Bred and part-owned by NSW breeder Bob Hannon, who also bred and sold her sire,
Etana put the writing on the wall at her previous start when powering home for
third in the Listed BRC Bracelet over 1800 metres.The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained filly relished the longer trip of 2000 metres for this assignment and hit the line hard to win by a long head.
Etana was a $400,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Willow Park draft for Ciaron Maher Racing/Dermot Farrington Bstock making her the second most expensive yearling ever sired by Shamus Award.
"I got stuck with a piece of her and it's quite expensive but there's nothing like winning a bit of black-type with a filly so she might be worth something near what I paid for her," Maher said.
"We gave her a bit of time between runs and set her for this carnival. We weren't quite sure whether she'd stay but she's a beautiful clean-winded filly."
Etana is now the $6 equal favourite for the Group I BRC Queensland Oaks (2200m)
at Doomben on June 1."I couldn't be happier with her going towards the Oaks. She still looks like she needs to furnish even now," Maher said.
"We've waited as long as we could to get a bit of black type because she needed the time and what can I say about this track - I love it."
Bred by Bob Hannon at his Ascot Park farm west of Sydney, Etana is a half-sister to Group III placed Echo Gal and is the best of three winners from stakes-placed Encosta de Lago mare Pink Siris, who is in foal to young Redoute's Choice stallion Pariah.
Etana has won four of nine starts earning over $185,000 and is the second stakes-winner for Shamus Award , who has relocated from Widden Stud and will stand at Rosemont Stud in Victoria this spring at a fee of $11,000.
