$2,000 Karaka Bargain Wins Her Second G2

Bargain Karaka purchase Sierra Sue (NZ) (Darci Brahma) added a second Melbourne Group Two victory to her CV with a high-class performance in Saturday’s A$300,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield. 

Bought for just $2000 at the 2019 Karaka May Sale by Peter Lock, Sierra Sue has now had 16 starts for seven wins, one placing and A$513,625 in stakes – more than 250 times her purchase price.

The quality mare rose to prominence last spring with an outstanding performance in the Group Two Rose of Kingston Stakes (1400m) at Flemington, which was her fifth win from just seven career starts.

Sierra Sue’s form dipped through the rest of her four-year-old season, but a confidence-boosting victory in the Mildura Cup (1400m) on 23 July was a springboard back to the big stage in Melbourne.

Ridden on Saturday by John Allen, Sierra Sue charged out of midfield and overpowered her nine rivals, winning by a length and a quarter from Angel of Truth (Animal Kingdom) and Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man).

“I think that little trip to Mildura has really brought her on,” said Natalie Young, who trains in partnership with Trent Busuttin. “We always thought she had another good preparation in her, and she has shown it today.

“When she ran fourth at Flemington (17 July), she sort of peaked 50 metres out – I thought there was plenty of improvement in her. I rang Ozzie (Kheir, part-owner) and said, ‘Get her on a float to Mildura, it is a $100,000 race. I think she has come through the race fantastic, just trust me on this.’

“She came out and won that, and she’s had a nice three weeks in between. We gave her a really quiet week after that and just ticked her over the last couple of weeks. She’s come out today, and she has really got that turn of foot back in her.”

Busuttin and Young now have their sights set on the A$750,000 Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m), over the same course and distance as the Lawrence, on 28 August.

“We’ll have a talk to the owners now and see how she pulls up obviously, but I would love to see her back here in a couple of weeks,” Young said. “You can’t win Group Ones unless you’re in them.”