Having been a great money earner for connections, the Marc and Mitchell Conners trained Shamus Award gelding Willaidow recorded consecutive wins in the Group 3 sprint, taking out this year’s $250,000 ATC G3 JRA Plate (1200m) at Rosehill.
In the seven-horse field, the betting provided a clear insight to the evenness of the field with all runners under double figures odds as Bjorn Baker’s last start G3 Standish Handicap winner Disneck jumped away the favourite.
With Queensland visitor Zarastro taking up his usual leading position, the son of I Am Invincible had a length on The Instructor with the James McDonald ridden Willaidow in third with the well-related Enriched on his outside in fourth.
As Angela Jones took the field into the home straight aboard Tony Gollan’s Zarastro, The Instructor commenced his challenge while Willaidow was looking for clear running behind the leading duo.
Just as The Instructor got the upper hand and went to the lead, James McDonald and Willaidow launched down the outside of the leaders, nabbing The Instructor to continue his solid first up form.
It was the first stakes winner for the father and son training duo of Marc and Mitchell Conners, with Marc highlighting just how special the victory was.
“For a small stable like ours, it's a lot of work,” said Conners (Marc). “We have to put in a lot of hours. The team we've got behind us at home are fantastic, the girl who straps him as been with us for five years. These are the wins that are pretty special for us.”
In what was a remarkable achievement, the victory of Williadow saw the fourth generation of the Conners family to train a stakes winner..
“Yes and it's a proud moment for me to have him (Mitchell) down beside me. He will remember that for a long time.
“He has put the hard yards in. He has done a lot of work. He is driving home from Newcastle today, he got beaten up there, so this will cheer him up."
After speaking to James before the race, the decision was made to sit off the pace.
“When James came out he said, 'there's a lot of speed' and I said, 'well just let them go and we will stalk them'. That's why you put him on. He gets that bit extra out of them.
“His trial the other day was fantastic. We made him trial solid because we needed him to be ready today and he was.
Going out with a plan to sit off the pace, McDonald was pleased the plan worked out.
“They have done a marvellous job preparing this horse and getting him up and going,” said McDonald. “But at least he executed well. Some think he is just a mad leader but this just goes to show he can take a sit under the right circumstances.”
“Willaidow is such a competitive horse, he can be temperamental in that sense, but if there wasn't a horse to his outside he would have settled nicely. So, he did a very good job today.”
Recording his second G3 victory, and ninth win (plus four placed efforts), the effort took Willaidow’s earnings to $822,225, a brilliant return on the $7,000 M C Conners Racing paid to secure the gelding from the Serene Lodge draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Online Sale (7-10 Mar).
Bred by Serene Lodge, Willaidow is the lone winner from two to the races out of the Casino Prince mare Stimulated, a daughter of the G3 placed Octagonal mare Provokes.
Stimulated has an unraced 2yo colt by Royal Meeting (IRE) and foaled a full sister to Willaidow in October last year.
Willaidow is one of 31 stakes winner for Rosemont Stud’s Shamus Award, headed by six G1 winners including Incentivise, Duais and Mr Quickie, while his 3yo son Torque To Be Sure secured victory in the recent running of the $3m Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m).
Shamus Award will be represented by seven lots at the upcoming Inglis Classic yearling sale, followed by 24 at his home state sale, the Inglis Premier yearling sale.
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