Off the scene for nearly a year this lightly raced well bred four year-old Fastnet Rock mare made a winning return at Kilmore on Friday as a short priced favourite and has a half-sister headed to Inglis Easter.
Trained by Lee and Shannon Hope, Inez ran second at her first three starts last summer before taking on stakes company in the Group III VRC The Vanity when unplaced behind Grinzinger Belle.
Sidelined since that run in February last year, Inez looked good in a recent barrier trial and was heavily supported by punters for her return in the 1104m maiden. Slow out for Cory Parish, Inez settled at the back of the field but produced a long sustained run to surge home and win by a length and a half.
“She did a good job and while they might not have been top horses, she hadn’t had a race for a good while and I’m not sure what happened at the start, but she lengthened quite nice and won well,” said Lee Hope.
“Now she’s cracked the maiden win we can look for higher and I think she will improve.”
Cory Parish had to go to Plan B after finding himself at the rear of the field, but was happy with the result.
“She jumped average and then got squeezed up by both the inside and outside horses and I had wanted to be up close and just behind the leaders, so when that happened I thought let’s go o Plan B and not panic, just let her relax and once I got her to the outside after we turned for home she let down really well,” he said.
A $700,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Colm Santry Bloodstock from Coolmore, Inez runs for Alpara Lodge and is the first foal and first winner for Group II winning high Chaparral (IRE) mare Bring Me Roses, a half-sister to Group III winner Face Value and to the dam of stakes-winner Diamond Earth.
Inez and her dam Bring Me Roses were both bred by Dr Denis O’Brien and his wife Claire and were foaled and raised at Coolmore.
Bring Me the Roses has a two year-old filly by Wootton Bassett (GB) that made $600,000 at Inglis Easter last year when bought by James Bester and has been exported to South Africa and her third foal is a yearling filly by Wootton Bassett that will be offered by Coolmore at Inglis Easter this year as Lot 309.
Bring Me the Roses produced a colt by Wootton Bassett last spring and is now in foal to Home Affairs.
