After Pride Of Jenni led at every call in the Kennedy’s Champions Mile, the Savabeel mare Atishu stamped the Empire Rose Stakes form with a dominant win in the $3,000,000 Group 1 TAB Champions Stakes (1400m) at Flemington.
A closing second in the Empire Rose, the Chris Waller-trained mare came with a barnstorming finish under James McDonald to defeat Damien Oliver’s mount Duais (Shamus Award) by one and three-quarter lengths with a luckless Young Werther (Tavistock) a half-neck back in third ahead of Zaaki.
Often her own worst enemy, Atishu earned a second win at the elite level after defeating Hope In You Heart and More Secrets in the Coolmore Legacy (Queen of the Turf Stakes) in April.
With her sixth stakes success, Atishu advances her record to nine wins, six seconds and six thirds from 37 starts with earnings of $3,702,195.
“Winning any race this week is (special), but that was something special. It’s a race they we weren’t overly strong and coming today I didn’t know what to expect,” Chris Waller said.
“I think she should have won a Group 1 on the first day - we all think that as owners and trainers when they don’t win.
“To see Pride Of Jenni come out and blow them way in the race before, I guess that gave us a little bit of confidence.
“She backed up similarly last year. She won the Matriarch and has gone to a whole new step today.
“She was a Group 1 winner in Sydney in the autumn so when they’re at that level they’re there for the rest of her career and that is justified.
“It was an amazing race how it worked out. It has been very hard to make ground so I think all the jockeys were aware of that so it probably changed the complexion.
“The pressure was on from a long way out. She was great. Good form from the first day. We got a just reward today.
“There’s a lot of wind here today and it affects certain horses in certain places.
“James got into a beautiful rhythm and got into a position in clear air.
“We’ve had a quiet week. We ran second and third in the Cup and to get a win on the last stay - this day has gone from strength to strength.
“We’re in a great era. We’ve seen the photos and heard the stories from our grandparents talk about the crowds that used to come to racing. Racing is now a celebration around Australia, it is being watched from all parts of the world.
“Yes, there’s competition between the two states but so what, it is making racing better. There’s so many good things happening.”
Bred by Waikato Stud, Atishu was purchased by Albert Bosma’s Go Racing for $260,000 from Waikato Stud’s 2019 Karaka Book 1 draft.
A sister to the Group III Wellington Desert Gold Stakes winner Mazzolino, she is the best of four winners from five to race out of the No Excuse Needed mare Posy, who won two races and is a sister to the former Champion Three-Year-Old and multiple Group One winner Daffodil.
All six of Posy’s foals are by Savabeel, but she had a switch uplast spring when covered by Savabeel’s son Noverre.
