Avantage delivers winning Telegraph
MILLIONAIRE mare Avantage was at her very best in taking out the $250,000 Telegraph (1200m), for the second year in succession, at Trentham yesterday.
The Jamie Richards-trained 5-year-old had scored fresh-up in the Railway (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day to take her Group One winning tally to five and added a sixth as she defended the title she captured in 2020 with another superb performance, boosting her earnings past $1.7m.
Leading rider Danielle Johnson was smarting after a narrow defeat on pin-up colt Brando, who finished a neck in arrears of quality filly Bonham in the Levin Classic (1600m) earlier in the day, and was determined to redeem herself on the Fastnet Rock mare.
A good beginning from an outside barrier saw Avantage placed handily with cover in midfield before being angled into the centre of the track by Johnson to make her final claim.
Unleashed at the 200m, she powered past Mascarpone and Tavi Mac to take control of the contest, running out a comfortable two-length winner from last year’s third placegetter Spring Heat and stablemate Burgundy Belle, who finished well for third.
Johnson, who would go on to finish with four winners on the card, has partnered Avantage to three of her G1 victories.
‘‘She’s just a pleasure to ride and words can’t really describe how exciting it is to get on her and win Group Ones,’’ Johnson said.
‘‘Everything seemed to work out well as we were three-wide but with cover.
‘‘I knew what I had underneath me, but I wanted her to keep running to the line, so dinner was a bit easier after getting beaten on Brando.
‘‘1200m, 1400m, a mile or 2000m doesn’t matter to her as she just keeps winning and it’s a pleasure to be associated with her.’’
Richards echoed those sentiments when questioned after the race.
‘‘She’s a great mare and has done us all proud as that was pretty special,’’ he said.
‘‘It was a 10 out of 10 ride as well.
‘‘She will go to Te Rapa in a month now [BCD Group Sprint, 1400m], but she has got time for a quiet week after this.
‘‘She’s done a fantastic job for us and I would like to give her a chance to put a Group One in Australia on the board.
‘‘I think she deserves the
opportunity, so we’ll have to sit down and make a plan on how we get there.
‘‘She can be a bit difficult behind the scenes and on raceday, but when we first saw her at the sales, we thought she might just be a 2-year-old.
‘‘She’s now justified everybody’s faith in her and has done a wonderful job.
‘‘The best thing about her is
her constitution and her willingness to be a racehorse.’’
Purchased by David Ellis for $210,000 from The Oaks Stud draft during at Karaka 2017, Avantage has now won 13 of her 23 starts.
Bred by Willie and Karen Calder from Bluff, Southland, Avantage already boasts an Australian G3 victory and a G2 placing from a brief campaign
at three.
Well-related staying mare Our Hail Mary scored a strong win in the Trentham Stakes that counted for much more than its $70,000 stake.
Previously placed at listed level as a 3-year-old, the lightlyraced mare claimed big black type for the first time.