Adding a fifth elite level victory to her illustrious record, Lady Shenandoah capped off a memorable day for owners Hermitage who teamed up with Chris Waller and James McDonald to add the $1m G1 VRC Empire Rose Stakes to their earlier victory in the $3m G1 VRC Derby.
Coming off a last start win in the G1 MRC Toorak Handicap (1600m), the 5yo Snitzel mare was all the rage as she dropped back to mares company in the Empire Rose Stakes.
From barrier eight in the 11 strong field, James McDonald jumped Lady Shenandoah away swiftly from the gates, going forward to settle in the first half of the field as Bjorn Baker’s Pillow Fight went to the lead with Danny O’Brien’s So You Think (NZ) mare Sass Appeal in second.
In sixth position on the outside, tracking behind last start G2 winner Surfin’ Bird, McDonald knew the quality of his mount so had no issue to sit wide in the run, knowing all too well he was on the class runner of the field.
Approaching the bend, McDonald started to make his run down the outside, and while eventual runner-up Concord Connie was searching for runs through the field, Lady Shenandoah was off and gone.
Sheer class saw the mare power away to record her fifth G1 victory, winning by a length and a half from Concord Connie with a further length and three quarters back to G1 winner Idle Flyer back in third.
A lady of the highest class ?? Another Group 1 for @mcacajamez as he guides LADY SHENANDOAH to victory in the @tabcomau Empire Rose Stakes. #DerbyDay https://t.co/szwtrR8TwD
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) October 31, 2026
Stable rep Charlie Duckworth was overjoyed for the whole Waller team after the mare has added G1 victories at her last two starts.
“You could have easily written her off prior to last start,” said Duckworth. “She had been running well but just wasn’t winning.”
“She was running in the hardest of hard races, from Everest’s to running against Autumn Glow. It’s not easy territory that she was in. It shows how competitive these Group 1 races are.
“Prior to today she had won four Group 1’s and $5 million and two weeks and a day ago, you would have said, is she really having a crack if you were outside the camp.
“These races are so special to owners, to punters, to us. I know we all bang on about the money, and the money is great with these big prize money races, but you win a Derby, they are different.
“Lady Shen, she has been with us from day dot and all the team at home, you begin to love these animals and you go, she is a bit quirky.
“Cory Dunn, he looks after her in Sydney and he’ll be shattered. He lets go of her because he runs a vital barn in Sydney and he can’t come down and yet she comes down and goes bang, bang in two big Group 1’s. It’s awesome for the whole team.”
James McDonald was extremely confident in running.
“It was an armchair ride,” said McDonald. “The only worrying part was that she jumped out so well and she wanted to get on with the job, she was pretty well. So I had to give her just ‘a, hey, come back quickly’ instead of running through the bridle. But it was the only worrying part of the whole race.
“She's just come on and on and she deserves this. Obviously it’s hard with Autumn Glow around the same sort of trip and Autumn Glow's got her measure, but she's just so honest, always races to a high level.
“You know what you're going to get with her is a solid performance.”
“You'd love to own her and I love riding her.”
“I think her ideal trip is 1400. She's very, very quick and probably people don't give a credit for that because when she has raced in 1400m races, it's been against Autumn Glow, it's been against the best, Sheza Alibi, you can't hide there's nowhere to hide when she gets that level.
“Now she's won a Toorak with 58 (kilograms), that's incredible and then she's gone back to mare’s grade and won really well. One thing about her she'll always run to a very high level so for horses to get to her she won't decrease, she just turns up and gets the job done.”
With seven wins and seven placed efforts from 19 starts with earnings of $5,656,700, Lady Shenandoah was not only the second G1 winner on Derby Day for Hermitage, Waller and McDonald, but she was the second elite level winner for Arrowfield Stud’s much missed Snitzel after his 3yo colts The Next Episode and St Gothard finished first and second in the stallion making G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes two races prior.
A $525,000 purchase from Arrowfield Stud’s Inglis Easter yearling sale draft for Hermitage, Lady Shenandoah is a three-quarter sister to G1 winner Stronger, who stands at Aquis in Queensland and is the best of five winners from five foals to race from Star Pupil, a winning half-sister by Starcraft (NZ) to G3 winner Bachman and two more SWs from G1 placed stakes-winner Aint’ Seen Nothin’.
Star Pupil has a yearling colt by Snitzel and has foaled this spring producing a colt by the Autumn Sun.
The reigning champion Australian sire, much missed Arrowfield heavyweight Snitzel will have his final yerling crop offered at the 2027 yearling sales.
