Owners Steve & Louise Gillard and trainer Dan Bougoure liked Arrowfield’s Snitzel-Miss Kournikova filly enough to pay $400,000 for her at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale in January.
Today, only 10 months later, they stood in the Group winner’s circle at Flemington after the filly, named Oakleigh Girl in honour of her Oakleigh Plate-winning parents, won the $120,000 VRC Ottawa S. 1000m G3 at her first start.
Oakleigh Girl jumped well and led up the outside division before taking control of the race at the 300-metre mark and bounding away to win by 1.25 lengths from the favourite Top Dolly. Singularity and Golconda, both by Snitzel’s Arrowfield barn-mate Not A Single Doubt, finished strongly to fill third & fourth placings.
Oakleigh Girl’s winning time was 57.51 seconds and she ran her final 600 metres in 32.89.
Brisbane-based Dan Bougoure, well-known as the trainer of champion sprinter Falvelon, said, “She’s the fastest horse I’ve had. I’m not saying she’s the best, but she’s the fastest.
“For a two-year-old filly she’s got a fantastic attitude, she bounces and does everything right. She’s just totally bombproof. First gallop we gave her she just went dead straight and she’s got a very good, professional attitude.”
Oakleigh Girl will now have a week off before returning to Brisbane next Wednesday to begin her build-up to the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on 11 January.
Oakleigh Girl was bred by Arrowfield Stud & John Leaver and she is the fifth winner from her dam’s six foals to race. Miss Kournikova has an All American colt entered in the 2014 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and returns to Snitzel this season.
Arrowfield’s yearling Class of 2013 has produced two other winners in the past four days: More Vino (by Hussonet) in Adelaide and Time for War (by Snitzel) in Sydney on Saturday. Arrowfield is also the co-breeder of 2YO Moonlight Hussler, winner of last month’s MRC Debutant S. LR.
Oakleigh Girl is Snitzel’s third Group winner this season after Shamus Award (MVRC Cox Plate G1) and Malavio (ATC Tramway S. G3), his ninth juvenile Group winner and his 17th lifetime stakeswinner.
Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt occupy the top two spots on the current Australian 2YO Sires’ list, and only Monsun, the deceased German sire of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente, heads Snitzel on the General Sires’ table.
