Angels Fury steps out on the path to redemption

One-time Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) favourite Angels Fury (Harry Angel) is out for redemption at Caulfield this Saturday when the filly looks to launch into the early part of the spring with a second successive victory. 

Having cruised to an effortless win under hands and heels as the odds-on favourite in a 1000 metre Bendigo Maiden last month, the promising juvenile rises in both distance and grade at the weekend – but the bookmakers aren’t taking any chances after putting up an opening quote of $2.40.   

The man responsible for sourcing the $270,000 filly at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Louis Le Metayer of Astute Bloodstock, is convinced of her ability but is understandably wary of making any brash predictions, having been here before. 

Off the back of two precocious jumpout performances, Angels Fury was backed into $1.70 on debut in the Blue Diamond Preview (Gr 3, 1000m) at Caulfield in January, only to finish last in a field of nine runners which included Clinton McDonald’s subsequent Diamond heroine Streisand (Magnus).   

There were mitigating circumstances for the perplexing performance – Angels Fury knuckled shortly after leaving the gates and pulled up with mild shin soreness – but Le Metayer concedes she may not have been physically or mentally ready for such an early examination of her credentials. 

Having been given an extended layoff by trainer Ciaron Maher, however, Angels Fury has returned a much more seasoned campaigner this preparation and she ably demonstrated the benefits of her break with a dominant display at Bendigo under Teo Nugent.

In-form apprentice Jabez Johnstone, who piloted the filly to an arrogant jumpout win at Cranbourne at the end of June, takes over in the saddle with the pair set to start from barrier 11 in Saturday’s $150,000 contest. 

Should Angels Fury again justify favouritism, a race like the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield in mid-August would inevitably occupy the thoughts of her connections but while firm in his belief that the filly has boundless potential, Le Metayer is hesitant to put the cart before the (admittedly talented) horse.        

“I’ve had a few favourites finish last this year, so I’m certainly not getting carried away but it was a big relief for this filly to show what she could do last time, because we’ve always believed in her ability,” the French native told ANZ News.

“She has won all of her trials and jumpouts in impressive fashion, and it was great to see her take that form to the races at Bendigo. She’s grown up physically quite a lot since she made her debut at Caulfield, and it was pleasing to see her put that experience behind her with a very nice win last month.

“We don’t like to push our fillies too early, we prefer to take our time and make sure they’re educated properly before taking them to the races. But she was the exception to the rule, because she showed so much early talent that we really had no choice but to chase some two-year-old glory. In the end it was probably a mistake, but we’re really happy with her condition after the big break we gave her. 

“Her last trial was phenomenal, so everything is suggesting she’s a very nice filly and we would expect her to be very competitive on Saturday. She’s got a phenomenal temperament and is a dream to train, so it’s exciting times. If she could win again, we’ll have a think about what we do with her in the spring but after what happened on debut, we’re obviously keen to take it nice and slowly with her.”     

Aside from Angels Fury, Le Metayer nominates impressive recent triallist Eliyass (Le Havre) and fellow stakes winner Mr Monaco (Territories) as his two horses most likely to make an impact this spring. 

All three are trained by Maher, with whom Le Metayer has formed a formidable association, and their prosperous partnership was strengthened this year with all seven of the purchases made under his Astute Bloodstock banner joining the ever-expanding operation.

Of the septet, Le Metayer is most excited about the Kermadec (Teofilo) filly he and Maher jointly acquired for $625,000 at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. 

The filly’s dam Turaath (Oasis Dream) is a dual stakes-winning mare who claimed the Let’s Elope Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) – in the process beating home Mystic Journey (Needs Further) – before being acquired by Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm for a sizeable sum. 

The second and third dams are also stakes winners, so the depth of the pedigree alone dictated that Turaath’s first foal would command a significant fee but more than anything else, Le Metayer was captivated by the filly’s appearance.   

“She was the most outstanding physical in the sale, and the most impressive athlete we have seen all year,” he told ANZ News. 

“Gilgai keeps producing beautiful horses so we had to pay a bit of money to get her, but I think she’s worth it. Although she looks precocious, she’s probably more of an Oaks type of filly to my eye. 

“We liked her when we bought her and we like her even more now, because she has a phenomenal action. We won’t run her until she’s a three-year-old, but I definitely think she’ll be a filly to keep an eye on in the future.”  

The purchase was an illustration of Le Metayer’s modus operandi of only buying well-bred fillies at the yearling sales with the scope to become valuable broodmares once their racing days are over. 

It is for this reason that he opted against bidding on Angels Fury’s half-brother by the late Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo), and also explains why despite attending every major sale and scouring the catalogues for fillies that fit into his strict criteria, Le Metayer had to settle for just seven new signings (plus three more he purchased shares in). 

Buying premium quality rather than purely playing the numbers game has served his boutique business exceedingly well, however, so Le Metayer is unlikely to adapt his model any time soon.

“We go to every sale with a very specific brief, so it was hard for us to buy a lot of horses this year,” Le Metayer told ANZ News. 

“We only want the very best horses, but we don’t want to overpay for them. Ninety per cent of the horses we inspect probably aren’t good enough, and the remaining ten per cent are usually very expensive. So your window of opportunity to buy a good horse for a reasonable price is actually very small, but we don’t want to drop our standards. 

“If you are looking for a horse from a good farm with a deep pedigree and outstanding conformation, there aren’t actually many of them up for sale each year. Talent is rare, and our agency isn’t at the sales just to clip a ticket. We’re there to find and manage talent, and only time will tell if we’ve managed to buy some talented horses this year.”