A third stakes winner in as many weeks for Frankel (GB) as Steinem (GB) bested her Melbourne Cup-winning stablemate Gold Trip (FR) in Saturday’s Group II Carlton Draught Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Sandown-Lakeside.
Ridden by John Allen for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Steinem (GB) stood up the Galileo gelding Keats (GB) four lengths with 200 metres to run. Once past him, the 5yo daughter of Frankel staved off the fast-finishing Gold Trip (FR) by a neck with a head back to Keats (IRE) in third.
The Group III Summoned Stakes winner at Caulfield last November before placing in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes at Ascot, Steinem (GB) advances her record to four wins, three seconds, and two thirds from 17 starts with earnings of $709,940.
“It was the idea to have her right for the Australian Cup and have that residual fitness. That’s why we didn’t go to the Perth Cup. We wanted to bring her home and target these races, Maher said.
“I was really confident with her today. I said during the week on the radio that I thought she was the one.
“Good track, fast tempo, I couldn’t believe her odds and Johnny Allen, he rides that mare really good.
“She can be a bit quirky in the barriers and different things like that. It was a super ride and you can see he just waited, waited. I was like ‘come on mate, Keats is off and gone’
“She went missing when the track were wet. She really enjoys these firm tracks. There was a bit of pressure building on me, but I think it is starting to sway my way.
“She just kept developing every year. She gets bigger and bigger and stronger and Johnny will be able to attest to that.
“She did show that ability early, and we put her in the Australasian Oaks. I was a little bit disappointed, but I think she’ll repay us.”
Foaled in the UK, Steinem is the first foal of the winning Dansili mare Thai Noon (IRE), who accompanied her daughter to Australia in 2018.
Thai Noon (IRE) is out of the stakes-winner Alsace Lorraine (Giant’s Causeway., a grand-daughter of Champion French 2YO Filly Miss Tahiti, the dam of Group I Newmarket Thousand Guineas winner Miss France, who is also by Dansili.
A $400,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Esker Lodge draft for Ciaron Maher Racing, Steinem runs for a syndicate that includes her breeders Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock and Frank Cook’s Mystery Downs in whose colours she runs.
Thai Noon (IRE) had a Frankel colt make $500,000 to the bid of Michelle Payne Racing / Sardar Azmoun from the Holbrook Thoroughbreds draft at the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and has been named Selkirk.
Paul Willetts Syndications / Ciaron Maher Racing shelled out $460,000 for Thai Noon’s Pierro colt consigned by Tyreel Stud to the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Not served in 2020, Thai Noon (IRE) returned to Great Britain in 2021.
