Bulletproof mare aims to down the big guns in Group 1 sprint
Ahead of a seemingly open renewal of the William Reid Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday, emerging Charlotte Littlefield is growing in belief that ultra-consistent mare She’s Bulletproof (Shooting To Win) can deliver her first victory on racing’s grandest stage.
With 20 wins this campaign from her 99 runners, which fires at a remarkable place strike-rate of 48 per cent, Littlefield is enjoying comfortably her best season since she was first persuaded by her husband Julian Hay – who bred She’s Bulletproof out of his mare Offshore Sham (Sharmadal) – to take out her trainer’s licence in 2015.
Ten years previously, Littlefield arrived from her native England with an eventing background, carrying little more than a backpack and a burning desire to experience everything that Australia has to offer. Since then, “The Lucky Country” has certainly lived up to its moniker with Littlefield counting her blessings that a horse as good as She’s Bulletproof has come into her care.
After coming agonisingly close to breaking through the elite glass ceiling in the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m), Littlefield is now hoping the stars will align for She’s Bulletproof at The Valley this weekend, an occasionally quirky venue which holds no fears for the five-year-old mare who finished second there on debut and subsequently before romped to victory by some six lengths last October.
In contrast, Oakleigh Plate victor Jimmysstar (Per Incanto) has never been tested at the idiosyncratic track under race conditions, so despite drawing barrier eight of nine Littlefield is quietly confident that her stable star can turn the tables on the pre-race favourite – particularly with regular rider Craig Williams maintaining their potent partnership.
“I do feel like the stars have aligned for us,” Littlefield told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“There are lots of positive affirmations heading into the race, and hopefully it stays that way on the big day. We know she handles The Valley beautifully, whereas I think it’s Jimmysstar’s first start there so it’s a bit of an unknown for him. She debuted well there and won her next start very impressively, so she’s well adept at the track and we’ve been patiently waiting for quite a while now for the right race to come along so we could get her back there.
“She’s a big girl and she needs plenty of room, so hopefully barrier eight isn’t an issue. We’ll leave the decision-making to Craig, he’s one of our top jockeys so we won’t tie him down with too many instructions. It’s great that he is staying in Melbourne and riding her, we love having him on our horses and he knows her so well.
“The mare is in absolutely great order. It was always the plan to space out her runs, she puts in such a big effort in all her races that it tends to take quite a lot out of her. So she definitely needs that recovery time between her runs, and she’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
Littlefield certainly required some extensive recovery time herself after experiencing the highs and lows of racing in the space of just a few seconds at Caulfield four weeks ago.
She’s Bulletproof loomed large under Williams in the Oakleigh Plate and for all the world the pair looked the winners at the 200-metre mark, only to be denied by a suitably stellar performance from Jimmysstar.
Immense pride was interspersed with a gnawing feeling of what might have been for Littlefield, who made a swift exit from the restaurant later that night to reflect on a day which only hardened her resolve to break through at the elite level.
“The Oakleigh Plate was an incredible experience, but there were obviously mixed emotions after we thought we had the race in our keeping,” she said.
“I had a few drinks after the races and we then went out for dinner, but I didn’t even make it to the main course because I was exhausted physically and emotionally so I had to take myself off to bed.
“There was a lot of stress and anticipation in the build-up to the race, then when I came down from that adrenaline high I think it all just caught up with me that night. It was quite a strange and unique feeling, thinking for a few seconds that you’re going to win a Group 1 and then having it snatched away from you like that.
“But once the dust settled, the overriding emotion was one of pride in the performance. She’s a homebred horse, and much like me she’s come from nowhere really. I think we’re probably both as dumbfounded as one another at how it’s all played out, but we’re both certainly enjoying the journey.”
That journey started once Offshore Sham’s racing days ended in 2010, following five starts and one win for trainer Gary Portelli.
Hay acquired her and after a rather chequered start to her life as a broodmare, she produced a colt by Excelebration (Exceed And Excel) who was purchased for $120,000 at the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. Named Exceltic and trained by Portelli, he placed on debut in the Canonbury Stakes (Gr. 3, 1100m) and would later win four races for the Laurel Oak Bloodstock team.
Offshore Sham’s career was seemingly up and running, but after being served by Deep Field (Northern Meteor) in the next breeding season, she subsequently lost the foal during the birthing process. Hay and Littlefield were somewhat scarred by the experience and having briefly considered sending her back to Deep Field, they decided to switch tack and instead chose his brother, Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor), as her next suitor.
The resulting filly showed plenty of promise with a runner-up finish on debut, and She’s Bulletproof has been on a steep upward trajectory ever since with four wins, seven minor placings and more than $500,000 in prize money collected from her 12 starts to date, headed by her win in February’s Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
If 13 is considered an unlucky number, Littlefield isn’t buying into the superstition as she sets her sights on joining luminaries like Chris Waller, Team Hawkes, Peter Moody, Ciaron Maher, John O’Shea and Lee Freedman on the recent William Reid Stakes honour roll.
As Littlefield freely admits, she would never have entertained rubbing shoulders with such illustrious company when she and Hay – a former lawyer by trade – took the plunge and established Hayfields Racing a decade ago.
“To say that I’m a Group 1 trainer would be an absolute dream come true, and I’m not sure it would ever sink in,” Littlefield said.
“To think back to where we came from, starting out with a very small team and not getting much support in the early days, to be winning a Group 1 would just be incredible. I was a girl with a backpack who landed on Australian shores with no real connection to horse racing, and Julian was a lawyer who loved to punt but didn’t know a great deal about the industry, and yet here we are ten years later with a live chance in a Group 1 race.
“To do it with a horse like She’s Bulletproof would make it even more special. Obviously we bred her and Julian’s parents are in the ownership group, so it’s a real family horse. While money certainly helps in this game, she’s living proof that you don’t need to spend millions to get a good horse. And it also shows that you can achieve anything with hard work, dedication and a little bit of luck.”