Last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner Pulchritudinous landed her first blow across the Tasman with a gritty victory in the Gr.3 Magic Millions Fillies & Mares Mile (1600m) at Doomben on Saturday for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
The four-year-old daughter of Wrote was having her fourth run since being sold out of Chad Ormsby’s stable and despite sitting three-wide throughout fought doggedly under jockey Tim Clark to defeat Adiella and Exotique Miss.
“She a lovely mare,” Bott said. “We’re very fortunate to have her in the yard.
“Obviously she was very talented in New Zealand through her three-year-old career but it has taken a bit longer to get her into a bit of form and used to the conditions over here.
“We’re thankful that Yulong are more than happy to be patient with her and she has come back in good shape. A nice first-up run there and it opens a few options for her going forward.”
Pulchritudinous ran well when fifth to Vibrant Sun in the Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) when she first transferred to the Waterhouse-Bott stable but disappointed in her two subsequent runs.
“We’d like to give her a couple of runs up here and she’ll thrive in the conditions. They suit her well and she’s very lightly raced,” Bott said.
“I want to see her getting up in trip and she’ll keep improving. I think today’s performance was going to determine which way she’d go.
“Whether this lifts our sights a bit more, we’ll try and think about the residual value for Yulong and see if we can add to that going forward. Importantly she is back in good shape today.
“Her trial coming in was the best we’d seen since her arrival, so it’s very encouraging.”
Bred by Milan Park’s Tony Rider, Pulchritudinous is by Highview Stud stallion Wrote, a Grade One winning son of High Chaparral.
Out of the Pentire mare Showus, who has left three other winners, Pulchritudinous was purchased by Chad Ormsby from the Milan Park draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $32,500 and she was subsequently passed in when reoffered at the Ready to Run Sale.
After her New Zealand Oaks victory, Pulchritudinous was sold privately in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo in conjunction with the Waterhouse-Bott team. – NZ Racing Desk
