| The Chris Waller and James McDonald show rolled onto the South Australian carnival on Saturday when classy filly Panova scored a breakthrough win in the $1 million Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville. |
| The sweeping win of the daughter of Trapeze Artist in the three-year-old classic continued an amazing run for the record breaking duo following a dominant Sydney Autumn Carnival. After settling in the second half of the field, Panova and McDonald were able to make a sweeping run from the 800 metre mark when in a three wide line, momentum and a strong burst propelling the filly to the front at the furlong pole. Despite a determined effort from the local Auraria Stakes winner Mating Call ($6) over the concluding stages Panova ($11) was able to cruise home to win by a length, with another half length back to third placegetter Paltrow Miss ($15). The favourite Getta Good Feeling ($2.60) was fourth home. The win was the 199th career Group One success for champion Sydney based trainer Chris Waller. “No, not really, I haven’t thought about it too much,” Waller said when asked about approaching the double century. “It’s just another day, another week in great Australian racing.” “It’s a privilege to be here, first and foremost, for myself and James. So it’s very humbling to see the way James was received here, and to win a Group One race is pretty special.” “Of course, Anzac Day (is a special day), I’m getting emotional.” Waller said the highly talented Panova was today finally at a place this preparation at which he thought she was ready to perform at her best. “She took a while to get to full fitness, simple as that,” he reported. “We’ve just been behind the mark with each run, but showed us enough last start that she’s pretty close to being back to her best. And she was back today.” “Well, we might be back, mightn’t we?” Waller said when prompted she was two from two going anti-clockwise. “She’s very adaptable, a talented horse.” “But as I said, we started a long way behind the eight ball and she’s caught up now and she’ll train on from it – might even get to the Queensland Oaks.” “She just had a temperature at the start of the autumn. So we just don’t want to push them, we just gave her time. As a result, she was a bit bigger, and we all know about that. And once you get out of shape, it’s hard to get them back in shape, whether a racehorse or a person. Just worked away, we haven’t rushed her, and she’s got here today.” At just his second trip to Adelaide it was the first South Australian Group One success for record breaking jockey James McDonald. “I ended up in a lovely spot from the the gate and was able to blend into the race really well,” the superstar hoop noted. “But what was the most influential part of the race was she relaxed, she switched off for a good 1,200 metres, so it was just about stoking her up.” “The favourites were to my inside and we had them covered, but she’s a lovely filly, and they’re well-deserved. Great for the owners to be here, Ricky and Ricky Jr (Surace), and obviously Waller, 199!” “It was working out very well. Once she landed in that spot, she was always going to be hard to beat because I had Getta Good Feeling only two lengths in front of me, I had Salty Pearl one length in front of me, all to my inside. So, if I was travelling good enough, they weren’t coming out. So it worked out well.” “I’m rapt for it,” McDonald said of winning his first Group One in Adelaide. “I’m rapt to be here. You guys put on a great show. The track’s racing well. It’s just an honour to be here.” “And to win one of the nice Oaks, which I enjoy winning classics, they’re one of my favourites, rich in history and this race is no different.” McDonald was glad the filly was able to perform at her best after her last start seventh when she got back in the Group One Vinery Stud Stakes. “It wasn’t pleasant either because I finished well out the back, but I think it was a combination of going left-handed. I reckon she really adapted to that really well, her best performance has been in Melbourne over other runs in Sydney. Not that she’s no good in Sydney, she just felt excellent the left-handed way.” The win was the second in just a few weeks for the Surace family’s familiar B2B Thoroughbreds colours. Lazzura, who was second in the recent All Aged Stakes, at her previous run scored a strong win in the Group One Coolmore Classic. Lazzura, like Panova, was sourced from Magic Millions as a yearling. A $325,000 Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase from the Kenmore Lodge draft, Panova is the second Group One winner for former outstanding Snitzel sprinter Trapeze Artist. She is the first winner from two to race for her dam Love Me Quietly – her other runner is a city placed two-year-old this season. Love Me Quietly, a three time winner from 1400 to 1600 metres, is a daughter of Trusting and is a half sister to Charge, who won a Group Three Red Anchor Stakes at Moonee Valley. Bred by John Ramsey at Turangga Farm, Panova hails from a family well known to the stud and family. Her third dam is Niagara Falls, the Group winning and track record breaking daughter of Danehill who is the dam of Reisling Stakes winner, Oakleigh Plate runner up and Golden Slipper third placegetter Elite Falls. Panova was one of four stakes winners on the feature Morphettville card sold by Magic Millions. Earlier in the day Verzain (Zousain, $40,000 yearling buy) won the Group Three Breeders’ Stakes, Grand Larceny (Zoustar, $800,000 yearling buy) won the Group Three John Hawkes Stakes (for the Hawkes family) and Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon, $350,000 weanling buy and later $400,000 yearling buy) scored a dominant win in the Group Two Tobin Bronze Stakes. Winner: Panova Breeding: Trapeze Artist-Love Me Quietly (Trusting) Race: SAJC Australasian Oaks G1 (2000m) Sold for: $325,000 Sale: 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Earnings: $1,039,080 Breeder: Mr JW Ramsey Vendor: Kenmore Lodge (As Agent for Turangga Farm) Buyer: Ciaron Maher Bloodstock Owners: B2B Thoroughbreds P/L (Mgr: RCS Surace) Trainer: Chris Waller (Flemington) |
