Creighton’s promising Capitalist filly I’mlovin’Ya to step out in Blue Diamond Preview
United Syndications-bred juvenile latest to hit the track out of stakes winner Loveyamadly
Long-time Melbourne syndicator Peter Creighton has ridden the highs and lows of the racing and breeding game with Loveyamadly (Bel Esprit) and despite the trials and tribulations the partnership of owners behind the stakes-winning mare have remained united.
Already the group have enjoyed Group 3 success courtesy of Immortal Love (Snitzel), Loveyamadly’s third foal, and taken a financial hit on her fourth by Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), but now things appear to have turned for the better with her fifth foal, a daughter of Capitalist (Written Tycoon) named I’mlovin’Ya.
The United Syndications-bred and owned two-year-old is poised to have her first start in the Blue Diamond Preview (F) (Gr 3, 1000m) at Caulfield tomorrow for trainers Mick Price and Mick Kent Jnr, Creighton’s go-to stable, and the filly may have the potential to take them on their biggest ride to date.
She demonstrated her talent by winning an 800-metre Cranbourne jump-out on January 10, her second public hit-out, and it was enough for connections to press onto the Preview.
“In her first jump-out she missed the start. Patty Moloney rode her and he just sat on her and let her go to the winning post untouched,” Creighton told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“In her second one, she really improved and I thought she looked pretty smart in that one and her trackwork’s been pretty good since.”
Craig Newitt will ride I’mlovin’Ya, who has drawn barrier seven, having also ridden her half-brother Immortal Love to three victories, including in the HDF McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Price and Kent Jnr’s juveniles have started well this season. The pair have current Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) favourite Jacquinot (Rubick), a dominant winner at his first start at Caulfield on Boxing Day, while Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) winner Get In The Spirit (Spirit Of Boom) is already victorious.
“She’s one of the better fillies (in the stable). She’s got to the races under her own steam, she’s matched up well in all her trackwork,” Creighton said.
“I video all the trackwork for the (owners), so I am all over it now that I’m back from Covid restrictions. She’s shown a fair bit and, if she can jump and be up there, she won’t disgrace herself.”
Whether I’mlovin’Ya can press onto the Blue Diamond Prelude (F) (Gr 2, 1100m) and the grand final, the Blue Diamond, remains to be seen and Creighton, for one, is not getting ahead of himself.
“That’s a tough question. I am conscious that Mick’s got Jacquinot who looks outstanding, so I think we just need to get over Wednesday, see how she pulls up,” he said.
“She’s not a big filly, but she’s tough. She’s copped plenty and she’s coming into that race in terrific order, I can say that.”
Loveyamadly, a $60,000 Inglis Premier purchase by Creighton in 2010, won six of her 14 starts and almost $320,000 in prize-money for United Syndications and Price, prompting connections to breed with her.
Her first foal, a colt by Medaglia D’Oro (El Prado), made $200,000 at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale while her next two foals, a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) filly named Bella Amore and Immortal Love, were retained to race, while the now three-year-old gelding Lovestoned (Not A Single Doubt) made just $20,000 through a 2019 Inglis Digital sale.
“We try to sell every second one or whatever we think we should be selling, so this Capitalist filly is one we decided to keep,” the syndicator said.
“We wanted to keep the fillies and basically sell the colts, but it didn’t quite work out with Immortal Love who we kept and he won a Group 3, the McNeil at Caulfield, so the mare’s doing a good job.
“We have had a few ups and downs but I think we’re ahead on the upside now.”
A half-sister to stakes winners Lite’n In My Veins (Henrythenavigator), Written Beauty (Written Tycoon), Ducimus (Snitzel) and Hi World (High Chaparral), Loveyamadly has a Rubick (Encosta De Lago) colt catalogued as Lot 670 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and a So You Think (High Chaparral) filly who was born last September.
“We wanted to get a bit of substance into one of the foals and (fellow syndicator) Rob Slade had luck with a High Chaparral out of the same family a little while ago (called Hi World),” Creighton said.
“I was just thinking, ‘there’s been success there, so I am going to ride with it for one mating and see how we go’.
“And she’s a really nice filly, too. We’ll race her.”
Importantly, given the capital investment required with a high-end broodmare, Creighton said the group of owners in Loveyamadly had remained loyal and that no one had sold out of the Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) mare during her years at stud.
He said: “The syndicate has stayed together. Everyone who is in Loveyamadly is in the foals and they let me do the breeding. They don’t annoy me at all.”
Loveyamadly is currently in foal to Coolmore’s dual Group 1-winning first season sire King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice).