3 minute read
Daughter of Zed takes out Winx Stakes
The Chris Waller-trained Verry Elleegant (5 m Zed - Opulence by Danroad) showed her customary tough as teak nature when she added a fourth Group 1 to her already glowing CV in the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Randwick on Saturday - a race which is fittingly named after her former superstar stablemate.
After being forced to race very wide under James McDonald, the daughter of Zed (Zabeel) flew home to clinch victory in the shadow of the winning post, beating her stablemate Star Of The Seas (Ocean Park) by a nose. Fierce Impact (Deep Impact) finished another head away in third.
Waller said the mare would be aimed at the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) this preparation.
"This horse has come back very well. You’ve seen that today," Waller said. "She did a lot of work through the run and was still strong late.
"How do we get her to win every start this preparation? I don’t know but I want her to win the Grand Finals as well. Whether it is Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup - that has a good ring to it.
"She is the right horse to do it.”
The five-year-old mare counts Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) and Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) among her nine victories which has seen her accrue $3,421,718 in career prize-money.
Verry Elleegant is one of three winners out of the Danroad (Danehill) mare Opulence, who is herself out of Mulan Magic (King’s Theatre).
Further back the mare’s third dam Chalet Girl (Imposing) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Danewin (Danehill) and Commands (Danehill), who have both gone on to prove successful sires.
Chalet Girl is also the grandam of Listed winners Plutocrat (Rich Enuff) and Starmon (Monolith) - the dam of Group 3 winner Gogo Grace (New Approach).
Opulence’s yearling colt by Zed was purchased by John Chalmers Bloodstock Services for NZ$140,000 at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and had another colt by the stallion in 2019.
Verry Elleegant is one of two elite level winners for Zed, with the other being Survived. Zed stands at Grangewilliam Stud and his fee in 2020 is advertised as NZ$6,000 (plus GST).
