Popular mare Fangirl has provided a spot of brightness in a difficult week for connections, capturing the $1 million 7 Stakes at Randwick just days after the death of stablemate and dual Derby winner Riff Rocket.
The latter died on Tuesday due to complications following surgery for colic and his owners, the Kepitis family, also race Fangirl, both horses prepared by Chris Waller.
When the star mare stormed down the outside to claim Saturday’s 1600m Randwick feature, the emotion of the past few days bubbled to the surface.
“It’s an amazing industry, these horses that we look after so well and when you lose one…. it’s really tough,” Waller said, fighting back tears.
“There are so many aspects of it, the strappers, the owners, but Fangirl has made Debbie (Kepitis) smile today.”
Fangirl ($1.75) was last on the corner and had a world of work to do but once James Mcdonald got her to the outside and balanced, she powered home to overhaul My Oberon ($31) by a half-length with Royal Patronage ($4.40) the same margin away third.
Waller confirmed Fangirl would progress to the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 19, a race she won last year, all but ruling her out of the Cox Plate (2040m)
“This year the Cox Plate is one week after the King Charles, so it’s unlikely,” he said.
“The King Charles is the number one goal.”
McDonald was relieved to get the job done on Fangirl after having to settle for a minor prize first-up in the Winx Stakes (1400m) when she got too far back from an awkward draw.
He admitted he feared history was going to repeat when he found himself back with the tailenders on Saturday, but Fangirl was good enough to rise to the challenge – even if she wasn’t Winx.
“The last ‘prep’ when she came back, she won like Winx, so you start riding accordingly,” he said.
“She’s not Winx, so we have to come back a notch and ride her properly, but she should have won the Winx Stakes, there’s no two ways about that, and that wasn’t her fault. She was set too much of a task.”
Tim Clark was rapt with the performance of Royal Patronage, who settled further back in the field than anticipated after a slow start.
“He has gone outstanding. He just knuckled over and came out really sticky,” Clark said.
“It meant he raced further back than we would have liked. I thought he was fantastic all the way up the straight.”
Fangirl was the third consecutive leg of a feature race treble for Waller, who also took out the Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) with Mchale and Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) with Autumn Glow.
