Estijaab a $1,700,000 bargain after Golden Slipper win
Coming from an outside barrier, Estijaab quickly crossed the field and surprisingly none of the other speedsters wanted to challenge her early, and only in the closing stages did she look in any danger of defeat, holding off the strong finish of Oohood (I Am Invincible) to score by a long head with Sunlight (Zoustar) a length and a quarter away in third in an all female finish. Race time was 1:12.01.
The first colt home was Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Written By (Written Tycoon), who finished fourth, in a set weight race in which fillies carry 2 kilograms less than the males.
For her owners Emirates Park, Estijaab provided a second Golden Slipper winner in the space of four years after the victory of another filly, Mossfun (Mossman), in 2014 and there are links common to both: both are graduates of Inglis’ Australian Easter Yearling Sale, both were prepared by Team Hawkes and both have champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) prominent in their pedigrees, as the Arrowfield Stud-based sire is the father of Estijaab and maternal grandsire of Mossfun, now a broodmare.
Also worthy of comment on Estijaab’s pedigree is that her dam Response (Charge Forward) is by the same sire as Courgette (Charge Forward), who produced She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), last year’s Golden Slipper winner.
Since the first Golden Slipper won in cavalier style by the brilliant Todman (Star Kingdom) in 1957, the vast majority of winners of this supreme test for sprinting two-year-olds have carried at least one line of Star Kingdom (Stardust) blood and Estijaab with four lines is certainly no exception. Two of those lines are through champion sire Bletchingly (Biscay), himself sire of Golden Slipper winners Star Watch (in 1988) and Canny Lad (in 1990).
Estijaab also has linebreeding to American speed sire In Reality (Intentionally) with Snitzel’s third dam A Realgirl (In Reality) being a three-quarters genetic relation of Valid Appeal (In Reality) (in Charge Forward’s background) as her second dam Scotch Verdict (Alsab) also produced Valid Appeal’s dam Desert Trial (Moslem Chief), a top-class racemare.
Purchased last Easter for the high price of $1,700,000, Estijaab was officially bred by Arrowfield Group Pty. Ltd. and Jungle Pocket Pty. Ltd, the Australian company of leading Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm and co-owner of the famous Shadai Stallion Station.
Yoshida bought the filly’s dam, dual Group One winner Response, carrying Estijaab, for $1,500,000 from Newgate Farm’s draft at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the Gold Coast.
Response has been exclusively wedded to Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) since 2014. Her 2016 filly sold to Peter Moody for $350,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, she has another Snitzel weanling filly and is again due to foal to him in the spring.
Stakes–placed Melbourne winner Alter Call (Fastnet Rock) is the only other foal of Response to race while Response is one of five winners left by Live It Up (Match Winner), a Sydney winner whose finest racing achievement was to place second to Danarani (Danehill) in the 1994 Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
Live It Up was the only winner of note for her little used sire Match Winner (Dancer’s Image). Her first two dams were also by unfashionable sires but Estijaab in tail female goes back to one of Australia’s equine royal families as her fifth dam, Newhaven Park-bred Loyalty (Wilkes), is a sister to top sprinter Farnworth (sire) from Carrus (Nilo) and ranks as a three-quarter sister to durable champion filly Wenona Girl (Wilkes) from Classic winner Golden Chariot (Golden Sovereign).
Wenona Girl, a beautiful, bright chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, was a special favourite of racegoers in the 1960s and retained her form during a long and testing career, much like Winx. She won her first start as an early two-year-old in the Gimcrack Stakes (now Listed, 1000m) and was still winning top events at six years, among them 14 races now considered of Group One quality.
Estijaab is the first Golden Slipper winner for Arrowfield Stud’s sensationally successful stallion Snitzel, Australia’s champion sire last season with record earnings of more than $16,000,000, a record he is set to break very easily again this season as his earnings already approach $22,000,000 with four months before the 2017-18 season closes.
At this point of the season Snitzel has a record equalling 26 stakes winners to his name including four at Group One level; Estijaab, Redzel, Trapeze Artist and Russian Revolution, who is soon to retire to Newgate Farm. Overall he has sired 13 Group One winners.
Snitzel’s 2018 service fee is yet to be announced but is likely to be increased from the $176,000 (inc GST) he commanded in 2017 when the dust settles after next month’s Australian Easter Yearling Sale, at which 64 of his progeny are due to be offered.