Bargain buy Salty Pearl lands Fillies Classic
After waiting more than a year for his first Group winner, Yulong Stud stallion Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) now has two in the space of a week after bargain buy Salty Pearl won Saturday’s Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley.
A week after two-year-old Listed winner Spicy Lu scored Tagaloa’s Group breakthrough in Caulfield’s Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m), Salty Pearl led home a quality field of ten in the set weights contest with an authoritative one length victory.
It was a second win in eight starts alongside four placings for the grey, and a well-deserved stakes success after three black type placings.
Salty Pearl was runner-up at her second start in April in Bendigo’s rich VOBIS Gold Rush (1100m) before a third in Morphettville’s David Coles Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and a campaign-closing Caulfield two-year-old handicap success over 1200 metres.
The Ciaron Maher-trained filly returned for the spring with two thirds in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m), before a fourth in the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) last Saturday.
Backed up a week later, she was sent out a well-supported $2.15 favourite in the Fillies Classic and didn’t disappoint.
After travelling sweetly just off a solid pace from gate three for Ben Allen, Salty Pearl looked in some trouble when held up for a run rounding the home turn.
But soon after straightening, a split opened between leaders Star Of Omaha (Omaha Beach) and Enviable (Frankel) as the latter drifted outwards, and Salty Pearly drove through it in fine style to pull away.
Chris Waller’s Enviable took second as $3.60 second elect, with Prestige Snitzel (Snitzel) third for Matt Laurie at $13.
Bred by the now-retired trainer David Brideoake, Salty Pearl was a $75,000 purchase for Adrien Senechaud’s syndication firm the Starblue Consultancy in tandem with Maher at Inglis Classic, and has now earned $466,000 in prize-money.
“It’s great for Adrian and the Starblue crew. They get nice valued horses and they spend a lot of time at the sales,” Maher said.
“How good that they’ve got a stakes-winning filly on Cox Plate day? You don’t get much better than that.
“Ben’s had a great association with her and he’s riding with a lot of confidence. It was a beautiful patient ride. He had to wait for his time and he knew what he had underneath him and it was a very good result.”
Asked about the quick back-up, Maher said: “This race came up a bit light so I thought we’d have a go.”
He added the filly might be aimed at adding a Group 1 to her broodmare CV in the autumn’s Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) for fillies at Randwick.
“She wasn’t far away in the Thousand Guineas. Restricted to fillies, that is probably her go. If she improves again then she’ll be thereabouts,” he said.
“We put the shades [blinkers] on the last couple of starts and got that much more focus as well. She’s a filly with a bright future.”
Allen conceded he was worried when blocked for a run approaching the home bend.
“At the 200 [metres], it was a bit easier but before that I probably can’t share what my thoughts were,” he said.
“We just had to trust the horse. She was travelling that well so it was just a matter of finding the slightest gap and she was going good enough.
“If J-Mac [on Enviable] hadn’t have rolled out, I was going to have to extricate myself to the outside.
“Gee she’s so honest. Running in a Group 1 last week on the week back-up.
“Ciaron and the team have done a great job. She’s just so honest. It was a big step putting the blinkers on and stepping up in trip last time. I think today it has helped and put her that much more in my hands.
“She’s been off the bridle and having to get up after 100 metres. She’s got an electric turn-of-foot and she was the class horse today.”
Salty Pearl is the second and best foal out of Leaven Of Malice (Sebring), who won at Muswellbrook on debut but not again in 15 starts, and who was retired from breeding last year after only three foals.
Second dam Tempest Tost (Statue Of Liberty) won the Gold Coast’s Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (RL, 1400m) alongside two Melbourne city wins, and is the dam of the Group 3-winning and Group 2-placed Mildred (Hinchinbrook).
Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa, who’s covering his fifth book at Yulong for $22,000, unchanged from last year, now has two stakes winners from 43 runners at 4.65 per cent, and 15 individual winners.