Griffiths and De Kock take patient approach with talented Frankel filly
Thousand Guineas and VRC Oaks on drawing board for training partnerships’ promising ’Baby
Valuable filly Let’sbefrankbaby (Frankel), an illustration of co-trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock’s newfound global approach, is unlikely to be seen at Caulfield on Saturday but if things go to plan she will feature on Melbourne’s metropolitan racecourses in the new season.
The Cranbourne trainers took the covers off the rising three-year-old Let’sbefrankbaby at Bendigo last Thursday, the filly charging home from last to finish runner-up to Godolphin’s Freeways (Epaulette), prompting connections to nominate her for this weekend’s $175,0000 VOBIS Gold Ingot (1400m).
However, Griffiths yesterday almost certainly ruled out backing up the filly within nine days of her first start and instead he and De Kock will plot a possible path to the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m).
“Whether we run or not it doesn’t change the fact that she is a very impressive filly. She’s got the pedigree to suggest she would be when we purchased her and she certainly debuted in that manner,” Griffths told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“We were rapt the way she kicked off because you would imagine in the latter part of the spring when she stretches out she’s going to really come into herself.
“The grand dream is all of those things (Guineas and Oaks), but it’s just a matter of whether she’s mature enough to live up to those grand ambitions.
“Certainly any filly that shows talent and has her pedigree, you think Thousand Guineas, into the Wakeful, into the Oaks.
“The ball is in her court as to whether she’s mature enough to do that or whether she’s going to be just behind them and end up in Adelaide or Sydney next year. It all depends on how quickly she matures, but she looks as though she’s got the talent and the pedigree to take her a long way.”
At Bendigo, having drawn the outside barrier of 11, jockey Lachlan King was instructed to ride Let’sbefrankbaby conservatively early, but rattled home in 35.20 seconds for her last 600 metres and reeled off her last 400 metres in 23.64-second and 11.98-second sectionals, the second best last 400-metre and 200-metre sectionals for the meeting.
“Given the way she settled and reeled off those brilliant sectionals, you’d probably be happy to keep riding her that way (back in the field) until she was able to creep a little bit more forward as the distances increase rather than trying to take away her closing sectionals by pushing her forward,” the trainer said.
“You probably just lengthen her distances and let it happen naturally.”
Let’sbefrankbaby is owned by leading South African breeder Drakenstein Stud, Larry Nestadt and Gary Barber, clients of De Kock’s father, champion trainer Mike, who outlaid $400,000 for the filly from last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale under the guidance of the filly’s trainers and agents Peter Ford and Heywood Bloodstock’s Steph Grentell.
She was bred by Glentree Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Wilson who bought her dam, the European Listed winner Baby Pink (Invincible Spirit), carrying the filly for $700,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in conjunction with agent Badgers Bloodstock.
“A Frankel filly with her pedigree and a bit of black type, the sky’s the limit with what she’s worth. Those sorts of mares in our hemisphere are worth a fortune,” Griffiths said.
“Because it’s such a wet and cold year and she’s doing well in training, Mat and I are working out how to keep her ticking over and trying to qualify her along the way (for the big races). Maybe we’ll space her runs because I don’t think horses are really spelling that well in Melbourne at the moment because it’s so bloody cold.
“As the weather improves, we might do a bit of beach work from the paddock and keep her ticking over. We’ve got the farm (Cloverdale Agistment at Pakenham) as well to complement her training when the weather’s a bit better.”
Let’sbefrankbaby’s dam Baby Pink, herself a sister to Listed winner Traisha and a daughter of US Grade 3 winner Dress Rehearsal (Galileo), remains in Wilson’s boutique broodmare band, and produced a filly by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) last August. She is due to foal to the same Arrowfield Stud stallion next month.