Chassis claims valuable black type in Gai Waterhouse Classic
Parsons Creek Farm derived an immediate return from their recent Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale purchase Chassis (6 m Al Maher – Poco Gusto by Hussonet), who added a valuable first stakes win in yesterday’s Gai Waterhouse Classic (Listed, 1200m) at Ipswich.
Owned by Marc and Lindy de Stoop, Parsons Creek teamed up with European bloodstock agent Dermot Farrington to purchase Chassis for $230,000 from May’s Gold Coast sale, with the mare having won six races from 32 starts, but her seventh win at start 33 could prove lucrative for the De Stoops, with Chassis scoring by a length ahead of Better Get Set (Better Than Ready). Godolphin’s Hellfest (Hellbent) finished another half a length away in third.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace since March last year, Chassis built on runner-up efforts in both the WW Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and How Now Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) when trained by John Price.
The win proved an emotional one for jockey Regan Bayliss, who was riding at his local track with his family watching on.
“I’m about to cry, to be honest, given my family association with the club,” Bayliss said.
“Both my grandparents were life members [at Ipswich], as was my great-grandfather. My Auntie Sharon was clerk of the course here for 20-odd years. I grew up riding trackwork here, my dad was a well-respected trainer, and he won the Ipswich Cup in 1989. So it’s great to win this race.”
Chassis and Bayliss exploited a gap up the inside of Better Get Set, to overhaul that rival in the closing stages.
“We took bad luck out of the equation by putting her in the box seat,” Bayliss added. “The leader gave a nice kick and rolled off the fence, so we were able to sneak up the inside, and she attacked the line.
“In these high-pressure races at this track, if you don’t use your gate speed to your advantage, you can find yourself in midfield pretty quickly. She stuck to her task really well.”
Maher and Eustace will be aiming for Royal Ascot success with Coolangatta in the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) on Tuesday and with both trainers in the UK, stable representative Ashley Jarvis was overseeing proceedings at Ipswich.
“She won her last start at Sandown really well. She had a nice easy time of it then she went through the sale and got some new owners, so it was nice to get a win for them,” Jarvis said.
“She was very strong. She jumped well, was right up with them, and managed to hold her position. She’s a big, strong mare who hit the line strongly. She doesn’t like it when she gets too cluttered up, so up on the speed suits her best, and Jake rode her beautifully.”
A $40,000 yearling when purchased by John Price from the Supreme Thoroughbreds draft at the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale, Chassis became the 37th individual stakes winner for the pensioned former Stockwell Thoroughbreds stallion Al Maher (Danehill).
She is the fifth foal out of three-time winner Poco Gusto, herself a daughter of South Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) third Kachina (El Qahira).