plenty in the kicker. So to do that as topweight, first-up over 1400 after stretching her out to the Oaks trip, it’s very exciting.”
More exciting still is the fact the filly has plenty of physical development to come.
“She hasn’t fully filled out into her frame by any means,” Laurie said. “I think there’s a lot more to come physically but she’s developed into the perfect racehorse.”
Having had two wins and two seconds from her first four starts, Treasurethe Moment blossomed into a stakes horse at her third run last preparation, Laurie said, when she won a 1600 metres benchmark 70 at the Wednesday meeting of Caulfield’s Cup carnival.
“I wondered whether she kind of crabbed around the turn here a little bit, but she won. It was a gritty effort and I think that was the turning point,” he said “She went from that sort of benchmark horse into a stakes horse from that point. It’s been a great ride.”
Winning jockey Damian Lane – thankfully unharmed when tossed off third-placegetter Imperialist (Churchill) after the finish two races earlier – concurred that Treasurethe Moment was “a class horse”.
“She’s come back really well this preparation,” he said. “I’ve been on her twice, one trial and the gallop here Tuesday in particular, I thought she’s definitely sharped up since last prep and she matured a little bit.
“There were great signs leading into today but then to do it with the top weight, doing a little bit of work early and then into the breeze down the side [she still] never felt like getting beat.
“Too Darn Lizzie was the obvious leader and I drew outside her. I was just using that early speed to be able to get up and sit second and then let her do the rest.”
Treasurethe Moment is the third, last and best named foal of American maiden winner Draconic Treasure (Street Cry), who was bought for $320,000 by BBA (Ireland) and Yulong at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale in 2016. She was imported to Australia in December, 2018, and died in 2022.