Eneeza lives up to sales ring price in Merson Cooper
Peter Moody celebrated 25 years as a trainer in style when $1.1 million two-year-old Eneeza (Exceed And Excel) opened her dam Sweet Sherry’s (Bel Esprit) winning account with black-type success at Caulfield yesterday.
Bred by Silverdale Farm and bought by Kia Ora Stud and Tony Fung Investments as the equal seventh-top filly at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Eneeza was ultra-impressive in winning her second start in the Merson Cooper Stakes (Listed, 1000m).
After running a length second to Karavas (Alabama Express) on VRC Oaks day in the Ottawa Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m), Eneeza jumped from gate six of nine for Damian Lane, who was content to sit four wide without cover on the well-backed $2.40 favourite in the one-bend scamper.
Hitting the lead soon after straightening, the filly came away full of running to win by a little over two lengths from the Patrick Payne-trained Flattered (Yes Yes Yes), with Express Yo’self (Alabama Express) third on debut for Amy and Ash Yargi.
Eneeza is the second foal out of the ten-year-old Sweet Sherry, the former Brent Stanley-trained sprinter who won the 2017 SAJC Euclase Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and two Listed races. Those included Flemington’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) on debut in 2015, before Sweet Sherry’s sixth in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and seventh after leading in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
While a seven-figure head-turner at the sales, Eneeza is still the cheaper of Sweet Sherry’s two offspring put through the ring. First foal Madeira (Snitzel) was the second-top filly and fifth highest lot overall when sold by Silverdale to Badgers Bloodstock and Glentree Thoroughbreds for $1.35 million at the Gold Coast last year. Bred on a similar Danehill-over-Bel Esprit cross as Eneeza, Madeira is with the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable awaiting her first start.
Sweet Sherry now has a yearling colt by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) and a foal sister to Madeira. She was covered by Yarraman Park’s dual champion sire again in September.
Eneeza’s victory came one day short of the 25th anniversary of Moody’s first foray as a trainer. The four-time Melbourne premiership winner and former conditioner of another quite notable mare by Bel Esprit (Royal Academy) – Black Caviar – had his first runner in his own name on December 3, 1998, after several years as foreman for Bill Mitchell’s Brisbane satellite stable.
That first runner, a filly named Resolute Lass (Tong Po), nearly got the Queenslander off to a perfect start, but ran a half-length second in a Sunshine Coast maiden.
Eneeza ensured Moody – training in partnership with former foreman Katherine Coleman since August 1 – brought up his quarter-century in happier fashion.
“It snuck up on me a bit, but we had our first runner on this date or near enough 25 years ago at Caloundra. Life takes some serious turns, but it’s been a great ride except for one speed hump,” Moody told Racing.com, referring to his break from training from 2016-2020 after a highly controversial six-month cobalt ban.
After Eneeza’s arresting victory, Moody said he could look ahead to more potential boom times, given the strong crop of two-year-olds he and Coleman had in their Pakenham stable.
“I’ve got a beautiful team,” he said. “I reckon I would have the envy of any two-year-old yard in Australia pedigree-wise. But that doesn’t make them two-year-olds.
“They are relations of, relations of, relations of, but Eneeza is the only one to put her hand up pre-Christmas.
“We are trialling ten or 12 or 15 over the next two to three weeks and they are that well-bred, you’d be disappointed if four or five didn’t put their hand up.”
Moody said Eneeza was not certain to be targeted towards the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 13, as he has her in mind as possibly his main Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) filly.
“They run a couple of nice two-year-olds races in February,” he said.
“She is a Magic Millions filly. They (her owners) paid a million for her, so they are going to have their say, which I respect, but more importantly, they are open-minded to let the horse guide us along too.
“I wouldn’t think she is the type of filly that would be able to go to Millions and then into the autumn because she is not a big filly. Probably a decision has got to be made on what path.”
Despite his outstanding mares including Black Caviar and Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom), Moody said he was “unfairly” considered a fillies’ trainer, while conceding it was no coincidence he’s had a string of quality females.
“I train for a lot of breeders and a lot have kept their fillies because the yearling market and broodmare markets are so strong,” he said.
“I think I am unfairly tagged as a fillies’ trainer as all my great horses have been fillies. But when you train for breeders, very few of them keep colts. They sell their colts and race their fillies.”
Eneeza became the 106th individual stakes winner in Australia – from 1123 runners – and the 214th worldwide for Exceed And Excel (Danehill), the remarkable 23-year-old standing his 20th season at Darley Kelvinside for his career-top fee of $132,000 (inc GST).