Spellbinder's Soliloquy Stakes

The Waikato Times Racing Editor Aidan Rodley reports on Monday:

Te Akau Racing kingpin David Ellis has described Spellbinder's devastating win in Saturday's $50,000 Allied Workforce Soliloquy Stakes as a ''big tonic''.

Ellis underwent open heart surgery in Auckland last week and was yesterday discharged from hospital.  He returns today to Te Akau, where he will spend the next two months on the easy list.

He said he hoped to be back on deck for the Ready To Run Sale at Karaka in mid-November and perhaps even at Riccarton to watch Spellbinder contest the Gr I $300,000 1000 Guineas (1600m) on November 16.

''It was a pretty serious operation so I'm going to need a bit of time to get over it but to watch that filly win at Ellerslie yesterday was a big tonic for me - a huge thrill,'' Ellis said yesterday.

''She's a really exciting filly. She'll now get ready for the Ray Coupland Stakes at Ashburton [on October 19]. That's a race that Te Akau has won seven out of the last nine runnings and it's a lovely lead-in to the Guineas.''

Ellis paid $60,000 for O'Reilly filly Spellbinder at last year's Karaka yearling sales and syndicated her among 10 owners but he deflected praise to his trainer, Jason Bridgman.

''It's all very well to buy the horses but you've still got to win the races and Jason is doing a super job,'' Ellis said.

''Jason's done an absolutely outstanding job with his three-year-olds and we think there's still much more to come.''

Bridgman has long had a good opinion of Spellbinder but admitted the filly had far exceeded his expectations on Saturday.

Jockey Matt Cameron took advantage of Spellbinder's early speed to sit outside the leader, Beck And Call, before challenging on the home turn, from where she quickly asserted her superiority, easily winning by 6 1/2 lengths from her stablemate Ruthless Lady, with Zanotti half a length back in third.

''You don't come to the races expecting them to do that,'' Bridgman said.

''Right from her first bit of work to her races, she's just showed she's a pure runner. That was a sensational run from her today.''

Spellbinder's win was her second from as many starts, following a comfortable 3 1/4 debut win at Taupo last month.

''You can't get too carried away because I wouldn't say that's one of the strongest Soliloquy's but the manner was very impressive,'' Bridgman said.

"Her work leading up to this was very good. It was a big ask stepping her up to Listed company at just her second start. She certainly looks quite exciting from here."

TAB bookmakers reacted swiftly to Spellbinder's win, cutting her price for the Gr I $300,000 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on November 16 from $9 to equal $4 favouritism with last weekend's Gr III Gold Trail Stakes winner Boundless.

Spellbinder, who was bred by leading Melbourne trainer Danny O'Brien, was at $21 before her Taupo win.

Bridgman's other leading contender for the 1000 Guineas is Costa Viva, currently the TAB equal third favourite for the 1000 Guineas at $8, along with Fantastic Honour.

Cameron said he would take his time to decide his 1000 Guineas mount, noting that Costa Viva had already shown she could be competitive with Bounding, having run second to her in the Gold Trail Stakes, whereas Spellbinder had yet to measure up to a filly of that class.

"I knew she was good but I didn't think she was as good as that. She was doing it half-pace and easing down," Cameron said.

Bridgman was delighted with Ruthless Lady's run for second, saying she was now likely to be turned out ahead of a summer campaign after accomplishing her mission of securing a black-type placing yesterday in the hands of Noel Harris.

"She could develop into a nice staying filly. We'll back off her and maybe bring her back for some of those middle distances races here over Christmas," he said.

"We weren't convinced she'd handle the ground. For her connections, we were just trying to snare some black-type and we're just delighted. It was a great ride from Noel, saved every inch of ground. We're delighted.

"David puts his hand up at the Karaka sales every year and buys these exciting fillies and colts. For us as a team, for it to start coming to fruition as three-year-olds on the track, it just shows it's coming together."

- © Fairfax NZ News