The impressive All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) victory of English (Encosta De Lago) against older horses has led her
trainer Gai Waterhouse to declare her the best three year-old filly in Australia.
Gai Waterhouse recorded her 134th career Group 1 win when English won the $600,000 Gr1 All Aged Stakes over 1400m at Royal Randwick.
Racing’s first lady has now trained at least one major race winner in Sydney every autumn carnival this century.
Gai Waterhouse also set a training record for the All Aged Stakes Wins with her fifth win in the feature weight-for-age race after earlier successes with All Our Mob (1997), Arlington Road (2003), Shamekha (2005) and Bentley Biscuit (2007).
The Group One win won’t be English’s last race this campaign, with the filly earmarked for rich races during the Queensland Winter Carnival.
Ridden by Sam Clipperton, English settled second last and wide in the eight-horse field, but was always travelling comfortably in what was a slow tempo eventually being set by Perignon.
Once produced in the straight, English unleashed what has become her trademark turn of foot, to hold off the fast-finishing Black Heart Bart, who was a neck away in second. Kermadec was a half-length back in third.
“It’s our home track and it couldn’t have been any better with English. I think she is at her best at Randwick’’ Gai Waterhouse said.
“When she is on the track, she is so lovely and relaxed but I think she is a bit better when she is on the edge, I really do.”
“But she is an outstanding filly, the best three-year-old filly in Australia and she needed to be to beat the older horses.’’
English became only the second filly after Atlantic Jewel (2012) to win the All Aged Stakes in 90 years.
Press Statement was backed into $3.10 favouritism for the race but was very disappointing after hitting the front on the rise, tired late to run fifth. Bowman told the media Press Statement’s effort disappointed him as he felt the colt was travelling well enough on the home turn to be in the finish.
“We expected a little bit more from him I must admit, he felt fantastic mid-race but he just didn’t finish off’’ Bowman said.
Gai Waterhouse’s mantelpiece is chock-a-block with 134 Group 1 trophies and now English’s jockey Sam Clipperton is starting to fill his.
Clipperton, 22, won his second Group 1 of his career on English, a month after his breakthrough success with Peeping in the Coolmore Classic.
“That’s amazing,’’ Clipperton said.
“It is a privilege to win for Gai Waterhouse and the owners have been great supporters of mine over the years.”
“It was a tricky little race on paper and as it turns out, I was just able to follow what I thought was the biggest danger in the race in Press Statement. Hughie (Bowman) gave me a lovely drag up into the race.”
“I got exposed a bit early, I was a bit concerned at the end of the 1400m but she’s just tough.”
“I got the call from Gai about two weeks ago and it’s a big thrill. English is easy to ride.
“It’s just before the race she has a few antics. But what a horse. She got into a nice rhythm and was strong at the end.”
Gai never doubted the filly’s stamina reserves. “I knew she would run 1400m with her eyes shut because her work had changed,’’ Gai said.
“She had become seasoned, that explosiveness she had as a two-year-old has been transferred into a filly that will run a mile easily.’’
“She is top class. She is the best three year-old filly in Australia,” Waterhouse said of English.
“To take on the older horses and beat them shows that. It was a good ride by Sam. He had her where she needed to be.”
English, a winner of the Challenge Stakes (Gr 2, 1000m) first-up on 5 March at Randwick, produced eye-catching performances when storming home from last to finish sixth in The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m) and then again closed strongly to run third behind Chautauqua (Encosta De Lago) in the TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) two weeks ago on the first day of The Championships.
The lightly-raced filly, who finished second to then then stablemate Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) in last year’s Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr1, 1200m), did not race during the spring.
Gai Waterhouse and owner-breeder Newhaven Park’s patience has been rewarded with English’s Group One victory.
“She will go to Brisbane. There’s the BTC Cup, the 10,000, the Stradbroke, all those races,” Gai Waterhouse said.
“I didn’t have her in the spring. A lot of two-year-olds don’t come up after the autumn. They are still growing and horses like
Pierro and Ha Ha are the exception.
“But now she’s grown and matured and it’s showing. She still gets a bit agitated before the race but once she’s in the race, she’s a professional.”
Bred by Newhaven Park Stud, English (3 f Encosta De Lago – Court by Anabaa) now has a record of four wins from eight starts and prize money totalling $1,727,950.
She is one of
109 stakes winners by the pensioned Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) and out of Court (Anabaa), winner of the Sapphire Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and BTC Classic (Gr2, 1350m). Also the dam of minor winner Puzzle (Shamardal), Court has a filly foal by Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) and she was covered by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) last October.
In providing Encosta De Lago with his 25th Group One winner, English also became the late Widden Stud shuttler Anabaa (Danzig) with his tenth Group One winner as a broodmare sire, with his list including Buffering and Dissident as well as the dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Treve.
Dynamic Syndications had identified the success of Anabaa mares – especially with Redoute’s Choice which was a conscious factor in our selection of this colt we purchased.
Photo taken at Yearling Sales in NZ 26 January
Photo taken at Spelling Farm the day he flew home from NZ - 15 April 2015
We purchased a magnificent REDOUTE’S CHOICE colt from LA PRALINE – an Anabaa broodmare. Anabaa is a marvellous broodmare sire.
He is currently sitting in 8th position for the 2015-16 Racing Season.
Anabaa this Season as a Broodmare Sire (by Danzig) = 174 Runners: 72 (5) Winners; 104 (7) Wins: $5,706,112 Earnings.
LA PRALINE was a Melbourne and Adelaide winner of 4 races and $128,862.
LA PRALINE is the half-sister to GOLDEN ARCHER (Winner of 8 races inc: Gr3 winner and 5 x LR winner).
LA PRALINE is a daughter of Gr2 Winning, Gr1 placed VIENNETTA.
VIENNETTA is a half-sister to Gr3 and LR winner BUTTERSCOTCH.
LA PRALINE’s 2nd DAM is Gr3 placed BALI SUGAR
LA PRALINE’s 3rd DAM is Gr3 and LR Winner TASMAN DANCER.
Being a Son of REDOUTE’S CHOICE ex an ANABAA mare from such a wonderful BLACK TYPE Family, our colt was genetically the Highest Pedigree Rated horse in the NZ Premier Catalogue rating a Best Of Sale Score of 3 Stars and a Pedigree Rating Score of A+ 681% with a Quality Rating of 9 out of 10.
5% Shares in our REDOUTE’S CHOICE ex LA PRALINE Colt being trained by GAI WATERHOUSE are $13,190.
Contact Adam Watt at Dynamic Syndications to have a chat about our colt on 02 9597 1511 or mobile 0409 464 378.