Having captured her first elite level victory at this meeting 12 months prior when winning the G1 ATC Golden Slipper (1200m), Michael Freedman’s Snitzel filly Marhoona has continued her strong affiliation with Rosehill track, winning the $1m G1 ATC Galaxy (1100m) on Saturday.
Kicking off her current campaign with a sixth behind Tentyris (Street Boss) down the Flemington straight in the G1 Lightning Stakes, the Emirates Park bred and raced filly then finished a narrow second behind Generosity in the G2 ATC Challenge Stakes (1000m) last time out.
Although there was plenty of drama at the barriers with the late scratching of favourite Grafterburners as well as G1 winner Reserve Bank, jockey Kerrin McEvoy jumped his filly away cleanly from the gates going forward with her light weight to settle in second behind Mazu who had taken up the running.
With Mazu taking the field into the home straight, McEvoy drifted off slightly, allowing Melbourne mare Hedged, who was racing in the same coloured silks worn by Golden Slipper winner House Guest (Home Affairs), to come up underneath him to challenge Mazu.
Once balanced up, Marhoona went after the leaders and with favourite Briasa making his run down the outside for Tyler Schiller, at once stage it looked as if there were five winning chances.
When the line was reached there was less than a length separating the first eight, in fact the there was just a tick over two lengths separating the entire field, with Marhoona getting the bob in a thrilling finish, scoring by a head from Brad Widdup's Savabeel gelding Jedibeel who had come from last on the turn to be narrowly beaten.
Mazu held on for third in what an excellent run by the 7yo, just ahead of G1 winner Briasa who had also finished fourth in this race last year, with last start G2 Challenge Stakes winner and Inglis Chairman’s Sale bound mare Generosity in fifth.
Trainer Michael Freedman was full of praise for Marhoona’s tenacity in his post-race interview.
“I don't think I've had a horse that's just got as much tenacity as she does,” said Freedman. “She sort of looked out on her feet at the 100 metres there and she just refused to lay down, a bit like the Slipper last year. What a filly."
“We discussed before the race maybe ending up in the 1x1. But, you know, Kerrin showed great initiative and just went and parked outside the leader.
“I knew when she was there she'd be certainly right in the finish, but I was a little bit concerned, maybe at the furlong where I thought maybe she's going to get sort of steamrolled, but she's just got such an incredible will to win.
With the track downgraded to a soft six not long before the race, jockey Kerrin McEvoy was a little unsure how she would handle it.
“I must admit I was a tiny bit worried at the top of the lane - first time on this sort of ground,” said McEvoy. “But full credit to her, the more I asked, the more she dug.”
“Michael said to me, 'Look, she's right in it with the weights.' We were confident that breed handled the ground, obviously, and we were confident that she would. The further we went in the straight, the more confident I got, so it was a nice feeling.
“I was still there, and I knew I had a bit to offer, but it wasn't as instant as I thought. But it's a nice surprise when they get off the canvas. Keep you interested, and obviously, you know, we had our bib in front of the last 50, so... Really pleasing.”
With three wins from four starts at Rosehill, and four wins overall from just eight starts, the 3yo filly has earned $3,949,900 and becomes just the third 3yo filly to win the G1 sprint.
A homebred for Emirates Park, Marhoona is the best of four stakes winners from five to race out of the Encosta de Lago mare Salma, joining G2 winner Hilal, and the Listed winners Salateen and Trojan Harbour from the extedned family of Redoute's Choice.
Unfortunately, Salma, who is herself a half-sister to Listed winner Big Time, has missed in each season since foaling Marhoona, but was covered during the Spring by Anamoe.
Marhoona is one of 26 individual G1 winners for Snitzel, who will represented by an impressive array of 43 catalogued lots for the upcoming Inglis Easter yearling sale.
