A 'Seirios-ly' Good Win

A good day got better on Wednesday at Waipa, after winning with Fine Bouquet (Burgundy), Seirios (3 g Pierro - Irish Lights, by Fastnet Rock) obliged one race later in the $10,000 Waipa Home of Champions Maiden 1400 metres.

Following a good trial, resuming with a solid performance for second in the Maiden 1200 metres on Anzac Day at Avondale, Seirios was installed the $2.20 & $1.40 race favourite and always travelled like the winner for Shafiq.

While travelling well is key, so too is luck, and held in a pocket rounding the home turn gave a few moments of anguish before being extricated and showing good stretch in a driving finish.

“He jumped well and I was held up around the turn, but I came out wide at the 300m and once clear he found another gear, just too good,” Shafiq said. “It's been a good day to me (three wins).”

Trained by Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards, not everything had gone to plan previously with Seirios but he now looks promising as a racing proposition.

“It was a bloody good win and a top ride by Suppy (Shafiq),” Richards said. “We had a great group of owners here today: Selwyn and Judy Maynard, Angela and Doug Taylor, Brian Waldegrave and his son James, Robert and Donna Rudd, and fitting for him to win on the back of a very good first up effort for second.”

Out of the Group One winner Irish Lights (Fastnet Rock), Seirios was purchased by David Ellis for $480,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, from the draft of Coolmore Stud, for the Te Akau 2016 Breeding Syndicate.

Irish Lights won the Thousand Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) at Caulfield, and five-time Group One winning sire Pierro (Lonhro) only ever ran in stakes races, winning eleven of his fourteen starts, and the unbeaten Triple Crown winner as a two-year-old amassed A$4.5 million. In demand as a stallion, Pierro recently produced $2m Australian Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) winner Levendi, having already sired Pinot to win the $1m VRC Oaks (Gr. 1, 2500m).

“He's had a few little issues, but a bit more mature now and he's an improving horse,” said Richards, after Seirios won at his fifth start. “He's probably earned a break now and will get better again as a four-year-old. The Slow7 was okay, but I don't know about heavy ground so we might just put him away and look after him. The way he's improving, next year he can earn some good stake money.”

Te Akau principal David Ellis said: “He's a horse that has required a bit of time and patience and Steve and Jamie identified that. I think he's a horse that next year could go right through the grades. He's got a wonderful pedigree, looked pretty good winning today and we look forward to getting him ready for the new season.”

Seirios ran the 1400 metres in 1:28.3, last 600m in 36.9, on Slow7 going.

Seirios was strapped by Nik Bakar.
Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz