The $200,000 Listed MRC Debutant Stakes (1000m ) at Caulfield on Wednesday attracted a small field of just six starters with Tassort filly Soldi taking the prize narrowly in a thrilling finish.
Prepared by the Lindsay Park team, who won this race last year with Sword of State filly Torture, Soldi had run well in two previous trials and was expected to be in the finish.
Ridden by Blake Shinn, Soldi jumped quickly and sat outside the favourite Royal Press to share the lead and the pair battled hard all the way to the line with the filly scoring by a head over the Alabama Express colt.
“We thought she had taken good improvement out of her trial at Caulfield Heath here the other day and she got there by the barest or margins, but we’ll take it,” said co-trainer JD Hayes.
Soldi made the job easy for Blake Shinn.
“She has so much professionalism and natural talent and then it was nice to see when she got into that bit of a fight late, she was determined to win it, so I’m thrilled for the whole team,” he said.
A $310,000 Inglis Premier purchase from Segenhoe Stud for Lindsay Park Racing / Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock, Soldi was bred by Segenhoe and is a half-sister to stakes-winner Boston Rocks.
She is the second stakes-winner among six winners from six foals to race from good producer Spurs and Sashes, a winning half-sister to Group winners Sabatini and Vivi Veloce from Group III winner Royal Sash.
Spurs and Sashes was on-sold through Inglis Digital last year in April uncovered for just $2,750 and was then sent to Brutal. She foaled this spring producing a filly for her new owners.
Soldi is the fifth stakes-winner for Newgate Farm’s Tassort and is from his last crop of foals conceived at his initial $11,000 fee.
Tassort produced Group I winner Manaal in his first crop of foals and has had a stakes-winner in every crop since.
He stands this spring at a fee of $33,000.
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