The $300,0000 Group II ATC Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday was chosen as the kicking off point in Australia for highly rated Yulong colour bearer Barnavara (IRE), who topped the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last year when selling for 4.8million guineas.
A Group winner in France at her last run in Europe on October 5, Barnavara is now trained by Chris Waller and was sent off as favourite with James McDonald to ride.
She settled at the tail of the field and finished off well for fourth with victory going to her stable mate Wootton Verni (Fr) with Tommy Berry on board. He powered to the line to win by two and a half lengths over the William Haggas trained internationa visitor Caviar Heights (IRE).
That was the third stakes win in Australia for Wootton Verni, who is clearly on the improve.
“He’s been here a while now and he found some great form in the spring, Everest day and he won a race in Melbourne as well both at listed level,” said Chris Waller.
“He’s a talented horse, a bit of give in the ground and rock-hard fit. He showed the others up.
“The plan was always to run in the Tancred (G1) today, but he just didn’t quite fulfill our expectations last start. We’ve come back a grade just to give him some confidence, so he’s got that confidence back.
“Is he up to the Queen Elizabeth (G1) level, that will be the question that we have to ask.”
Waller was also not too disappointed with Barnavara, who was a victim of circumstance.
“The plan was to go forward, to be second, third or fourth, but she dwelt at the start,” he said.
“I think rather than fire her up, Australian horses just find their positions so quickly, whereas if you fire her up at her first Australian start I guess James (McDonald) would have thought you could have set her alight which is what we didn’t want. And then when they went slow, so it’s very hard from back there. They controlled it from the front and made it hard to finish off.”
Wootton Verni has won eight of 20 starts and is the first winner for Vernie, a winning half-sister by Kendargent to Group winners Volta and Calvados Blues.
Wootton Bassett died tragically at Coolmore last year midway through the breeding season leaving a small number of mares that will produce foals by him this spring and he has 15 entries for Inglis Easter, click to see them.
