Storyville backs up WA Champion Fillies success in WA Guineas
Having registered a first stakes win in last weekend’s WA Champion Fillies Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m), the Grant and Alana Williams-trained Storyville (Overshare) continued her progression with a last-gasp victory in Saturday’s WA Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) at Ascot.
Sent off a $4.40 chance to back-up her win the previous weekend, where she came from last place to defeat Ron’s Finalflutter (Written Tycoon) by 1.8 lengths at odds of $8, Storyville was ridden by usual partner William Pike on the seven-day back-up.
With Declan Bates having set a good pace out on the front end onboard London’s Image (Headwater), Storyville again came home strongly down the home straight, sticking her neck out for a game 0.3-length success over The Merryman (Epaulette).
There was the same distance further back to Olympic Park (Ocean Park) in third place in what was a tightly contested finish to the 1600-metre Group 2.
Despite the victory, Pike felt his mount was not in the same form that had seen her land the previous weekend’s WA Champion Fillies Stakes.
“I think she wasn’t the same horse as last week,” the winning rider said. “She’s normally very bubbly, and I think that was only 80 to 90 per cent of what she is capable of.
“I thought she was a one-trick pony – straight to the front and lead; she has a massive stride and high head carriage, and I didn’t think she would be a horse to sit and find the line. I am happy to have been proven wrong.
“Hopefully, they [Grant and Alana Williams] can pick her up and have a tilt at the Northerly [Stakes].”
Grant Williams cut an ecstatic figure post-race and was quick to thank his owners, including his parents Rae and Dot Williams, and his wife Alana who had bred the horse.
“Yeah that was so good wasn’t it, unbelievable,” Williams told Racing WA after the race.
“A lot of great loyal owners, some of my best owners, some of my long-term owners, and obviously Alana’s bred it. I’ve got the jitters, and I reckon I’ll have them tomorrow too!
“This is sort of put back to Willy [Pike] too. It’s such a good team effort, we had a chat a few weeks ago. Things weren’t going right and I’m like ‘mate, what are you doing? Just go back to doing what you do. Trying to ride them in spots and you know keep them out of luck’.
“Three-year-olds have got to be strong to ride them like that, and although our horses are really fit and strong, they’re not mentally, the mental part comes when they win, so it was good we put the train back on the tracks and…we won a Guineas!”
As for future plans with the filly, Williams mentioned the upcoming Northerly Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) back at Ascot on December 7 as a possibility, but he wasn’t sure whether the daughter of Widden Stud’s Overshare (I Am Invincible) would line up just yet.
“Look, she’s nominated [for the Northerly Stakes] and we hope [she can run], she’s done a huge job so I’m not really sure,” he said.
A half-sister to the stakes-placed winners Crescent City (Fiorente) and Axeman’s Jazz (Dundeel), Storyville (3 f Overshare – New Orleans by Time Thief) was bred by Alana Williams and is the fourth winner from five to race out of the unraced Time Thief (Redoute’s Choice) mare New Orleans, herself a half-sister to seven-time stakes winner Battle Hero (Stratum).
New Orleans has a yearling sister to Storyville and foaled a Toronado (High Chaparral) filly on August 20.