Special by Name and Nature

Race day experience and pedigree were to the fore when Special Memories (2 f Fastnet Rock - Memories of You, by Galileo) proved too strong in the Maiden 2YO 1100 metres on 30 January at New Plymouth.

The filly had pleased Te Akau trainer Jason Bridgman since finishing second on debut in the Maiden 2YO 1200 metres a fortnight ago at Te Rapa, and certainly vindicated the high opinion Te Akau principal David Ellis had when buying her for $400,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales last year from the draft of Curraghmore Stud.

Ellis had said: “She is an outstanding filly by Fastnet Rock (Danehill), one of the leading sires in the Southern Hemisphere. This particular filly has it all. She has a beautiful temperament and a terrific walk, and looks as though she could be trained for any distance. A precocious type as well, she appears ideal for age group racing and in particular the classics as a three-year-old.

“I was approached by Bob Morris, whom I've known well for forty years, and Carol Marshall, who has been an exceptionally good trainer of horses in her own right, including million dollar earner Giovana (Blues Traveller), to buy a filly at the Karaka Sales last year for Carol and Nessie Paykel,” said Ellis.

“Nessie is the wife of the late Maurice Paykel, who founded Fisher & Paykel. Maurice was a great racing man, and the father David Paykel who we trained Zarzuela (Zabeel) for and she was one of the best fillies we've ever trained,” said Ellis.

“More recently we have trained O'Darci (Darci Brahma) for Bob, Carol, and Nessie and he won three out of three before a mishap at the trials ended his career.

“She (Special Memories) is the filly I recommended to them and we had to go a little bit over budget to buy her but to buy the good fillies by Fastnet Rock out of Galileo (Sadler's Wells) mares that's what you've got to do.

“I am absolutely stoked for them, as they're people that I've admired all my life and to have them with a nice filly in the stable is a huge thrill,” said Ellis.

“You just can't beat those Fastnet Rock's, and of course this week I bought the sales' topping filly by Fastnet Rock out of the champion two-year-old Il Quello Veloce,” he said.

With stable jockey Matt Cameron aboard, who made it win five from his last six rides, Special Memories displayed good gate speed before steadying outside the leader. Taking charge at the 250m, she displayed a great way of going when working clear by one and a quarter lengths and was strong on the line.

“She's a beautiful filly that has done everything right to date and on pedigree she is only going to get better,” said trainer Jason Bridgman.
“She is a naturally athletic daughter of Fastnet Rock and probably more precocious than what is typical of his stock. She is bred on a lovely Galileo cross and although renowned for his stamina a lot of the Galileo's do run and win as two-year-olds in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We'll see how she comes through the race, but perhaps a tilt at the Matamata Breeders' Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m) on her home course in February may be the next step for her,” said Bridgman.

“We certainly look forward to a bright future next season, where we expect her to be a top contender for the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year series races,” he said.

Picture credit - www.raceimages.co.nz