With a staggering six jump outs under her belt, the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained Shamus Award filly Cherry Hills was clearly ready to go on debut, heading to Bendigo where she recorded a fighting victory in the 3yo Fillies Maiden Plate (1300m) on Wednesday.
From barrier seven in the field of eight, jockey Luke Currie took the filly forward to settle in second position with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained race favourite Zephyr Song taking up the running.
With the order in running staying the same for most of the race, it wasn’t until the field travelled into the home straight that the runs start to come.
Zephyr Song was full of running, and for a moment it looked as if she would take running down, but Currie urged Cheery Hills along and the filly set out after leader.
With about 150m to run, Cherry Hills got her head in front and showed plenty of fight to hold off the late charge of Dirty Work filly Faith In Zadar who finished in second.
The Anthony and Sam Freedmand trained Unusual Suspect filly Goodness responded well down the outside to take third on debut and could be one to watch moving forward.
Purchased for $120,000 by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catherine Bruggeman from the Ultra Thoroughbred Racing draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Cherry Hills is the first runner, and winner out of the placed Star Witness mare Zombie Witness.
From the extended family of Champion Sunline (NZ), Zombie Witness has a Shamus Award yearling, while her weanling filly from the first crop of Widden Stud’s G1 JJ Atkins winner King Colorado (Kingman) is being offered by Sullivan Bloodstock as Lot 216 at the upcoming Magic Millions National Weanling sale.
Set to stand the upcoming season at a fee of $33,000 (inc. GST) at Rosemont Stud, G1 WS Cox Plate winner Shamus Award is the sire of 33 stakes winners highlighted by six individual G1 winners.
