Date posted January 27, 2010 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
Premium Updates,
Racing and Breeding,
StratumMelbourne, Vic (Jan 27th, 2010) - The Australia Day race meeting in Victoria was held at Caulfield and with five stakes races on the card a balmy summers’ day the club was rewarded with a big crowd and good racing. Sponsored by Arrowfield Stud the $100,000 Listed Blue Diamond Preview for fillies went to Crystal Lilly who dominated the event from the front.
Trained at Flemington by the partnership of Simon Zahra and Mathew Ellerton, Crystal Lily had been stakes-placed twice last spring at her previous two outings. Resuming from a short break the flighty bay turned in a sizzling display of sustained speed leading throughout to win by three lengths in the very fast time of 56.84 seconds.
Next in was the Redoute’s Choice filly Shaaheq (ex Damaschino by Last Tycoon) with Warm Love (Octagonal ex Charangas by Flying Spur) another length-and-a-half away in third.
“She was doing plenty wrong in her first two starts,” Simon Zahra said.
“We gave her a break and her work has been first rate since she came back to the stable.
“She’s done everything right here today but the important thing to note was she was fresh for today. She was flat at Flemington with a shorter break so we’ll go straight into the Blue Diamond.”
Symons was another delighted by the win, as he rides the Contract Racing owned juvenile track work and has spent plenty of time educating her. Symons had also been aboard her in the Debutant and Ottawa Stakes last spring.
“She’s only small but she’s got a lot of ability and a big heart,” Symons said.
“She’s done everything right up until now this time around, she raced quite green last prep, but the break has done her the world of good. She had a couple of jump outs and has come back a better horse.”
Bred by Contract Racing, Crystal Lily is from the good producing Snippets mare Crystal Snip, who has left six winners from eight raced foals led by stakes winner Crystal Wit (by Distorted Humor) who in turn is the dam of the dual metropolitan and stakes placed Fast Talker (by Fastnet Rock), and, the quick Crystal Sprite (by Hurricane Sky), dam of this season’s Group 2 winning three year-old colt Carrara (by Elvstroem).
As well as being the first stakes-winner for Stratum, Crystal Lily is also his fourth winner, the son of Redoute’s Choice who also had his son Pellizotti (ex Red Labelle by Blevic) finish very hard in the colts and geldings division of the Listed event.
Resuming from a short break after being stakes-placed at his only start in the spring, the Lee Freedman trained colt settled out the back in last after drawing the outside gate. Pellizotti finished the race off quickly to finish a close up third to Innocent Gamble (by Elvstroem).
A $425,000 purchase for the Victorian Bloodstock Agency from the Widden Stud draft at the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Pellizotti was the highest priced yearling from the first crop of Stratum, a half-brother to this seasons VRC Maybe Mahal stakes-winner Strawberry Field (by Encosta de Lago).
Stratum has 21 yearlings to be offered at the 2010 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale (March 1st – 4th) at the Oaklands Junction complex in Victoria.
