They’ve proven to be a gun stable for training stayers in recent times and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace partnership have added more silverware to the cabinet with Affaire A Suivre ($7.50) taking out the Group One $500,000 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville.
After drawing the widest barrier in a final field of 16 the daughter of Astern was made to earn it the hard way but was still too strong on the line for Western Australian visitor She’s Fit ($8) with stablemate to the winner Jennilala ($8.50) a further length back in third place.
Co-trainer Maher has had an opinion of his three-year-old for some time and believes the penny has dropped in the past couple of outings.
“We always didn’t mind her, but you can see she’s such a big scopey filly,” Maher said post-race.
“She just needed that time and she’s really come into her own this preparation, put the writing on the wall last start.
“We had the visitors draw but Johnny (Allen), I’ll have to watch it again, I think he did cover a fair bit of ground.
“I think she’s got a really bright future, she’ll probably go further. She may even end up in Queensland.”
With the Morphettville Race Club paying tribute to the recent passing of jockey Dean Holland before the race, winning hoop Allen explained it was quite an emotional service given he had developed a strong bond with Holland.
“You could hear a few tears flowing and I probably left a few flowing myself,” Allen said.
“I’d like to dedicate that to Dean Holland and his family.
“It was three years ago down here that I became close friends with him and we had to isolate during Covid for two weeks in a house with him.
“Ever since then we became close friends and you couldn’t have picked a better family to spend two weeks locked in a house with.”
Daniel Morton, trainer of runner-up She’s Fit, was impressed with his filly’s effort and signalled that she will take on the colts and geldings in two week’s time.
“She was super. We wanted to be a bit further forward in the run and she dawdled out of the gates and made it a bit awkward for herself,” Morton said.
“She’ll stay for the Derby now and she’ll be effective over 2500m.”