The progressive Snitzel filly Yearning made her maiden stakes success count with a last to first performance in Wednesday’s $1,000,000 Group 1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
Ridden by Damien Thornton for trainers Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, Yearning had the field in front of her on the turn. Moved into the running line, Yearning picked off runner after runner before finding a willing opponent in the Jakkalberry filly Elusive Express who had defeated Yearning in the Group III Edward Manifold stakes at Flemington at her most recent start.
Yearning would not be denied. She defeated Elusive Express by a length with a further length and a quarter back to the Rebel Raider filly Barb Raider in third.
A sister the most expensive yearling sold in 2021, Yearning carries the colours of her breeder, Arrowfield Stud.
“When you buy these high-class fillies, with the big pedigree, the owners put in a lot, a lot of money.
“It’s good for those expensive horses to win. There’s a lot of owners that buy at the top end and a lot of the top end ones don’t actually make the grade so it’s nice to nail a good one.
“It was a good ride and he didn’t panic.
“He really bided his time and put Zouzarella back in its pocket at the top of the straight and the rest is history.
“I really want to thank the owners. All the owners have done a great job and John Messara would be sitting up there at Arrowfield and gone nuts, I reckon, on the couch.”
“The more you get the more your reminisce but I was thinking that Shame won it with the Gauch about twenty years ago, and the old boy was 23 when he won the Thousand Guineas with Toltrice.”
Yearning was beaten just over a length when fifth behind Jamaea (Headwater) in the Group II Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick and was just over two lengths behind the same filly when a troubled ninth in the Group II Furious Stakes.
Yearning is the first foal of the 2014 ATC Australian Oaks heroine Rising Romance (Ekraar) who was second behind the Japanese colt Admire Rakti in the 2014 Caulfield Cup.
She has a 2yo brother named Magic who was the most expensive yearling sold in 2021 when Hawkes Racing went to $2,500,000 to secure the son of Snitzel out of the Arrowfield draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
After foaling a brother to Yearning and Magic last spring, Rising Romance made her fourth consecutive visit to Snitzel.
Yearning is the 114th stakes-winner for Snitzel and his 18th Group 1 winner.
