Danny O'Brien said he had not ruled out the Queensland oaks for El Patroness, a daughter of O'Brien's Cox Plate hero Shamus Award,who kept up a relentless gallop to land Saturday's $1,000,000 Group 1 ATC The Star Australian Oaks (2400m).
Given the run of the race by Damian Lane, El Patroness struck the front at the 300m and never looked in danger from there.
The Tarzino filly Gypsy Goddess stuck to her guns to be beaten a safe two and a half lengths with the Rip Van Winkle filly Gin Martini a long neck further back in third.
Speaking from Melbourne, O’Brien said it was special that the filly is by Shamus Award.
“I was up there all week for the sales, but I decided to come home,” O’Brien said.
“She was favourite for the VRC Oaks in the spring but she had a really tough run on Caulfield Cup Day and that bottomed her out.”
“But she has returned really well this autumn. Her first two runs were excellent, but then she had a very difficult run at Moonee Valley the other night when she over-raced and did everything upside down.
“We had always been very confident in her once she got to 2400m. It was really testing conditions, but she was powering through the line.”
“Shamus Award is such an exceptional stallion and when his horses get to 2400m you are very confident with them. It’s a bit like how it used to be with the Zabeels at a mile and a half, they just grow a leg. I trained Shamus Award and I bred this filly.”
“She is my first Group 1 winner by Shamus Award so to that respect it is really satisfying. We might look at the Queensland Oaks. But the good thing is the Shamus Awards get better with age. Duais was a good three-year-old but she is a very good four-year-old.”
El Patroness broke her maiden at her third start in Flemington's Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m) last October.
The daughter of Shamus Award has been a model of consistency since placing in the Group II Autumn Classic and Group III Neds Classic.
A homebred for Balmerino Racing Partnership Trust and O'Brien Thoroughbreds, El Patroness is the first foal of the talented O'Reilly mare Sure You Can.
Purchased by Danny O Brien for $100,000 at the 2012 NZB Premier Yearling Sale, Sure You Can is a sister to Group III Tasmanian Derby winner Betwixt, dam of Group 1 Queensland Oaks winner Provocative (Zabeel).
Sure You Can is also a half-sister to Group II ARC Avondale Guineas and Group II Auckland Guineas winner Surely Sacred, who placed in the 2019 ATC Australian Derby won by Angle Of Truth.
Sure You Can has a 2yo filly by Star Witness, a yearling filly by Shamus Award and a weanling colt by Puissance De Lune (IRE).
She was covered by Shamus Award again last spring.
El Patroness becomes the fifth Group 1-winner for Rosemont Stud's Shamus Award.
