Miss Finland’s little girl captures Thousand Guineas

Nine years ago, star filly Miss Finland made the Thousand Guineas one of her five Group 1 victories and Stay With Me followed in her illustrious mother’s hoofprints in her top-level debut Saturday afternoon.

Winless, though stakes-placed last season at two, Stay With Me dipped in class to graduate by 4 1/2 lengths over the all-weather track at Pakenham Park Aug. 20, then returned to the grass to annex the Listed Atlantic Jewel S. at Moonee Valley Sept. 5. Hampered when sixth of 10 last time in this track’s G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude S. Sept. 26, she was let go at generous odds of 7-1 this time.

Last after hopping at the break, the homebred filly improved a couple of spots as they turned down the side of the track and she picked off a few more rivals to sit mid-division as they reached the final corner. With Dwayne Dunn looking over his right shoulder to make sure he had a way out, Stay With Me switched out five wide, hit the lead inside the final furlong and was home first as Jameka flashed home from the tail.

“She’s the best-bred filly in Australia and I think she’s probably the best filly too now,” winning co-trainer David Hayes said. “`The Fin’ is the best filly I’ve ever trained, and probably this daughter is going to come pretty close to her I think by the time she’s finished,” Hayes added.

Another of Miss Finland’s Group 1s came in the VRC Oaks during the Spring Carnival, but Hayes suggested he may wait to stretch the filly out to the 2500 meters.

“We’ve won the Group 1 and that was the initial goal and we’ll see how she pulls up,” Hayes said.

Miss Finland is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by More Than Ready and foaled a filly by Animal Kingdom in 2014.

Saturday, Caulfield, Australia
THOUSAND GUINEAS-G1, A$503,000, MRC, 10-10, 3yo f Open Set, 1600mT, 1:35.89, gd.
1–#@&STAY WITH ME, 55.5, f, 3, by Street Cry (IRE)
1st Dam: Miss Finland (Ch. 2yo & 3yo Filly-Aus, MG1SW-Aus, A$4,632,774), by Redoute’s Choice
2nd Dam : Forest Pearl (USA), by Woodman (USA)
3rd Dam: Moonshell (IRE), by Sadler’s Wells (USA)
O-Arrowfield Pastoral Pty Ltd (Mgr: J M Messara), Planette Thoroughbred Trading Pty Ltd (Mgr: J S Leaver) & Belford Productions Pty Ltd (Mgr: A B Jones); B-Arrowfield Pastoral Pty Ltd & Planette Thoroughbred NSW; T-David Hayes & Tom Dabernig; J-D Dunn; A$303,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0, A$419,250. *1/2 to Woodbine (Aus) (Hussonet), SP-Aus, A$272,610. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Jameka, 55.5, f, 3, Myboycharlie (IRE)–Mine Game, by General Nediym. (A$130,000 Ylg 2014 WI Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale) O-C L Maher, Mrs J M Mckenna, D Degenhardt, T A Cole-Sinclair, M R Fallon, G M Verdoorn, S Priestley & Mrs S A Cockram, Ms J Nolte, M Mills, & Halo Racing Services Pty Ltd (Mgr: C B ; B-Gilgai Farm VIC; T-C Maher; J-M Zahra; A$90,000.
3–Badawiya, 55.5, f, 3, Al Maher–Sayuri San, by Fuji Kiseki (JPN). O-Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum; B-Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum VIC; T-M G Price; J-C Newitt; A$45,000.
Margins: 1.8 len, 3.1 len, 3.5 len.
Also Ran: Pasadena Girl (NZ) , Take Pride, Sagaronne, Super Cash, Miss Gunpowder, Payroll, Alaskan Rose (NZ) , Don’t Doubt Marley.
Click for the Racing Post result or the free equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.