Well-related filly Lilac has wasted little time in adding valuable black type to her CV, landing Saturday’s A$175,000 Listed NJT Jim Moloney Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in only the fourth start of her career.
A graduate of Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore draft at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, Lilac is trained by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald and kicked off her career with a win, a second and a fourth from three starts in Sydney.
Neasham and Archibald sent her south for a shot at Saturday’s Listed feature, and Lilac rose to the occasion in style.
After tracking the front-running Too Darn Lizzie up to the home turn, Lilac quickened at the top of the straight and took charge.
Declichy Boulevard flashed home in the last 50m to provide a late scare, but Lilac held her out by a short head. The rest of the field finished more than two lengths behind the first two.
“I felt like I had the leader covered the whole way and she was nice and relaxed, sitting a length and a half off,” jockey Mark Zahra said. “It was just a matter of her quickening when I asked her, and she did. She’s pretty sharp.”
Lilac has now had four starts for two wins, a placing and A$145,875. She races in the colours of syndicators Champion Thoroughbreds, with Coolmore also sharing in the ownership.
“This is the first horse we’ve had with Champion Thoroughbreds, and it’s great to have Coolmore in the ownership as well,” Neasham said. “It’s really satisfying to get a stakes win for them with a filly of this quality.
“Obviously you hope she might be able to get up over a mile, because that’s the distance of the Group One races later in the spring (Flight Stakes and Thousand Guineas). But I’ve always slightly had my doubts because she’s sharp. She puts herself up on speed. Physically, she’s still got a bit of a way to go. She’s quite a slender filly with the best still ahead of her.
“Most importantly, we’ve got the stakes win today, so the pressure’s off in that regard. But hopefully she can build on her CV from here on in. I’m just delighted for all the connections.”
Lilac was bred by Katom and is by one of the world’s hottest stallions in Justify. Her dam is Paulownia, who raced in the Coolmore colours and was trained by Jamie Richards to finish second in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) at Trentham in 2018. Paulownia is also a full-sister to Group One winner and sire Foxwedge.
Offered by Curraghmore in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, Lilac was bought by Champion Thoroughbreds and Annabel Neasham Racing for $300,000.
