| Lightly raced filly Ole Dancer led home a Magic Millions sold 1-2-3 result when she scored a riveting win in Saturday’s $1.5 million Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield. |
| In the most stirring of contests, Ole Dancer and recent Flight Stakes winner Apocalyptic put on a race of the ages – going toe for toe down the famous Caulfield straight. At the post the rising star Ole Dancer was able to ground down Apocalyptic to win by a neck, while last start Manifold Stakes winner Getta Good Feeling was three parts of a length back third. Ole Dancer is trained by Peter Moody in partnership with Katherine Coleman and not surprisingly the duo were beaming from the winner’s stall shortly after the race. “She was terrific there,” Coleman said. “She was a lot closer today and I just wondered whether that was going to suit us or not.” “And Apocalyptic, she’s obviously had the run at a mile and we thought is she going to out tough us here.” “But our filly was just super and I’m so, so proud of her and our whole team at home.” “Jeff O’Connor and Sarah Moody and Will Holmes and Celine and I’m not going to name everyone’s names, but we’re only a little stable, we’re only a boutique stable, and to come here and pick one of these big races up is just such a thrill.” “I’m incredibly lucky to have him (Moody) as a mentor and geez, this is special.” Moody, likewise, was thanking his team and paying tribute to a special filly. “She’s a lovely filly,” Moody said. “We knew we were in for a very light spring because we’d lost most of our big guns, and this filly we weren’t disappointed in her last two runs, barriers had just brought around her demise.” “But, (we had) great respect for the Sydney filly. She just rose to the occasion and out toughed her.” “The other one might have had one too many, and maybe we had one not enough too, because I thought it was going to out tough us halfway down the straight. “But she’s a good quality filly, and thanks to Neil Werrett, what a day for him, he owns the stallion, he owns the mare, and he owns the racehorse with his great friends and family, Max Whitby and the Madden family.” “And obviously, a big part of the Black Caviar connection there as well, so it’s all so special.” Ole Dancer was able to stalk the favourite during the race – a lot closer than she had been in recent starts. “I just left it up to him (Shinn),” Moody noted. “We drew a barrier today.” “He said, ‘What do you think I said, ‘Well, you sat in the box seat in the 1,200 metre race here three runs ago, you’re not going to drag back from that gate at a mile.” “We were probably all a little surprised the favourite took it up, but I was very happy when Blake was breathing down its throat because we didn’t want her getting away on us.” “Tremendous, really tremendous, and great for Katherine, great for the staff, all the team. Big Will Holmes, our right-hand man here, and all the team that have been a part of it all the way through. It’s been a wonderful ride, all our pre-trainers, spelling farms—it’s good.” “For what looked a light spring, we’ve got a Group One at home, and at home for me, Caulfield,” Moody added. “Big thanks to the team at Pakenham, tremendous job there, Cam Miller and his team. They give us every opportunity to train our horses.” The Thousand Guineas winning heroine was a $350,000 purchase for Moody Racing from the North draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She flew the flag for her yearling sale when she scored a brilliant debut win in the Magic Millions SA 2YO Classic at Murray Bridge in March. After that she won again as a two-year-old in Melbourne before being spelled. She returned with two eye catching performances in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude at Sandown when fourth and second respectively. “Full credit to the filly, big thrill to win this race today,” winning rider Blake Shinn said. “The ownership group, Neil Werrett, Colin Madden, Max Whitby, have been long time supporters of mine.” “This has been the grand final all prep and it’s just great that when a plan comes off and you can win a Group One.” “Big thanks to Peter Moody and Kat, and the team, they’ve presented her in impeccable order today.” “It was an exciting race, a thrilling race for me to even ride in.” “Peter and Kat, you can just trust their horse’s fitness and when the pressure came on, she came to the fore. It was a great effort.” Ole Dancer was bred by her part owner Neil Werrett and is one of three winners produced by the twice winning and Sydney placed mare Dancers. A daughter of Husson, Dancers is a half sister to Cinderella Stakes placegetter Viennese Star. The stakes placed third dam Wiener is the dam of Epsom Handicap winner Rediener and is a half sister to Oakleigh Plate winner and champion sire Snitzel. As her name suggests Ole Dancer is a daughter of Ole Kirk, Written Tycoon’s Caulfield Guineas winning son who has made a lightning start to his sire career at Vinery Stud. While he has sired 21 winners and a handful of stakes horses from his first crop, Ole Dancer has made history as his first at the elite level. It most certainly won’t be his last. Winner: Ole Dancer Breeding: Ole Kirk-Dancers (Husson) Race: MRC Thousand Guineas G1 (1600m) Sold for: $350,000 Sale: 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale Earnings: $1,153,300 Breeder: Mr NRJ Werrett Vendor: North Buyer: Moody Racing Owners: Werrett Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: NRJ Werrett), Whitby Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: MJ Whitby) & Madden Bloodstock (Mgr: CH Madden) Trainers: Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman (Pakenham) |
