Classy Amelita scores Widden’s Zousain his second stakes win
Chris Waller enjoyed a first success in Thursday’s Red Roses Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Flemington, when the in-form filly Amelita (Zousain) carried very familiar silks to victory in the 1100-metre Group 3.
Running in the colours of Peter Tighe’s Magic Bloodstock, ones made infamous by star mare Winx (Street Cry), the unexposed Amelita arrived into Thursday’s contest having broken her maiden at the third attempt first-up at Canterbury in September, a performance she followed up with a second-placed finish in a Benchmark 68 (1100m) at Warwick Farm last month.
Sent off an $11 chance under James McDonald in the Red Roses, Amelita sat last of the 14-strong field at the 400-metre mark and was forced to weave a path through rivals inside the final 300 metres, hitting the lead with just 50 metres left to race, eventually defeating Vestas (Toronado) by 0.75 lengths.
It’s very special to me. Peter Tighe and ourselves got a group together and there’s some really nice owners in it
Bridal Waltz (Snitzel) finished in third place, just failing to get up for second in a photo-finish.
“It’s very special to me. Peter Tighe and ourselves got a group together and there’s some really nice owners in it,” the winning trainer said.
“People love having runners in Cup Week, so if you can find a horse that has got a nice progression forward and can come down here when they’re not burnt out, that’s a big help.”
In winning the race, the filly became the second individual stakes winner for Widden Stud’s second-season stallion Zousain (Zoustar), who Waller also trained to Group 2 success.
“We see her as a nice filly going forward by Zousain, who I trained – a son of Zoustar, so it’s a bit of a family affair,” he said.
“James [McDonald] got her to settle early and she was very strong late. She’s really come of age this prep and is still very lightly raced.
“I don’t think we’ll go any further for now, we’ll give her a holiday and she can keep growing and developing. I think she has a nice future.”
Waller revealed Amelita would now likely be put away for a spell.
McDonald was enjoying his sixth win of the Melbourne Cup Carnival after riding a treble on Derby Day and a double on Melbourne Cup Day and he admitted the way the race panned out was not exactly as had been hoped after the filly jumped slowly from barrier one.
“Not really a plan [to come to the outside], just go with the flow with her. She wasn’t the best to step away,” the rider told Racing.com.
“So, I reverted to just going back and following them through. The pace was strong, and she was electric. We just bided our time, and she finished really well.”
Bred by Richard Pegum, Amelita was purchased for $280,000 by Magic Bloodstock, Noel and Maria Greenhalgh, Julia Ritchie, and Neil Werrett out of the Edinglassie Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She is the first winner out of the More Than Ready (Southern Halo) mare Miss Amelia, herself a daughter of 2008 Silver Slipper (Gr 2, 1100m) winner Amelia’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice).
Amelita’s juvenile brother sold to John O’Shea Racing and James Bester Bloodstock for $200,000 at this year’s Magic Millions sale and is now named Buckeye, while Miss Amelia has another filly by Zousain and was again covered by the son of Zoustar last spring.
Zousain is the sire of 23 winners from 72 starters and he is standing at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley for a fee of $27,500 (inc GST), up from $22,000 (inc GST) in 2023.
Being out of a daughter of More Than Ready, Amelita becomes the second Group winner for the late Vinery Stud shuttler as a broodmare sire this week, with Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) also being out of one of his daughters.