‘She was the closest mare that I’ve had an affinity with in my lifetime’
Tributes flow for Winx’s dam Vegas Showgirl after her sudden death, aged 21
John Camilleri, Peter O’Brien and the wider Segenhoe Stud team are mourning the death of champion broodmare Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar), who died suddenly yesterday, but her ongoing influence on the Australian Stud Book is likely to be felt for decades to come.
The grief felt by those connected to Vegas Showgirl was not just because she had produced the incomparable Winx (Street Cry), one of Australia’s greatest ever racemares, but because of the elite broodmare’s demeanour and the bond she developed with those who cared for her, including Segenhoe Stud’s O’Brien.
The Camilleri-owned Vegas Showgirl, the mother of four-time Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Winx who won 33 consecutive races and a world record 25 Group 1s to enter Australian racing folklore, was aged 21 and in foal to another champion in Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) when she died.
An emotional O’Brien paid tribute to Vegas Showgirl, a Listed-winning, Group 1-performed mare in New Zealand, and the people who looked after her such as farrier Brad Hinze, veterinarian Dr Angus Adkins and Segenhoe Stud broodmare manager Luke Taylor.
“She was the closest mare that I’ve had an affinity with in my lifetime – and, yes, there’s Winx for obvious reasons – but it was more the mare herself,” O’Brien told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“She was just the most beautiful, quiet and caring mare. She had an issue around 12 years ago and a lot of people thought that she wouldn’t have this longevity … and we could have easily lost her if it wasn’t for Brad Hinze and Angus Adkins and then on the farm, because of her nature, everybody loved her, particularly Luke Taylor who quite honestly nearly lives for that mare.
“She needed TLC and he gave it to her. It’s a tragic day but, at the very least for John, we have four daughters to continue the legacy.”
Fairway Thoroughbreds’ Camilleri paid $455,000 for Vegas Showgirl, also the dam of Group 3-winning sprinter El Divino (Snitzel), at the 2008 Magic Millions Winter Broodmare Sale at the behest of O’Brien who was taken aback by the mare’s physique as much as anything.
Then at Coolmore, O’Brien’s colleague Colm Santry had the honour of signing the docket for Vegas Showgirl, the seven-time winner who was trained by Graeme Rogerson, oblivious to what was to come over the ensuing 15 years.
“I stand to this day that she’s the best looking horse I’ve ever seen,” O’Brien remembers from when he first spotted Vegas Showgirl on the Gold Coast.
“She wasn’t on the list for us to look at in the catalogue at the sales to buy. John always likes to keep pedigrees and, even though she was a stakes winner, it wasn’t a deep pedigree.
“We were actually going to buy Atlantic Jewel’s mother Regard. I’d picked her out for John to come and look at and then I was in the breezeway at Magic Millions and she caught my eye.
“I went to look at her and when John saw her, we both fell in love with her and he said, ‘whatever happens, we’re not leaving the sale without her’.
“We focused on Vegas Showgirl and if we focused on two we would have been geniuses.”
Vegas Showgirl’s second foal was Winx who was sold at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $230,000 and, as the Chris Waller-trained mare’s racetrack exploits grew, so did the grip of Camilleri and his wife Deb’s hold on the family.
She had three colts, the unraced Win Win Leader (Fastnet Rock), the late El Divino and the unraced Boulder City (Snitzel), who stands at Riverbank Stud at Benalla in north east Victoria.
Vegas Showgirl then produced five fillies in succession, with the Camilleris retaining her last four foals, the winning Covent Garden (Exceed And Excel), the promising City Of Lights (Deep Impact), Time Of My Life (I Am Invincible) and the unraced Taleitaki (Pride Of Dubai).
City Of Lights, the result of sending Vegas Showgirl to be mated to Japan’s late supersire Deep Impact (Sunday Silence), ran an encouraging race on the Kensington track at Randwick on Wednesday for her trainer Joe Pride, suggesting the four-year-old Geelong maiden winner could reach stakes level before her time on the racecourse is over.
Vegas Showgirl’s three-year-old daughter Time Of My Life won at Geelong last month before being beaten on Friday night at Cranbourne while her unraced two-year-old Taleitaki is in training at Randwick with Michael Freedman.
O’Brien said: “John’s very emotional this morning because Vegas Showgirl was a pivotal mare for him and when she had her issues 12 years ago he spared no expense to help her.
“Even when we travelled her to Japan, he paid double to give her more space [on the plane]. He gave her everything. She never wanted for anything and I think the Deep Impact mare will be a stakes mare and I know Peter [Moody, trainer] has a very good opinion of the Vinnie filly. “Obviously, she was beaten the other day, but there were circumstances for that, so at least we have her legacy through those fillies.”
Covent Garden, according to O’Brien, recently had “a spectacular Vinnie colt”, the mare’s first live foal.
The unraced seven-year-old Courchevel (Snitzel) was sold by Camilleri for $900,000 at the 2021 Inglis Chairman’s Sale when in foal to Capitalist (Written Tycoon). She had an August 31-born colt by Dundeel (High Chaparral) this year.
“I don’t think John will ever sell a filly from the family again, whether it’s daughters, granddaughters or great granddaughters, he’ll retain them all,” said O’Brien.
“Quite literally we lost a member of our family today, so it’s been tough.”
Winx, owned by Peter Tighe, Debbie Kepitis and the Treweeke family who raced her, has a yearling filly by Pierro (Lonhro) who will be offered at next year’s Inglis Australian Easter Sale through the draft of Coolmore.
Vegas Showgirl’s ongoing legacy
Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta De Lago) 13YO mare
Winx (Street Cry) 12YO mare
Boulder City (Snitzel) 9YO stallion
Courchevel (Snitzel) 7YO mare
Covent Garden (Exceed And Excel) 6YO mare
City Of Lights (Deep Impact) 4YO mare
Time Of My Life (I Am Invincible) 3YO filly
Taleitaki (Pride Of Dubai) 2YO filly