My Lips Are Sealed Defiant

Stakes' placed mare My Lips Are Sealed (4 m Ace High – Tellmeaboutit, by Tavistock) made it back-to-back victories when winning the $40,000 Craigs Investment Partners Rating 75 1400 metres on 27 September at Te Rapa.

My Lips Are Sealed had remained back when resuming in the Rating 65 1300 metres on 21 August at Taupo, won impressively by stable-mate What You Wish For (Embellish), but bounced back stylishly when racing clear to win the Rating 65 1400 metres on 4 September at Matamata.

Ridden by former Te Akau apprentice Wiremu Pinn and ideally drawn in barrier two, My Lips Are Sealed was shuffled to ninth of 15 runners at the 800m, stood the leader six lengths at the 600m, but quickened into the clear 350m out and sustained a strong finish.

“She’s beaten a good field,” Pinn said. “We got good splits to get into the race, she let down on the better footing and was really strong in the finish.

“I think she loved the improved ground from what she won on last time and gives the feeling she can step up to a mile again.”

Although up in grade, My Lips Are Sealed had displayed talent last season as a three-year-old, winning fresh-up before being beaten by a nose in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes over the mile and ending her campaign following the Group 2 Wellington Guineas over the same distance.

On footing upgraded to Soft5, My Lips Are Sealed ran 1400 metres in 1:23.6, last 600m in 34.2 (approx.), and drifted considerably from an earlier fixed odds quote of $5.50 to pay $9.00 & $2.70 on the TAB tote.

“It was another really good win today and Wiremu (Pinn) is riding in great form,” said Mark Walker, who trains in partnership with Sam Bergerson.

“It looked a very competitive field on paper, with a host of winning chances, but she’s come out on top and I think we can start looking at black type races again.

“It’s great for the ownership group which has been very patient with her. We thought she had initial potential and actually ran in an early two-year-old race, but she just didn’t have the physical strength to carry it out.

“But she’s got that strength now as a four-year-old and certainly winning like a mare that’s going places. 

“Dave (Ellis) took a punt on a first season sire (Ace High) when he bought her as a yearling in 2022, but yet again he’s been proven right.

“My Lips Are Sealed is housed in the Main Stable at Matamata, managed by our assistant trainer Nicole Shailer, and with her team, they’re doing a fantastic job with the horses in their care.”

Owned by the Te Akau Not A Word Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), My Lips Are Sealed was purchased as a yearling by David Ellis CNZM for $160,000 at the Karaka 2022 Book 1 Sale, from the draft of Rich Hill Stud. 

She was the first sales representative of dual Group One winner Ace High, by Champion Sire and sire of sires High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells), out of a mare by dual Group One winning stallion Tavistock (Montjeu), who had a great turn of foot, sire of Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther and seven Derby winners.

Ace High won the Victoria Derby (Gr. 1, 2500m) and Spring Champion Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m), and while a majority of his first crop winners last season were over 1200m and 1400m, he included 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) and David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (Gr. 2, 2000m) winner Molly Bloom, and sired winners to 2200 metres. 

Grand-dam What Can I Say (Khozaam), a noted performer on rain-affected going, impressed winning among eight victories which included the Warwick Farm Stakes (Gr. 2, 1400m). In turn, she became an incredible producer of 10 individual winners, notching 29 wins, including six stakes wins, and over $1.5m in prize money.

The family also includes speed influence of Babylon Berlin (All Too Hard), who finished second to Te Akau trained Champion Two-Year-Old Sword of State (Snitzel) in the Group 3 King’s Plate 1200m, and subsequently won three Group 3 races over 1200 metres and finished runner-up three times at Group 1 level. 

“It’s great to see this mare win immediately in the next grade, and she’s got owners that include All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown and former Captain Sean Fitzpatrick, along with Auckland Thoroughbred Racing CEO Paul Wilcox,” Ellis said.

“The Ace High progeny raced very well as three-year-olds, while looking as though they’d be even better at four, with a bit more maturing, and I think we’re starting to see that already this season.

“She’s also just won two $40,000 midweek races in a row, which is great to see and it just shows what a great job Entain is doing of increasing prize money and breathing real life into a racing industry that has such a great history in this country.

“Mark and Sam have had another great start to the season, with 25 wins since the 1 August, which shows that the whole team is working well together and I’m very happy and proud of them.”

My Lips Are Sealed was strapped by Errol (Egg Roll) Rich.

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