Six for Ghaiyyath
Darley’s former shuttler Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) sired his first stakes winner in Australia and sixth individual stakes winner overall on Saturday when Yum (3 f ex Dream Food by Snitzel) took out the Jim Moloney Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Caulfield.
Coming into the race on the back off a maiden success at Seymour on August 15, the three-year-old was sent off a $21 chance in the 11-runner Listed contest but defied those odds in dramatic late style.
Ridden by Jamie Mott, the John McArdle-trained filly sat down the field inside the 300-metre mark but made up ground when pulled out wide by her jockey.
Entering the last 100 metres, Yum produced a late burst of speed to gain the lead inside the final 50 metres and beat Chateau Eze (Frankel) by 0.8 lengths with just 0.1 lengths further back to the third-placed Zany Girl (Needs Further).
“We knew she had the finish and we were quietly confident coming here,” said McArdle. “She’s shown us plenty at home. She trialled ten days ago and trialled probably as good as a horse could at Mornington on the course proper. So we were happy with the filly coming here.
“I was a little bit worried when the race panned out like it did, but Jamie’s got supreme confidence in her turn of foot and it was there today when we needed it.”
On where his filly will head next, McArdle said a Group 1 event could be on the cards before the season is out.
“She’ll head to the Edward Manifold in two weeks and then we’ll make a plan from there. She is a November foal, but if she holds up, she’ll head towards the [VRC] Oaks,” he said.
“She’s a nice filly, she’s bred to stay. Ken and Jen Breese are great supporters, so it was great to get a stakes win for them and obviously Motty, he does a lot of work with them, so he knows what he’s got under the hood and did the job today.”
Bred by Ken and Jen Breese, Yum is one of four winners to come out of the Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) mare Dream Food, herself a half-sister to the Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed I’ll Have A Bit (Smart Missile).
Having shuttled to Australia for the previous four seasons, Ghaiyyath has not returned to Darley’s Northwood Park base for 2025.