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Melbourne January 26 - Golden Slipper winner Stratum became the first freshman sire this season to produce an Australian stakes-winner when his daughter Crystal Lily gave her rivals a galloping exhibition in the Listed MRC Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield on Australia Day.
Training partners Simon Zahra and Mathew Ellerton will send Crystal Lily straight to the Group One MRC Blue Diamond Stakes next month on February 20 after her record breaking win.
Stakes-placed twice in the spring at her only previous two starts, Crystal Lily was resuming from a short break and turned in a sizzling display of sustained speed leading throughout from barrier one to win the 1000 metre scamper by three lengths in the brilliant time of 56.84, a class record and less than a second outside Lucky Secret’s course record.
Best of the rest were Redoute’s Choice filly Shaaheq followed by Octagonal filly Warm Love a further length and a half back.
“She was doing plenty wrong in her first two starts,” said Simon Zahra.
“We gave her a break and her work has been first rate since she came back to the stable.
“She’s done everything right here today but the important thing to note was she was fresh for today. She was flat at Flemington with a shorter break so we’ll go straight into the Blue Diamond.”
Winning rider Chris Symons was delighted by the win and would be a good judge of the filly having ridden her in both of her races during the spring.
“She’s only small but she’s got a lot of ability and a big heart,” Symons said.
“She’s done everything right up until now this time around, she raced quite green last prep, but the break has done her the world of good. She had a couple of jumpouts and has come back a better horse.”
A homebred for Contract Racing, Crystal Lily is from the good producing Snippets mare Crystal Snip, who has left six winners led by stakes-winner Crystal Wit and the smart Crystal Sprite, dam of this season’s high class three year-old colt Carrara.
Crystal Snip was not surprisingly was sent back to Stratum last spring.
As well as being the first stakes-winner for Stratum, Crystal Lily is also his fourth winner, the son of Redoute’s Choice very nearly posting a stakes double with his son Pellizotti considered unlucky not to finish closer than third in the colts and geldings Listed MRC Blue Diamond Preview.
Also resuming from a shortbreak after being stakes-placed at his only start in the spring, the Lee Freedman trained Pellizotti was snagged back to last after drawing the outside gate and produced a withering run from last on the turn to finish third to Innocent Gamble beaten less than a length.
A $425,000 purchase for the Victorian Bloodstock Agency from the Widden Stud draft at the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Pellizotti was the highest priced yearling from the first crop of Stratum, so there has always been a degree of expectation placed on the half-brother to stakes-winner Strawberry Field and judging by this run it won’t be long before he delivers.
Stratum has 21 yearlings to be offered at the 2010 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. |
