A Breednet ‘One To Watch' when breaking her maiden over 1700m at Geelong on September 3, Served Cold was a fighting front running fifth in the Oaks Trial at Flemington (1800) before a stakes breakthrough in Wednesday's Listed Roderick Insurance Brokers 3YO Geelong Classic (2200m) at Geelong.
Ridden by Blake Shinn for Danny O'Brien, Served Cold tracked the early leaders Nondisclosure and Waverley in the early running. A menacing presence on the home turn, the daughter of Shamus Award hit the front at the 200m to defeat Waverley (No Nay Never) by one and a quarter lengths, with Kosgei (The Autumn Sun) the same distance back in third.
"Nothing went her way at Flemington. We were disappointed on the day, but the more you analyzed it, you could not be too critical," O'Brien said.
"She had an easy couple of weeks after that. We have been focused on getting her to the Oaks, and we were always going to have one run too few instead of one too many.
t;This race worked in perfectly with her programming. She had already been here and won, and it's a local track for us being out at Barwon Heads.
"She learnt a lot from her last run and got a perfect ride by Blake today. That was just her fourth start, so hopefully, we are off to Flemington.
"She's a natural staying filly with that big cardio that means she could probably run 2000m at her first start. She had no trouble with the 2200m; fitness-wise, that is enough for her to go to the Oaks.
Served Cold is a homebred for Balmerino Racing Partnership, which races her in partnership with Brae Sokolski's Yes Bloodstock and a host of others, including AFL stars Jarryd Roughead, Jack Gunston and Liam Shiels.
The daughter of Shamus Award is a sister to the 2021 ATC Australian Oaks heroine El Patroness out 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).
O'Gorman Racing purchased a Puissance De Lune (IRE) colt out of Sure You Can for $130,000 pinhook from the Widden Stud draft at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Sure You Can has a yearling brother to Served Cold and El Patroness and was bred back to Shamus Award last spring.
Served Cold is the 23rd stakes-winner for Rosemont Stud's Shamus Award.
