NOTIONS in Strong WIN over 1600m at Hawkesbury

09 Sep 21

NOTIONS 3yo Filly (by Press Statement x She’s Sirius) was facing the starter at her fourth career start and her third career start for Team Dynamic and our trainer Richard Freedman, stamped herself as a filly of the future, especially over a trip, when she produced a powerful finish thanks to a terrific ride by Rachel King who rode brilliantly to instruction to claim victory in Race 1 the HRC MOTEL Class 1 Handicap 1600m.

NOTIONS wins Race 1 Hawkesbury 9-9-21

Early season 3yo’s have a significant disadvantage in maturity, so it takes a good 3yo to beat older horses at this time of year, and NOTIONS proved in this victory, she has the class to add further nice victories to her resume.

NOTIONS won by a short half-head (0.06 length) over promising 4yo gelding ALVIN THE BOLD ($3.10 favourite), with 4yo mare TYCOON HALLIE ($4.80) one length (0.99 length) away in third spot and the spruik 3yo colt SEA TREASURE back in 4th beaten 1.41 lengths.

NOTIONS - She's Flying !

There were no excuses for the beaten brigade who all had their chances but weren’t good enough.

Especially, under the allotted weight scale, where NOTIONS was poorly treated at the weights, as her true weight would have been 54.0kgs but was forced to carry 55.0kgs, receiving only 0.5kg off the 3yo colt.

From the time this filly arrived at Richard Freedman’s Rosehill stables, he has been upbeat at the class of filly he had in his care and he has been aiming high.

NOTIONS at the Broodmare Sale

Purchased at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sales when offered for sale by AQUIS who were undergoing a change in business philosophy, which resulted in them only wanting to race colts to develop into stallion prospects, so fillies and mares were no longer part of their business strategy, therefore they offered more than a dozen for sale.

Having done our own due diligence, both genetically and commercially, and having our Vet Dr Tim Roberts give her the all-clear, we held the belief that this 2YO filly NOTIONS (by Press Statement from She’s Sirius (by Galileo)), has the conformation and the pedigree to be a 1600m to 2000m filly as a 3yo.

After all, her sire won the JJ Atkins (1600m) as a 2yo, the Hobartville (1400m), Stan Fox (1500m) and Caulfield Guineas (1600m) as a 3yo and run 2nd in the Randwick Guineas (1600m).

Her dam She’s Sirius won 2 races – both at a mile, and she is by the greatest sire in the GALILEO – by Sadler’s Wells, a great source of middle-distance genetics.

She had only the one race start behind her at time of sale. Off the back of two barrier trials wins at 1000m she was supported in betting on debut.

Whilst the result didn’t read appealing, a 6th of 8 runners as favourite over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast, when we reviewed the videos, she had drawn barrier 1, was laying on the back of the barriers when the gates opened and was slowly away, she got shuffled back along the fence to sit three pairs back and then was checked at the 500m and when finally free, stargazed and ran about, only warming up over the final 50m to finish 2.3 lengths away. The Stewards report says that the rider advised that she was looking for further than 1000m.

The filly has received a significant pedigree boost over the previous weeks, when her 3yo half-sister named SIRILEO MISS (Pride Of Dubai) was placed 3rd by 0.6 length in the Gr3 1800m Auria S., before a 5th by 1.2 length in the Gr1 South Australian Oaks. SIRILEO MISS has a career of 6 sts: 2-2-1 and $158,400.

NOTIONS is also a half-sister to Stakes Placed SOPHIA’S CHOICE.

SHE’S SIRIUS had 7 foals to race – 7 winners.

NOTIONS had won both trials very impressively and went to the races on Sunday 23 May for the first time over an unsuitable 1000m. That was just 3 days before being sold at the Magic Millions.

When an endoscope was done on the filly on Monday morning after the race, and the day prior to the sale, the filly had an excellent Grade 1 airway however it was noted that she had significant amount of mucous in her throat, which highlights she has an infection which needed antibiotic treatment.

For NOTIONS to race the way it did, with the muck in her throat, the run was super, and her future was very bright.

The filly was also BOBS eligible so it made sense to race a 2yo filly like this in Sydney where she can earn the additional BOBS Bonuses as well.

We expected that NOTIONS would commence her racing career for Dynamic Syndications approximately 6 weeks after we purchased her, once Richard Freedman had the opportunity to see how she went under saddle, and we had given her a few easy days to settle into the Rosehill lifestyle and get over her trip south.

That’s how it panned out, as we have raced the filly seven weeks to the day after we purchased her, and she has come out and recorded an awe-inspiring win on her debut for her new ownership team.

NOTIONS wins at Nowra

Then she went head-to-head with the promising 4yo mare Daralina Belle going down by a neck with 5 lengths back to third. Since then, the winner has made it 3 in a row with a strong 4.3 length win at Scone on Tuesday.

Our first up win was over 1200m on a Heavy 9 which the short distance and heavy surface didn’t suit but she won eased down by 2.5 lengths.

Then we started her over 1400m as we continued to build the foundation fitness. This was awesome considering she carried 0.5kg over her allotted weight which for a 3yo filly against older horses does hurt.

Here at Hawkesbury on Thursday, her win was really encouraging.

Firstly, she was the only 3yo filly in the field with the big street corner tip for the 3yo colt Sea Treasure who could only manage fourth spot with James McDonald as its pilot.

NOTIONS had drawn barrier 1, and with the astute Rachel King on board, we asked Rachel to be positive and use the gate to hold your position, as we anticipated on our speed map that Alvin The Bold would lead and Linden Tree would come across and sit at its girth. We wanted to push up to make Alvin The Bold work hard to cross us, and then take the sit one back and help her relax in the run saving energy.

The moment the gates clanged back, the speed map panned out as expected and Rachel did her role to perfection, forcing the leader to work hard using vital petrol to get there.

Rachel was able to get NOTIONS to relax, and the dynamic duo tracked the speed until balancing onto the straight.

Alvin The Bold kicked strongly putting a 2-length margin on NOTIONS, with the field spread across the track attacking for the lead.

400m

At the 300m, NOTIONS hit a loose patch in the track and blundered and lost momentum as Rachel had to balance our filly again.

300m

200m

Then at the 200m she moved up to a half-length of the leader, but Rachel reported she was still green and started to stargaze, but did her best work over the final 50m to hit the line hard to dive at the winner in the shadows of the post, and when the camera flashed she was in front.

50m

Impressively was the work she did past the post showing she was still full of running.

Winner

Rachel King & Notions return to the winner's stall

Rachel King said post-race:

All smiles - Rachel King

“Really happy with her today, I was able to get her into a really good spot behind the leader, she really did take a while to really flatten out up the straight, she’s a bit green, she’s still a bit new about really letting down, she’s got more there, she was having a good look at the enclosure and things like that, but as soon as we got passed it, she actually went to the line really nicely.

“So hopefully that will give her a good bit of confidence today, and she will keep going on from here.”

NOTIONS was being tested in this event to determine if she was up to a stronger challenge next start.

There is no coincidence that NOTIONS has been offered the same style of race programming as we followed last year with LOVE TAP which saw him progress through to win the Gloaming Stakes over 1800m for 3yo’s and the way she hit the line at each of her three race starts for us, and especially here over a mile at Hawkesbury, then the Gloaming to be run on the 25th September is worthy of consideration.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Top Team of Dynamic Owners that race NOTIONS: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr P A Ryan, Mr M B Trevaskis, Mr S B Troughton, Mr A Cranes, Mr L Seminara, Mr S J Koukoulas, Mr A P Kenzie, Mr M A Cowley, Mr B L Allen, Mr F Bazik, Mr D Goodsell, Mr M Dowling, Mr B Coopersmith, Mr G Tuck, Mr D M Lynch, SamRei Racing, B & K Ramsey Family, J & KJ Davis Family.

Since purchasing NOTIONS she has raced on 3 occasions: 2 Wins- 1 Second and she has earned $44,710 in prizemoney. NOTIONS recorded our 732nd Overall Race Win and our 6th Win for the new 2021/22 Racing Season.