It was a case of déjà vu as Verry Elleegant and Addeybb (IRL) went at it hammer and tong over the final 400 metres of the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday, but this one was going to the hometown heroine.
Ridden by James McDonald for champion trainer Chris Waller, Verry Elleegant had the drop on Addeybb (IRL), who was under hard riding by Tom Marquand 600m from home. But the Group 1 Champion Stakes winner is a real streetfighter, and he wasn't about to give up his title without a fight.
Making his first start since his heroics at Royal Ascot last October, the son of Pivotal grudgingly conceded in the final few strides to the battle-hardened New Zealand-bred mare.
Verry Elleegant defeated Addeybb (IRL) by a length with a further three-quarter of a length back to the surprise packet Angel Of Truth, who took up the running and battled on gamely.
With her eight Group 1 win in the bag, Verry Elleegant advances her record to thirteen wins, five seconds and two thirds from 28 starts with earnings of $7,836,744.
“She’s a great horse, and it’s always hard to gauge when you’re running against horses from the other side of the world who has been flying the flag up there so proudly and beating some good horses,” Waller said.
“Well done to Mr. Haggas for sending him down because it’s not an easy feat.”
“She’s won a Caulfield Cup with international form, and she’s brought it to Rosehill too.
Waller said the race shaped the same as 12 months ago when Verry Ellegant looked like she might have got the better of Addeybb (IRL).
“Exactly the same as I was thinking last year. And I thought we would win the race easily. And he fought back at the 300m when we headed him last year and it was the same thing unfolding. James didn’t pull the trigger as early this year, but when he went she quickened and he started coming back. So I was thinking ‘oh it’s on again’ but gee she was tough the last 100m, as she was in the Caulfield Cup, as she’s been in so many of her races. She’s a world class horse.”
Waller said Verry Ellegant was unlikely to back up in next weeks Tancred Stakes.
“I always said that it would be unlikely. We’d go three weeks into the Queen Elizabeth and have a fair crack at it. She’s run second last year, but she ran over 2400m winning the Tancred. I doubt she’ll be there, but we’ll let the dust settle of course and there’s next year as well to think about.”
James McDonald was in awe of the mares toughness.
“Halfway up (the straight) I could feel her at her top, and he (Addeybb) was still there, and I was thinking, ‘on no, not again’,” McDonald said.
“But she’s just a wonderful mare, great determination, fantastic will to win, and she knows where that winning line is. She’s just a mighty mare.”
Bred by her part-owner Don Goodwin, Verry Elleegant is the best of three winners from four to race out of the Danroad mare Opulence whose granddam Chalet Girl (Imposing) is a half-sister to Danewin and Commands, from the same Eight Carat family of Verry Elleegant's sire Zed.
Goodwin had purchased Opulence for just $14,000 at the 2011 NZB National Broodmare Sale
After missing to Zed in 2016, Opulence has a two-year-old full-brother to Verry Elleegant. He was consigned to the 2020 NZB Karaka Yearling sale where John Chalmers Bloodstock, on behalf of leviathan WA owner Bob Peters, had the final say at $140,000.
Opulence has a yearling colt, again by the son of Zabeel. She was not covered in 2019 but visited Zed again last spring.
