From the penultimate crop of Darley’s Champion Sire Lonhro, the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained 3yo filly Proficient started the race favourite, winning the Sportsbet Race Previews Plate (1000m) at Sandown Hillside in a fighting finish.
Having had three public jumpouts in readiness for her debut, winning her most recent one over 800m at Pakenham, the Michael Dee ridden Proficient started very short in the seven-horse field.
One of four 3yo fillies in the race, Michael Dee was content to settle Proficient in second position as the Phillip Stokes trained 4yo gelding Act Natural (Royal Meeting) charged along the rail from the inside gate to take up the running.
With Ciaron Maher’s Path To Profit (Capitalist) coming up on the outside of Proficient, Act Natural kicked away, ears pricked, once the home turn was reached and looked as if he would be very hard to run down.
Knuckling down strongly, Proficient set out after the leader, getting her head in front with 50m to run, before the flashing late burst from Final Moment (Hanseatic) who charged between the pair to nab second.
Holding on for third, the Daniel Stackhouse ridden Act Natural finished just ahead of Path To Profit who came again late after wide passage for fourth.
"I actually thought we might have got done, so it's nice to see a photo go our way and get her head down on the line,” said Ben Hayes post-race after the close result.
“I thought she was good today; like she was a bit new, she got to the front and looked like she was floating a bit, and she definitely wasn't wound up for today.
“It was a good learning experience. I thought she travelled, did everything right, and glad Michael could lift her over the line. It was a great ride by him.
“She shows us that at home, and I think today to come out when a city maiden is quite hard to do, so she's obviously very well prepared.
“She's got a great pedigree and wouldn't surprise me with time if she gets out over a lot further. So for her to win over a thousand is all a bonus, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what her career looks ahead.
“We'll have a good talk to team Godolphin, and I think she could be one that running in the better races in maybe a couple of starts.
“Without talking to the team, a race on Cox Plate Day called the Crockett 1200 around the Valley I think would suit her, something like that.”
Having ridden her in jumpouts, jockey Michael Dee was confident on raceday.
“I was pretty confident coming here today, she gave me a great feel that last jump out up the back at Cranbourne,” said Dee.
“I thought we were going to win a lot easier than what we did, but we just got left in front, wanted to be out sort of beyond just about at the middle, and she just got a little bit lost there late. So, I felt she had a little bit left in hand, but she's got good natural ability and composes herself well.
“She doesn't turn her hair she doesn't put a foot wrong and yeah just that little being left in front just didn't help but this will bring her on and having the race experience and she's definitely going to go on with it.”
Proficient is the second winner from two to the races out of the winning Exceed And Excel mare Deft, herself a full-sister to the Group 2-winning, Group 1 Golden Slipper second placed Champion 2YO Colt Sidestep, and also to the dam of the Group 2-winning, multiple Group 1 Traffic Warden (Street Boss), who is standing his debut season this year at a fee of $22,000 (inc. GST).
Deft, who is also a half-sister to Group 1 winners Skilled (Commands) and Willowy (Kermadec) as well as the Group 2-winning, Group 1 placed Ambidexter (Commands), has a 2yo Palace Pier colt in the Ciaron Maher stabled named Badawi, an unnamed yearling filly by Anamoe, before she unfortunately missed to Kermadec so there will be no foal this season.
Lonrho is the sire of 97 stakes winners highlighted by 13 individual Group 1 winners and come this Saturday will be represented in stakes races by Amenable and Attica, while Knurl, Bridal Waltz and Whip Cracker are all out of daughters of him and will also contest stakes races.
