Returning from a 43-week break, See You In Heaven had connections worried when performing below expectations in a recent barrier trial. The top-class daughter of Divine Prophet showed she saves the best for race day when putting the field to the sword when defending her title in Saturday’s Group III Grand Syndicates Behemoth Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville.
Ridden by Jake Toeroek for Richard and Chantelle Jolly, See You In Heaven came with a sweeping run from midfield to defeat My Khalifa (Pride Of Dubai) by one and a quarter lengths, with Air Assault (Justify) in third.
Last seen when unplaced in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield last October, See You In Heaven earned a sixth-stakes success with a record of six wins, four seconds, and two thirds from 16 starts with earnings of $742,070.
"It's great to see her win like that because I thought she was underdone,” Richard Jolly said.
"When I saw her playing up in the mounting yard, I thought she was really on. She’s a bit of a dud worker and is hard to read. She blew the house down after the trial, so we gave her another good gallop on Tuesday, which gave me confidence.
“To see her do that when I think she is nowhere near ready is exciting.
“I want to go to the Leon MacDonald (Stakes) in two weeks, and then we can look at the spring. She will likely stick to the mares races in Melbourne, where her ultimate goal will be the mile race on Derby day.
A $27,000 purchase by Kestrel Thoroughbreds when offered by Aquis at the 2020 National Weanling Sale, See You In Heaven was consigned by Alexia Fraser Bloodstock to the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Richard and Chantelle Jolly purchased her for $90,000.
The 6-time stakes-winner is the best of five winners from seven to race out of the Melbourne-winning Anabaa mare Shine On Anna.
Aquis Farm purchased Shine On Anna for $33,000 from Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2018 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale before selling her for just $6,000 on Inglis Digital two years later.
A daughter of the stakes-placed Machiavellian mare Shine On Me, Shine On Anna has a 2yo colt by Toronado (IRE), a $120,000 purchase for Dream Thoroughbreds / Bluegrass Bloodstock (FBAA) / Anthony Freedman Racing at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, and was covered by So You Think last spring.
See You In Heaven comes from the second crop of Group 1 Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet, who now stands at Highview Stud in New Zealand.
The brother to champion NZ stallion Proisir stands for $9,000 (+GST) this spring.
