So You Think filly Sass Appeal has made rapid progress over the summer and capped her meteoric rise with a dazzling win in the Group II VRC AV Kewney Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Sent out favourite for her first attempt at 1600m, the Danny O’Brien trained filly relished the longer trip and turned the race into a procession.
Given a lovely ride by Jordan Childs, she stalked the leader and then romped clear to win by nearly three lengths taking her overall record to four wins and a second from five starts with prizemoney topping $400,000.
Danny O’Brien is keen to exercise patience with Sass Appeal and will look towards the spring in favour of a Sydney campaign.
"Often with the three-year-old fillies you want to make hay while the sun shines against their own age, and sex, and make the best of what you've got before they turn four," O'Brien said.
"But I think this horse will measure up to the older horses. With that in mind, she's had a five start prep and I'm keen to give her a break and see her back here in the spring."
O’Brien will target races such as the Group I VRC Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) and Group I MRC Toorak Handicap (1600m) and Sir Rupert Clark Stakes (1400m) for this exciting prospect, whose tactical speed makes her an appealing prospect for the future.
"She makes it look easy when she's got that tactical speed early and you get that good position in running," O'Brien said.
"It's a lot easier to watch than horses back in the field.
"Once they took positions today and I looked wherever everything else was, there hasn't been a horse come from behind her and finish in front of her.
"The only horse she ultimately had to get past was the leader, and she did that and put a space on them."
A $120,000 Inglis Premier purchase from Vinery Stud for her trainer, Sass Appeal runs for a big group of stable clients and is the best of three winners from three to race from Group III placed Cristal Eyes, a half-sister by All Too Hard to Group III winner Flying Evelyn.
Third dam is Group I Coolmore Classic winner Bollinger and fourth dam Golden Slipper winner Bint Marscay, so Sass Appeal is a filly with a big pedigree!
Cristal Eyes produced a colt by Ole Kirk last spring before going to Exceedance.
Sass Appeal was the second Group winner for much missed Coolmore stalwart So You Think in the last few days with Tuileries taking out the Group III Newcastle Stakes on Friday.
