Age is no barrier

Image: Chilly Girl, (Credit Bradley Photos)

Spring is in the air and two mares, at opposite ends of their careers, were to the fore in Sydney and Melbourne. 

At Rosehill, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trained Chilly Girl (Trapeze Artist) stamped home her spring claims with a smart success in Saturday’s The Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) to keep her unbeaten tag unblemished.

Entering the contest as a winner of the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) on debut, the Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trained filly proved herself to be the real deal as she stamped home a length victory in the lucrative Listed contest.

Ridden by Tim Clark, the daughter of Arrowfield’s Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) sat off leader Blue Door (Stay Inside) and made her move at the 150 marker, coming home very strongly to overhaul the Strawberry Hill runner.

There was a further 1.1 lengths back to the third placed Central Europe (Frankel).

“Chilly Girl jumped well, rolled forward and worked across with Blue Door,” the winning rider said.

“I found its back and I thought it would take me everywhere I needed to go, which it did.

“She still got a little bit lost when I had to come off Blue Door’s back and had to really chase after it.

“But I loved the way she knuckled down late, she was very determined. It was a really strong win, she has come back in great order.”

Ryan is looking ahead to the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) for his filly before a potential crack at the top level, having been sidelined with a hamstring injury following her debut victory.

“It was good for Bert to see Chilly Girl win as he’s been very patient,” Ryan said.

“We will go to the Furious Stakes next and then the Tea Rose Stakes.

“After we get her out to 1400 metres in the Tea Rose, then we will decide if try her at a mile for the Flight Stakes or go back to the shorter races.”

Foaled and raised at Widden Stud, Chilly Girl is the 13th foal and tenth winner out of the stakes winning General Nediym (Nediym) mare I Got Chills. A precocious two-year-old and debut winner of the Maribyrnong Trial (Listed, 1000m) by over four lengths, I Got Chills made a name for herself at her second start scoring by seven lengths in the St Albans S. (Listed, 1000m) before injury forced her off the scene for over a year. She failed to fire on her return as a four-year-old and retired after just four starts and was subsequently sold for $540,000 at the 2007 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Select Broodmare Sale – a good return, despite the injury heartache and lay off, having been purchased as a yearling for $36,000 by Mark Pilkington at the Inglis Premier Sale.

Despite going to some of the best stallions in the country, Flying Spur (Danehill), Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) and More Than Ready (Southern Halo) and those progeny being bought by the likes of George Moore, Gai Waterhouse, James Harron, Chris Waller – I Got Chills never produced a stakes horse and was purchased by Bert Vieira in 2014 for $240,000 at the same Magic Millions Broodmare Sale. Matings to Fastnet Rock (Danehill), Sepoy (Elusive Quality) and Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) followed with some success, I Got Chills has produced 10 winners from 10 runners, but the blacktype success that she achieved in her first two races eluded all of her progeny – until now. Covered by her breeders own stallion Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) in her final seasons, I Got Chills was retired from service at the age of 20 and seems to have saved her best for last. Her last foal is Chilly Girl, a filly with the same unbeaten early record as her dam and the only one retained by her breeder. Some mares it seems, save their best for last.

Meanwhile, over at Caulfield, Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) filly Natural Fling got her season off to the best start also with a success in the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m).

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained three-year-old won on debut before a second placing in the Magic Millions National 2YO Classic (1000m), and took out Saturday’s event in style.

Ridden by Damian Lane, Natural Fling made most of the running and kicked clear inside the final 250 metres to pull a whole four lengths clear of Rosemont Stud’s Scintillation (I Am Invincible).

There was a further 0.8 lengths back to the third placed Oh Yes She Did (Yes Yes Yes).

Offered at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Natural Fling was purchased by McEvoy Mitchell Racing alongside Belmont Bloodstock for a fee of $550,000.

“We had to pay good money for her at the sales, but we have really good owners in her and they stumped up the cash to buy into a Home Affairs filly,” Calvin McEvoy said. 

“These colours are famous within our stables and we’ve always had her at the front of the bus in our team of two-year-olds and now three-year-olds, and her trial was fantastic, so for her to come here and back it up in a great race, it’s so pleasing.

“She’s grown up this preparation and she was impressive, she put a gap on a quality field.”

The McEvoy stable are no strangers to the Quezette Stakes, having won it in 2018 with top mare Sunlight (Zoustar), who raced in the same silks and would later land the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

“We won this race with a filly [Sunlight] that carried the same colours, who was very good, and this filly may be like her,” McEvoy said.

“There is the Cap D’antibes which comes up at Flemington, there is the Coolmore which would be a great race to win, and we may even consider the Moir with no weight.

“They are all good options. She is now a Group winner which is so important for the pedigree and I don’t think that is the end for her.”

Bred by Australian Bloodstock, Natural Fling was foaled and raised at Yarraman Park and is a half sister to the Group 3 placed winner Wootton Lass (Wootton Bassett) being out of The Natural (Fastnet Rock), herself a winning half sister by to dual Group 1 winner Fiveandahalfstar (Hotel Grand) and to the dam of Group 1 winner El Castello (Castelvecchio). 

The Natural was covered by Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) last season and has a juvenile colt by Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom) that was sold in the Yarraman draft at Inglis Classic for $300,000 to Graham Begg Racing and Rohan Hughes Bloodstock.

With two black type fillies from her first two runners, The Natural is a young mare, that appears to be very well named.