A win by the Hellbent filly Bangetta in Saturday’s $150,000 Max Lees Classic at Newcastle will be a poignant moment for trainer Kris Lees that goes beyond the race carrying the name of his late father.
A homebred for the Hannon, Lees, Cope and Sperling families, Bangetta is a daughter of the Kris Lees-trained Elimbari, who is a daughter of the Max Lees-trained Shalt Not (St Covet).
Max Lees purchased Shalt Not for $55,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale. She was the second last lot of the sale, and Lees took a liking as he trained the talented half-sister Bravo Zulu (Military Plume), who he described as a ‘skinny, weak type’.
She may have been that, but Bravo Zulu went on to produce Grand Zulu (Grand Lodge), who won the Group 1 Tancred Stakes for the late Gwenda Markwell, defeating Mummify and Makybe Diva.
That may rank up there among the great days of racing, with Dance Hero winning the Golden Slipper, Lonhro the George Ryder Stakes, Special Harmony the Storm Queen Stakes, Starcraft the Tulloch stakes, Shower Of Roses the Neville Sellwood Stakes, and the grand old warrior Mustard in the Maurice McCarten Stakes.
It did not take long for Shalt Not to prove the $55,000 was a bargain. She finished second on debut in the Listed Widden Stakes, then won the Coca-Cola Classic, now the Max Lees Classic, on her home track.
Shalt Not finished third in Testa Rossa’s Magic Millions 2yo Classic but claimed the $500,000 winner’s cheque the following season in the Magic Millions 3yo held at Rosehill.
As a broodmare, Shalt Not hit the headlines with her fifth foal, Amelia’s Dream.
The daughter of Redoute’s Choice made a winning debut with a near ten lengths romp at Canterbury before leaving Hips Don’t Lie over six lengths in her wake in the Group II Silver Slipper Stakes.
Tragically, Amelia’s Dream came out of the race with a career-ending injury.
Striking while the iron is hot, Yarraman Park consigned Shalt Not to the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Carrying a positive test to Test Rossa, Shalt Not was purchased by Cambridge Stud’s Sir Patrick Hogan for $1,050,000. Only 4-time Group 1 winner Divine Madonna made more.
At the time of the sale, Shalt Not had a weanling filly at home by Fastnet Rock. Retained to race, the filly named Elimbari made the best possible start to her career when defeating Celts at Rosehill.
Celts went on to produce the Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group II Angus Armansco Stakes winner La Tene and Group III winner Gaulois.
The Kris Lees-trained Elimbari kept even more exalted company at her second start when beaten into second place by Solar Charged in the Group III Kindergarten stakes at Warwick Farm.
Solar Charged is the dam of triple Group 1 winner Sunlight and Group III winner Sisstar.
Elimbari’s track career was pretty much a non-event after that.
The daughter of Fastnet Rock is a sister to Romantic Time, the dam of Young Werther (Tavistock), who was second to Explosive Jack in the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby, third in the Group 1 Victoria Derby and placed twice in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes.
Elimbari has been afforded every chance to succeed at stud, visiting a bevvy of top-class stallions. She has four winners from seven runners highlighted by the stakes placed Vincere Volare (I Am Invincible) and Conscious (So You Think), who was second on debut in the Listed Talindert Stakes at Flemington but retired a maiden after five starts.
The first foal of Vincere Volare is a colt from the first crop of Pierata in the Attunga Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Yearling Sale (Lot 527).
Elimbari foaled a Shamus Award colt on August 31.
