WOW - What a thrill ! It takes a lot to get old, hardened souls like ours at TEAM DYNAMIC to become excited about young horses going through their grades. Do we dare to dream about achieving success well above what their current accomplishments have been?
With our 3yo Filly FRANKIE’S ME DAD we are daring to “Live The Dream” as she that keeps lifting the bar when it comes to her racetrack ability levels.
A big shout out and “Thank You” to our great mates at CIARON MAHER RACING as their horsemanship skills, attention to detail and polish has done it again, taking us into the Winner’s Circle on Friday at Newcastle with a Fabulous Filly that is doing a marvellous job to date.
FRANKIE’S ME DAD (3yo Filly Frankel x Daddy’s Poppet) was inspirational in Race 1 on the programme, the NOVOCASTRIAN ELECTRICAL CLASS 1 & MAIDEN PLATE (2300m). On a Good 4 surface she ran a very slick Time of: 2:25.27 Last 600m: 0:34.89.
FRANKIE’S ME DAD ($3.50) defeated Willshire Boulevard ($13) by 1.25 lengths with favourite Don Quixote ($2.25) in third 2.06 lengths behind us.
Facing the starter for only the fourth time in her career and all starts in this preparation, our Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale buy has now taken her Career Summary to:
4 Starts: 2 Wins, 0 Seconds, 1 Third and $37,725 Prizemoney
She has gone back-to-back having broken her maiden at her third race start and now has won a Class 1 over 2300m at just her fourth career start.
Ask yourself this question - When can you remember a 3yo filly taking on older horses, and we are needing to forget the debacle of her debut race start, then she was unlucky second-up over 1850m when 3rd at Newcastle, next she came out at her third race start and won easily at Newcastle over 2100m and has now gone back to Newcastle to win over 2300m?
Add-in she was up in class, up in weight, up 200m in trip and still won in a canter under hands and heels the final 100m.
It just doesn’t happen - but it’s happening here!
That is the skill set of the Ciaron Maher Racing Team and the class of the filly they are training.
It was also the result of a terrific ride from jet pilot Brenton Avdulla who saved ground, taking short cuts and presenting at the top of the straight.
FRANKIE’S ME DAD is still very much a work in progress as she continues to do things wrong in her racecraft. However, she is improving on a daily basis. Her big advantages are her ability to settle early and conserve energy and then she can rattle off a fast last 600m no matter the trip.
In winning this event the race was all over at the furlong marker, but Brenton kept her concentrating and despite being hands and heels the final 100m, she was dominant through the line and just kept going past the post showing she will get a strong 2400m and that opens up plenty of Black-Type opportunities if things keep progressing.
Jumping cleanly from barrier 4, Brenton allowed our filly to find her legs without bustling along over the first 100m, and by the time the field swept past the winning post the first time, there was some early tempo and FRANKIE’S ME DAD had settled sixth, mid-field on the fence about six lengths off the leaders and with the favourite Don Quixote on our outside.
The race was fairly uneventful from here for the next mile, as the field had found their positions, but the race was peeling off some slick sectionals and that had the field stung out over 15 lengths running down the back straight and into the far turn.
It was at the 700m that Brenton slipped a little rein to our filly, and she got a length in front of the favourite to her outside. Then at the 500m Brenton crept up a little closer into fourth but the gap had opened up on the fence and saving ground to the point of the home turn Brenton had a lap full of horse underneath him.
Passing the 400m as the field swung into the straight, Brenton angled out off the heels of the leader who was yielding and was 3 deep as they straightened for the run home but still 3 lengths off the leading duo.
Sitting patiently whilst all her peers were under heavy pressure FRANKIE’S ME DAD had pulled her way up to eyeballing the leader with 200m to run and with those chasing not able to offer any threat.
At the 150m Brenton pushed the go-button and the filly dashed clear that by the 100m mark Brenton had an armchair ride and just let her canter to the post whilst those chasing had nothing to offer.
JOB DONE!
One thing is for sure in the thoroughbred game, that is if you have a genuine stayer, they are a sensational amount of fun, and without putting the cart before the horse, we know one thing for sure, she will run the 2400m right out and there are some lovely staying races ahead of her against her own age and sex in the coming weeks.
It takes a classy 3yo filly to run against the older horses and against both sexes and still come away with dominant victories and that is what FRANKIE’S ME DAD has achieved in her past two runs.
Her class shone through as much as her exceptional genetic breeding, and she certainly looks as if she can add further photos to the wall for her ownership team.
Sometimes fate works in mysterious ways, and this certainly could be the situation with FRANKIE’S ME DAD.
As an early 2yo she was at Death’s Door after paddock mishap.
She was the filly we had spelling in a paddock when a terrible thunderstorm rolled through. The lighting was abundant and striking close by. Our filly took fright and galloped away in pure panic. Unfortunately, she did could not stop when approaching the Post & Rail fencing.
FRANKIE’S ME DAD just barrelled straight into the fence smashing it into splinters. She survived but only just. The resultant terrible injury saw her open her offside flank from prior to her shoulder to her hindquarter. Sadly, it was both wide and deep and requiring emergency surgery to close the wound. Next, she had to battle infection and over the next few days she was extremely ill; we believed we were destined to lose her.
Battle scars - FRANKIE'S ME DAD came off second best against a fence in the spelling paddock
She fought tenaciously and pulled through. Her right-hand side looked like she was zippered together.
The recuperation period was going to take a long time, and her owners showed tremendous patience and loyalty to their filly, and she has rewarded their efforts.
Congratulations to our Dynamic Ownership Team that own and race FRANKIES ME DAD: Dynamic Syndications Racing Synd., Ms S R Smith, Mrs C Niven, Lenny's Investment Synd., Mrs K M Robertson, Mr S J Koukoulas, Mr A Pino, Mr L Condon, Mrs K Tew, Mr L Caminiti, Midoakponds Synd., Mr M R Egan, Mr M D Shaw, Rexann Synd., Mr K Howarth, Dynamic no. 129 Synd., Mr D W Watt, Mrs B K Cutifani, C J R Racing Synd., Mr S Millsom
Frankie's Me Dad - Winner 3.3.23 from Dynamic Syndications on Vimeo.
Whilst we are by no way getting carried away with a Maiden Win over 2100m at Newcastle on a Monday, and a Class 1 Win at Newcastle over 2300m on a Friday, the fact is with 3yo’s - they either stay or they don’t.
Class will carry them a long way, but they still must be able to run the trip. She has the class, she has genetic, and she has strength of character.
If ever a filly deserves racetrack success it is FRANKIE’S ME DAD.
FRANKIE’S ME DAD was a $115,000 yearling purchase from Yulong Stud at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sales, so this win is timely as the 2023 addition commences this Sunday and Team Dynamic are down at Oaklands sorting the ‘wheat from the chaff’ in an attempt to find another top-quality yearling or two to join our super stable of 16 yearlings we have already purchased in 2023.
This win by FRANKIE’S ME DAD recorded DYNAMIC SYNDICATIONS 42nd RACE WIN for the Current Racing Season, as we are just past the halfway point of the season.
It was also recorded our 812th Race Win overall.
This was the Twelfth (12th) Race Win (28.6%) trained for us in seven (7) months of the current season by the CIARON MAHER Racing Team.
Importantly, nine (9) (75%) have been metropolitan winners, plus 2 winners at Newcastle and a 1 winner at Stawell.
Our owners are enjoying the tremendous racetrack success we are achieving with Ciaron and David and their expert team of loyal horsepeople they employ. The stable keeps churning out the winners at a massive Winning Strike Rate of 19.8%.
That’s why they are the Leading Stable in Australia for producing Winners.
That’s also why 10 of our 16 Yearlings we have added to the stable so far this year are delivered into their stables to polish up into more sparkling gems for our owners.
Onwards and Upwards!