Astute country trainer Nick Olive saw an opportunity to get Black Type with talented Tagaloa filly Spicy Lu in the $200,000 Listed ATC Fernhill Mile (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday and she kept her unbeaten record intact when leading all the way to win.
Spicy Lu had two previous starts last month winning at Cowra and Albury and was able to translate that winning form to the biggest stage in Australian racing on the second day of The Championships.
Given a great ride by Rachel King from barrier one, Spicy Lu was not for catching and cruised clear to win by two lengths taking her overall record to three wins in as many starts with prizemoney topping $130,000.
“We’re bloody thrilled. Thrilled for all the team back at home. We've got such a good team at home now and they’ve done such a good job with this horse,” said Nick Olive,
“We've always thought she's had good ability, but you win two country races, it's a big step coming up to a stakes race, but she stepped up and got the job done and a fantastic ride from Rach.
“I was just saying to Rach earlier, we thought that they might underestimate her, you know, when she drew the one and get to the front.
“We hoped she could just dictate. And we said, if you dictate and get going from the 600, if they've left you alone, she'll be hard to run down.”
Olive has enjoyed Group I success in the past with his former star filly Single Gaze and sees some similarities between her and Spicy Lu.
“Obviously Single Gaze was great. But this filly's sort of got a little bit of her about her, you know. Just keep stepping up to the mark and getting the job done. She's three from three now, and a stakes winner!”
A $30,000 Inglis Classic purchase for her trainer from the Vinery draft in Magic Millions Book 2, Spicy Lu was bred by the Esplin family and is the best of three winners f rom All Salsa, a metro winning Charge Forward mare that comes from an international female family tracing back to Champion European 3YO Filly Salsabil.
Spicy Lu is the first stakes-winner for Yulong based Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes-winning sire Tagaloa.
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