Ciaron Maher’s Maurice (Jpn) filly Icelady couldn’t have picked a better way to break her maiden, winning Saturday’s $300,000 G2 MRC Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) off the back of three consecutive second placed efforts.
Jumping away one of five runners in the ten-horse field under double figure odds, jockey Ethan Brown crossed from barrier seven to go forward and take up the running as the field rounded the first bend.
A winner two starts back, Icelady’s stablemate Saintly Dancer (NZ) sat in second with the unbeaten Tolgaga Bay tracking along in third for Michael Dee.
The Grahame Begg trained race favourite Profligate had settled back in sixth on the rail and looked as if she was going to need to luck in the run.
With the rail out to the 11m mark due to some inconsistency on the inside of the track, leaders were always going to be advantaged and as Icelady took the field into the final bend, the well-marked filly kick strongly when challenged by her stablemate.
Pulling away in the run to the line, Icelady scored by three parts of a length from Saintly Dancer with Profligate charging home once clear to finish a further length and a quarter back in third.
Set to now head towards the G1 MRC Thousand Guineas (1600m), Maher always felt his filly was a leading chance.
“She was probably one of the best maidens in the country, there was a maiden with a $100,000 bonus tomorrow at Bendigo but we thought she was right in this race and Browny gave her a good positive ride, she's a tough horse, she was beaten by a good horse last week of Freedman’s that franked the form,” said Maher.
Raced by a large group of owners, Maher was very happy for them after many years of support.
“The Thompson Creek crew, they've been great supporters basically my whole career and we're rapt to get another good horse for them so they're on to the Guineas and Saintly Dancer was very brave in defeat there as well so probably both horses head towards the Guineas and I can't thank my team enough and Browny with a super positive ride.
“It's great actually, we work really well together and I think his time in Hong Kong was just another stepping stone for him, he's even more polished than he was before, so great to have him back.”
Having ridden the filly in her last start second placed effort, jockey Ethan Brown was excited to see her break her maiden at black type level.
“Group two to break your maiden, very good,” enthuse Brown. “Congratulations to all connections.”
“She's a nice filly. She's got a good racing style, she put herself up on speed over just short of 1,200 (metres) last start, so we were keen to make use of her barrier speed, control the race.
“Rail out 11 probably assisted us a bit, but she fended off the second horse well. It was a tough effort.”
“She showed her good will to win then, well done to Ciaron and their team. Bit of a step up in trip but we were able to pull it off and as I said, she's one to follow.”
When asked how she will go if she heads towards the G1 Thousand Guineas, Brown felt the trip would not be an issue.
“She will get it. I thought she relaxed quite well then, she was a bit fresh first up. She had a bit more fitness on her side and probably a little bit more of a lid on her, proved that today and up to a mile, I think, will only suit.”
Taking her earnings to $226,650 from her five starts to date, the Arrowfield Stud bred filly was consigned through Glen Lee Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Premier yearling sale where she was knocked for $130,000 to Thompson Creek Thoroughbreds and Ciaron Maher Racing.
The first to foal to race out of the Snitzel mare Lady Patricia, a sister to G2 winner Spill The Beans as well as a half-sister to dual G1 winner Kenedna and Listed Matusalem, it is also the family of G1 Flight Stakes winner Speak Fondly.
Lady Patricia foaled a full sister to Icelady the following season before producing a colt by Pierro before unfortunately missing last season to Castelvecchio.
Having commenced the new season in fine form, Icelady became Maruice’s 24th individual winner and second stakes winner, with Matcha Latte finishing a narrow second in the G3 ATC Bill Ritchie Handicap not long after Icelady’s win.
She is the 36th lifetime stakes-winner for Maurice is standing this season for $44,000 (inc. GST) at Arrowfield Stud alongside his triple G1-winning son Hitotsu at a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).
