Godolphin's wonderful season with their juveniles rolled on to Caulfield on Saturday where the Anthony Freedman-trained Lyre stormed home to win the $1,500,000 Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
The daughter of Lonhro had just one of the 14 runners behind her on the turn. Making her run down the centre of the track under Luke Currie, Lyre stormed home to defeat Lankan Star by half a length with the South Australian Free Of Debt (Unencumbered) giving her supporter a great sight, a further long-neck back in third. The heavily backed Athiri, another daughter of Lonhro, finished a troubled fourth. (images Grant Courtney)
"They spoke to me in the middle of last year and said we are going to send you some yearlings, which was a bit out of the blue. I was thrilled to get them because I did not have huge numbers," Freedman said.
They sent six, unfortunately, we lost one, so we've got the five and she is the only one to run so far.
"She's a homebred and they have a great system and she came to us, as they all did, in beautiful condition and beautifully educated and it was a case of developing her and getting her to keep improving in to the race.
"The relationship goes back 15 or 20 years. We had a great association with them before they went another way and we didn't have horses with them for seven or eight years. But we've remained very good friends, kept talking, and I think when Vin (Cox) came along he pushed for me to get some yearlings and it's worked out great.
"She was probably a bit further back than I wanted but as they say all's well that ends well."
Lyre advances her overall record to 3 wins from 4 starts with earnings of $1,081,400
From one of Darley Stud's most successful families, Lyre is a three-quarter sister to dual Group 1 winner Impending (Lonhro). She is the second foal and first winner out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Erato who was culled by Godolphin at the 2017 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Carry a colt by Helmet, Erato was knocked down to Australian Bloodstock for $120,000.
A sister to the multiple stakes-placed Memorial, Erato is a half-sister to Impending (Lonhro) and the Group III winner Forget (Exceed And Excel) out of the Group 1 MRC Thousand Guineas and Group 1 STC Queen of the Turf Stakes winner Mnemosyne (Encosta de Lago).
Erato was covered by I Am Invincible in 2017 and last year visited Russian Revolution.
Due to begin his 15th season at stud in 2019, Lonhro took his Group 1 tally to 12.
