Shamrock Wind Cements Broodmare Value
[Original article: https://www.turftalk.co.za/shamrock-wind-cements-broodmare-value/]
Shamrock Wind held on to beat Midnight Moonlight and Duchess Of Bourbon in Tuesday’s Listed Casey Bloomberg Ladies Mile at Kenilworth, completing yet another 1-2-3 for graduates from CTS Sales. Shamrock Wind (13-2) used her good gate speed to get into a good position from an outside draw. Jockey Corne Orffer was happy to lead, but his stable companion Water Spirit was even more keen to do so and she raced to the front after the first 600m, and led the field into the home straight.
With 400m to run the leader cried enough and Orffer gave Shamrock Wind some rein. She quickened away, but Duchess Of Bourbon was on her heels and challenging hard, with Star Fighter in the mix and Midnight Moonlight also launching her bid on the rail. But Shamrock Wind was resolute, she kept finding extra and had done enough to hit the line a neck clear of Midnight Moonlight with Duchess Of Bourbon just a short-head away in third. Shamrock Wind had some of the best form going into the race, but she turned in an uncharacteristically poor run behind Nexus in a Pinnace Plate last month and trainer Brett Crawford said: “That run had us scratching our heads, we took blood but we found nothing untoward, and she was sound.
“She was working fantastic at home, however, and I said to everyone this morning that if she runs like she works, she will be right there. She’s a hard-knocking filly with black type and now a Listed win. I am very happy for Tom and Evelyn Yeats, long-time supporters of the yard, Fiona Carmichael and John Koster, who bred her and is a partner.”
Orffer said: “She got the lead quite easy and her heart carried her through. She’s been runner-up a few times and this win was well-deserved.”
Shamrock Wind is by Captain Al out of Juvenescent (Elusive Quality), and she was a R1-million purchase from the 2017 CTS Johannesburg Select Sale. She’s won four times for R318,000 and with this win in her career chart, her value as a potential sought-after broodmare is guaranteed.
Runner-up Midnight Moonlight fetched R60,000 at the March Yearling Sale in 2016. Her earnings for owner-trainer Glen Puller stands at R450,000, while Duchess Of Bourbon (R600,000 CPYS 2017), has banked R286,000 for the Snaith stable, with more wins due.