Shiki shines in storming Gold Pearl win
Impressive Sydney-based filly Shiki (Too Darn Hot) gave an emphatic reminder of her class and stamped herself as a strong contender for next week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) with a storming victory in Saturday’s Gold Pearl (1100m) at the Gold Coast.
A $420,000 purchase for Kurrinda Bloodstock with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at last year’s Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Shiki began her career with a bang by being the fastest winner at Sydney’s first official two-year-old trials in September, and by winning the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on debut after racing on the pace.
The doubts rang out, however, when on resumption as a $1.80 favourite in a 1000-metre Randwick set-weights event on December 20, Shiki led but weakened to finish fourth of seven in a race taken out by Classic favourite Warwoven (Sword Of State).
But on Saturday, the filly looked far more like the Shiki of Gimcrack day, this time benefiting from a more conservative run, to firm into $6 for next week’s $3 million contest.
Jumping well from gate five of ten under Tim Clark, she settled well in midfield behind an even tempo, pushed up with ease four-wide on the turn, and burst to the front on straightening. While exposed a long way from home, Shiki powered away to score easing up by 2.04 lengths, as a slightly easy $3.40 second favourite.
Chris and Corey Munce’s Double Cool (Cool Aza Beel) produced an impressive Classic trial in taking second at $12, with the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained Tigroni (Tiger Of Malay) third at $4.60, a further 0.29 lengths away.
Shiki’s stablemate By Choice (Written By) was fifth as $2.70 favourite.
Bott was delighted to have what appeared to be the real Shiki back, saying she had gone too hard in the lead on resuming.
“She did a few things wrong first-up,” the winning trainer said.
“We know she’s explosive and has a good turn of foot, but we just had to harness it and do it the right way, which is obviously important going into the big grand final next week.
“She has good acceleration, whether she can sustain that as she needed to be cuddled a bit. We’re teaching her to harness it. We had her a little free and fresh last start but she’s taken good benefit out of that.
“She had a good couple of weeks and arrived really well. This week, she really started to relax and did what we wanted to see in her work.
“With the draw and the set-up today, a lot of things have fallen her way. There was good speed in and around her, and hopefully that sets her up for next week.”
Bott intends keeping the filly on the fresh side for the Classic next Saturday.
“We’ll do very little with her this week,” he said. “We had this particular set-up in mind for her, which has been quite successful – we wanted her to have a look at the track here. She’ll potter around for the week and hopefully she’ll be nice and fresh for next week.”
Clark, who’ll ride Shiki again next week, said the filly had presented in far more impressive style on Saturday than in her first-up run.
“Credit to the team at home, to be able to turn her around in three weeks’ time [after] she raced very fierce, and to get her up here and race so tractably today,” he said.
“She was a completely different horse to what we saw at Randwick.
“She was too fresh that day and maybe surprised Gai and Adrian a bit. She presented a lot better and she’ll have more to come after today.
“She qualified by winning the Gimcrack so next week is when we want her to perform – not last time or today. It is all about getting her to peak up on the right day.”
Bred by South Australia’s Cornerstone Stud and Millar Racing, Shiki is the fourth foal out of three-time winner Jest Excel (Exceed And Excel). Her first runner is Love My Louis (Capitalist), a six-year-old Gladstone-trained mare who’s won four times from 36 starts, while the second, Excelboom (Spirit Of Boom), has won a Gatton maiden for Tony Gollan.
Just Excel’s yearling filly by Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) will be offered as Lot 405 at this week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Riverstone Lodge. She also has a filly foal by Artorius (Flying Artie).
Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) – who claimed Australia’s first and second season champion sire honours in the past two terms – has 14 stakes winners in Australia from 137 runners at 10.22 per cent, and 31 from 418 worldwide at 7.42 per cent.
The nine-year-old covered 110 mares last season at Darley Kelvinside, where he stood for a fee of $275,000.