Cream Rises to the Top

A smart trial winner, Irish Cream (2 f O'Reilly - Zantelagh, by Zabeel) did a demolition job on her rivals in the $10,000 Tavistock Owners Syndicate 2YO Maiden 900 metres on 4 October at Ruakaka.

It was only eight days ago that the filly owned by the Te Akau Irish Delight Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM) first stepped out in a trial at Te Teko, exhibiting all the right attributes in a comfortable win and she carried those same levels of professionalism on to race day.

Ridden by Cameron Lammas, who has done such a fine job with young Te Akau horses in the past, Gold Fever (Savabeel), Summer Monsoon (Stratum) and Windborne (Darci Brahma) to name a few, Irish Cream soon led clearly from barrier two, was held together around the home turn and she galloped away under her own steam to win impressively by seven lengths.

“She's a beautiful filly and she's really impressed us all the way through,” said co-trainer Jamie Richards. “Dan Miller, our good young man, broke her in and he loved her and she's come into the stable and done everything one-hundred percent. So, we couldn't be happier with how she's going.”

Richards said he and co-trainer Stephen Autridge gave consideration to allowing a bit more time between her trial and racing but decided to ‘roll the dice'.

“She came up yesterday (to Ruakaka), had a trip away and a night away from home and she looks really professional, so onwards and upwards from here.”

With a view to future plans for Irish Cream, Richards said: “If you can get them out nice and early it gives you a chance to give them a little freshen-up at some stage, so there is no rush with her now and we can pick and choose where we go to from here.”

Just shy of a year ago, in the corresponding race, Autridge & Richards unleashed Melody Belle (Commands) who won in a time of 53.7, last 600m in 34.5, for the 900 metres and Irish Cream cut the trip out in 53.0 and 34.0.

Obviously the deeds thereafter of Melody Belle have been well documented, as she went from debut winner to Group One winner of the Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at her fifth start, with a stunning Karaka Million (Listed, 1200m) victory in between, and Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr. 2, 1400m) in Brisbane, to being crowned Champion Two-Year-Old.  After initially being purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for $57,500 at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, her season record of four wins and a third from seven starts earned $865,444 in prize money.

It was the bargaining power of Ellis, again, that realised the buying of Irish Cream as a yearling for $210,000 from the draft of Cambridge Stud at the 2017 NZB Premier Yearling Sale.

At the time of purchase Ellis said: “She is a beautiful filly that just oozes class. Her mother was good enough to win in Australia, the first foal was placed at two, and her grand-dam Dantelah won two stakes' races as a two-year-old and went on to win the Oakleigh Plate (Gr. 1, 1100m) and nearly one-million in prize money.”

Irish Cream is a filly from the last crop by champion sire O'Reilly, and out of a three time winning mare by Zabeel she was a highly sought after filly and a classic example of the mating.

Vying for favouritism ($2.90 & $1.70) on the NZ TAB, it was not as if Irish Cream had the dominance pre-race, with respect for the O'Reilly colt out of Mexican Rose, Mexican Tycoon, and the Shamexpress colt Our Prom King, but the end result began a chapter in what could develop into quite a story.

“It was pretty impressive, wasn't it?” suggested Ellis, following the victory.

“It's quite interesting, because I bred the favourite (Mexican Tycoon) in the race and sold him as a weanling for $185,000 - he topped the weanling sale that year at Karaka - and he was pinhooked and sold again at the Magic Millions Sale for $240,000.

“And this filly I bought for $210,000 was syndicated amongst some of my very best owners, and there is nothing in racing that gives me a bigger thrill than to see a horse go to the races for the first time, well-educated, beautifully broken in, well trained, that begins smartly, rails like a greyhound and wins likes that. It's as big a thrill as you can ever get.

“My team at home also deserves an enormous amount credit, having worked through a winter and spring in some of the most difficult (wet) conditions we've ever seen. They have prepared these young horses really, really well and it's so exciting to see a filly that, after today, could run in the Karaka Million, the Matamata Breeders' Stakes and the Diamond Stakes.

“Cameron (Lammas) again showed what a very, very good horseman he is. He rides work for us every morning, so it's nice to be able to reward him on a very promising filly.

“Daniel Miller, who did such a great job breaking this filly in, came to work for us when he was fifteen years old. He did his apprenticeship with us, rode over the jumps and now he's concentrating on taking horses to the carnivals and breaking in our horses. He does an amazing job for us and rated this filly very highly from day one. Dan's a great judge, a great young man and we're so proud to have him in the team,” he said.

Irish Cream has a lovely cross of Northern Dancer on each side of her pedigree, through the sire line of O'Reilly (Last Tycoon) and the dam side of his dam sire Zabeel (Sir Tristram). The grand influence of Round Table, sire of Isolt - the dam of Sir Tristram - also features in both sides of her pedigree.

Irish Cream was strapped by Dennis Tan.

Race photos credit - www.raceimages.co.nz