Te Akau "Level 3" Love

Welcome to Day 24 of our feature - as our world around us changes indelibly, we want to bring some smiles and sunshine every day - yes a small distraction but it does everyone good to be able to smile when times are tough.

Our beautiful Xtravagant filly out of Herstory got us thinking - "Herstory" - the story of women - perhaps of the suffragettes. It's a word that has been used in their stories - so we nicknamed our girl "Emily" after one of the most staunch and brave suffragettes known.

Emily has class, she has determination and yet a gentle kindness. Perhaps she too will have a place in history (as opposed to 'herstory')! We think she will be filled with the spirit that those women embodied ...

Belief, courage, focus, passion, fight ... it's a great name for a filly with so much heart.

A suffragette of course was a member of the militant women's organisation of the early 20th century. They fought for the right to vote in public elections. The most active were the members of the British Women's Social and Political Union, a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst. They were involved in direct action and a fair bit of civil disobedience.  

In 1893, we can be hugely proud that New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant the vote to all women over the age of 21. When by 1903 (a whole decade later) women in Britain had not been enfranchised, Pankhurst decided that women had to "do the work ourselves" and the motto became "deeds, not words".

These brave women heckled politicians, and attempted to storm parliament. They were attacked and even assaulted during battles with the police. They chained themselves to railings, they smashed windows, set fire to postboxes and empty buildings, set bombs in order to damage churches and property, and faced anger and ridicule in the media. When imprisoned they went on hunger strikes.

The suffragette campaign was suspended when World War 1 broke out in 1914 however after the war, women over the age of 30 who met certain property qualifications gained the vote. Ten years later, women gained electoral equality with men when all women aged 21 and over were enfranchised.

That's 31 years after New Zealand.

Our Xtravagant - Herstory  (Commands) filly was purchased by David Ellis in January at Gold Coast Yearling Sale 2020, from the draft of Newhaven Park.

A filly from the first crop by Xtravagant (Pentire), trained by Te Akau to win the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) in breathtaking fashion by eight and a half lengths in a staggering 1:33.59, last 600m in 33.04, to establish a new race record and become the fifth of six 2000 Guineas winners for Te Akau. He now stands at Newhaven Park, N.S.W., in Australia.

The dam of the filly, Herstory, won three races to 1400 metres in Australia, including a debut victory over 1200 metres as a two-year-old. She is by Danehill stallion Commands, the sire of reigning Horse of the Year and Te Akau star mare Melody Belle (ex. Meleka Belle, by Iffraaj), the winner of 10 Group Ones.

Like Melody Belle, she is an early foal from the mare, and has an uncluttered pedigree with a simple cross of immortal sire Northern Dancer.

#Level3Love

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