A $625,000 Newgate Bloodstock purchase at the 2022 National Broodmare Sale, Tilianam returned to training and rewarded her new connections with an immediate dividend when winning at Eagle Farm. Back in the same sales ring twelve months later, Tilianam drew a final bid of $900,000 from Yu Long Investments, who will be hoping to claw some of that back in Saturday's Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) at Ipswich.
Appropriately, it was Gai Waterhouse, along with training partner Adrian Bott, who shelled out $270,000 for the daughter of Savabeel from the Waikato Stud draft at the 2020 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
The early signs were good. Tilianam won over 1200m at Canberra before making the quantum leap to stakes success in the Listed Darley Lonhro Plate (1000m) at Randwick, defeating the top-class Jamaea (Headwater).
With her pedigree, it is reasonable to presume Tilianam would be better at three.
It did not take long for those hopes to come crashing down.
She was not a factor in the Silver Shadow Stakes, Light Fingers Stakes, Surround Stakes, and Alexandria Stakes. Even a drop back in grade to handicaps at Caulfield and Warrnambool provided little joy.
In her final start for the stable before heading to the National Broodmare Sale, Tilianam finished a close-up second to Adele Armour over 1400m at Flemington.
It must have encouraged her new owners, Newgate Farm and partners, to give her a chance with Tony Gollan. A wise decision as she won her first race in sixteen months when defeating the stakes-winning Rhapsody Rose (Star Witness) over 1200m on the Tatt's Tiara undercard at Eagle Farm.
Tilianam raced consistently in a further eight start adding two wins at Doomben. Her only real clunker came in her lone stakes attempt in the Listed Eureka Stud Tatt's Classic at the Gold Coast.
The daughter of Savabeel went out a winner for Newgate at Doomben on April 22 and has not raced since.
The Chittick family has nurtured some wonder families at Waikato Stud, and this is another one. Tilianam is the best of two winners for the stakes-placed Pins mare Spending.
Runner-up in the VRC AR Creswick Stakes, Spending is a sister to the Group II MRC Angus Armanasco Stakes winner Shopaholic, and Group III winner and multiple Group 1 placed Packing Pins, and a half-sister to Group II Manawatu Challenge winner Splurge (Savabeel).
Spending's dam Splashing Out (O'Reilly) won her first three starts for Danny O'Brien, culminating in the Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield. She met defeat for the first time when runner-up to the flying filly Golde Edition in the Group 1 Ascot Vale Stakes (now the Coolmore Stud Stakes).
Splashing Out is a three-quarter sister to 4-time Group 1 winner and tragically short-lived stallion Sacred Falls (O'Reilly).
The recently deceased Spending has a 2yo filly by Savabeel and a yearling filly by Ocean Park.
