It was a Tony Gollan-trained quinella in Saturday’s Listed Helen Couglan Plate at Doomben, much to the delight of punters it was the heavily backed favourite Shalwa who opened her stakes account.
Ridden by Baylee Nothdurft, the 5yo daughter of O’Reilly defeat the Eurozone mare Krone by a neck with the luckless Redoute’s Choice mare Jen Rules, three-quarter of a length back in third.
Shalwa earned a spot in next week’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap but Gollan is not convinced she is up to the class.
“It’s a bit of a surprise, I have no firm ideas on the Stradbroke but I’ll speak with part-owner Sheamus Mills and we will work it out,” Golan said.
“This was her sought of race. She loves Doomben and we thought this race would be her grand final, give her a chance to get on the speed and control the race and she did just that."
"We took the blinkers off about five starts back and she's been a different horse, hasn't run a bad race since and hopefully that continues."
"Chrome was excellent running second, I'm still working her out having not had her too long, but we took the tongue tie off after her Gold Coast run where she was a bit worked up and she presented far more relaxed today."
"I really think she'll win a race this winter, there's a mares race over the 1400 metres in a couple of week’s time which looks right up her alley."
Nothdurft said he felt like he was on the winner all the way.
"She went super today, she enjoys travelling on hot speeds she's got a lovely big action, there was no point in the run I didn't feel like we'd be in the finish," Nothdurft said.
"She's just a mare that gets everything out of herself, she did it again today when we hit the lead very early and she just kept finding she's tough."
"I know the Stradbroke wasn't the goal with her but she's there now with no weight on her back, she loves Eagle Farm who knows."
Both the winner and runner-up have been catalogued for Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in July.
Bred by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Shalwa advances her record to 7 wins, 5 seconds and 2 thirds from 22 starts with earnings of $301,065 after beginning her career under the training of Mick Price.
She is the only foal to race out of the Elusive Quality (USA) mare Futoon who is a daughter of the exceptional racemare Flitter (Bluebird) whose nine wins included the Group 1 BATC Doomben Ten Thousand and Group 1 STC Winfield Classic.
Purchased by Tim Stakemire for $130,000 at the 2007 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Futoon had just one more foal, a 4yo unraced sister to Shalwa named Ishraqa, before being retired.
Shalwa becomes stakes-winner number 96 for the former Waikato resident O’Reilly who died in December 2014.
