By Emma Berry
Honesty was rewarded in the final Group 1 race of The Championships at Randwick when the admirable 3-year-old filly Foxplay (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) topped off a season of consistent endeavor by taking the G1 Coolmore Legacy S. (registered as Queen of the Turf S.), a 'Win And You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar this November. Benefitting from a typically well-judged ride from Kerrin McEvoy, Foxplay worked home strongly to lead in the final 50m before passing the post a half-length in front of Zanbagh (Aus) (Bernardini), who also came from off the pace. In breaking through at Group 1 level, Foxplay took her record for the season to four wins from eight starts, having previously won the G2 Furious S, the G2 Light Fingers S. and the G2 Phar Lap S.
Trained by Chris Waller, the filly races for Denise Martin's Star Thoroughbreds, the syndicate which was celebrating its 12th Group 1 victory, with 2012 G1 Golden Slipper winner Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) having been arguably the best horse to carry the well-known purple and white silks. Martin revealed that Foxplay lives in a stable adjacent to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in Waller's stable; and the connection between them does not end there as, like Foxplay, Winx also beat her male contemporaries in the Phar Lap S. when she was a 3-year-old.
“She's been a very special horse to us,” Waller said. “We call her the Winx Junior, but there's a lot of similarities.”
He continued, “She started off with a winning bang and has sort of been a bit forgotten and had a few hard luck stories go against her. And funnily enough, she ran in the same race two weeks ago that Winx ran in prior to running in the Oaks. Winx didn't win the Oaks and I didn't really give it a lot of thought, but I decided not to run this filly in the Oaks because I still think she's got some brilliance and some speed.”
Kerrin McEvoy also paid tribute to his winning mount, saying, “It was a lovely win by this filly, she's just done a great job. I wanted to be a bit closer with the lack of speed in the race, I gave her a kick out of the gates and she was much closer than I thought I'd be. I was wide, full credit to the horse she did a good job, I just had her travelling and she picked up well.”
He continued, “We were finishing strongly and I was a happy recipient of a tough little filly, she deserves a Group 1. Well done to Denise [Martin] and Chris [Waller] and his team, she's a little star.”
Pedigree Notes…
Foxplay is the star of the first crop of the 2012 G1 William Reed S. winner Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), whose stock have done well in both hemispheres. Bred by S F Bloodstock LLC, she was produced on the ever-reliable cross of the Danehill and Sadler's Wells lines: Fastnet Rock is, of course, by Danehill, while Foxwedge's dam Butters is a daughter of the top-class Sadler's Wells stallion El Prado (Ire). Butters, winner of three races in the USA including the Swepida S. and the Bangles And Beads S., is a granddaughter of 1992 G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Eliza (Mt. Livermore).
Star Thoroughbreds principal Denise Martin bought Foxplay for A$160,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Newgate Farm. That sum looks a great bargain now that her earnings have broken through the million-dollar barrier.
Saturday, Royal Randwick, Australia
QUEEN OF THE TURF S.-G1, A$1,114,500 (US$835,880/£675,538/€789,267), ATC, 4-08, 3yo/up, f/m, 1600mT, 1:39.65, sf.
1–&FOXPLAY, 54.5, f, 3, by Foxwedge
1st Dam: Butters (USA) (SW-US), by El Prado (IRE)
2nd Dam: Our Fair Lady (USA), by Theatrical (IRE)
3rd Dam: Eliza (USA), by Mt. Livermore (USA)
(A$160,000 Ylg 2015 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale). O-Mrs C M
Cook, Mrs J L Van Buynder, Mrs T A Schwanke, Mrs M K Mc
Leish, Mrs R A Glasgow, Mrs M Wood, Mrs H A Aurisch, Mrs T
G Johnston, Ms R E Crane, Ms K M Wood & Boeara Holdings;
B-S F Bloodstock L L C NSW; T-C J Waller; J-K Mc Evoy;
A$699,500. Lifetime Record: 13-5-3-0, A$1,220,810. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating:
A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Zanbagh, 57.0, m, 6, Bernardini (USA)–Wild Iris, by Spectrum
(IRE). O-O P Tait & Mrs K H Tait; B-Mr OP Tait NSW; T-John
Thompson; J-Damian Lane; A$190,000.
3–Dixie Blossoms, 57.0, m, 4, Street Sense (USA)–Whistle Dixie
(NZ) , by Star Way (GB). O/B-A S Osburg NSW; T-R J Quinton;
J-S Clipperton; A$100,000.
Margins: 0.5 len, 1.0 len, 1.2 len. Odds: 6.50, 19.00, 4.50.
Also Ran: Silent Sedition, Oregon's Day, First Seal, Euro Angel (NZ) , Diamond Made, Jessy Belle, Heavens Above, Real Love, Abbey Marie, Danish Twist, Pure Pride (NZ) , Extensible, Elle Lou, Rising Romance (NZ).
Click for the Racing Post chart, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. NSW Video.
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