Talented New Zealand mare Cindy Falls opened her Australian account in style with a brilliant last-to-first performance in Saturday’s A$150,000 Leilani Series Final (1400m) at Flemington.
The daughter of Sacred Falls showed bright promise in her homeland with three wins from 12 starts for Cambridge trainer Jon Miller. The most recent of those victories was a barnstorming finish from the back to win a 1300m Rating 75 at Te Rapa on April 27.
Owner Mark Brady subsequently sent the five-year-old across the Tasman to join the Seymour stable of Lee and Shannon Hope, and she made an encouraging start with a third in a 1600m Benchmark 74 at Sandown on June 15.
Cindy Falls stepped back down in distance for Saturday’s Leilani Series Final and made a huge impression.
Ridden patiently by Dean Yendall, Cindy Falls jumped from the outside gate and eased back to settle at the tail of the 12-horse field.
Yendall brought her to the outside at the top of the straight and let her rip, and Cindy Falls showed an outstanding turn of foot. Still last with only 300m remaining, she flew down the outside to reel in Brazen Lady and catch that rival right on the line.
“They went at a good tempo and she relaxed beautifully out the back,” Yendall said. “She had a massive turn of foot in the last 400m. With no weight on her back, she’s run through the line really strongly.”
Cindy Falls has now earned A$158,919 from a 14-start career that has produced four wins and four placings.
“This is very satisfying,” Shannon Hope said. “She came over from Jon Miller in very good order. He said he thought there was plenty left in her.
“I’ve trained for the owner before and he’d always said that he’d send one back over to us, and he’s lived up to his word.
“There wasn’t a lot around for her last week, so we decided to come back to 1400m for this race. She’ll probably go back up to the mile again next time.
“She just keeps coming on. She’s not very big, but she’s obviously got a motor. How good she is, we’ll find out.”
The Hope stable previously trained Prima to win races at Kilmore, Sandown and twice at Moonee Valley for Brady along with co-owners Rob and Keith Tunnicliffe. That son of Sir Percy also began his career in New Zealand, where he placed in the 2015 runnings of the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) and Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m).
Cindy Falls was bred by Tony Rider and is out of the Big Brown mare Vickezzcristal, who is a daughter of Rider’s Group One-performed foundation mare Vickezzchardonnay. Vickezzcristal is a half-sister to the multiple Group winner Aromatic and the stakes-placed (Oh So) Splendido.
Rider offered Cindy Falls under his Milan Park banner in Book 2 of Karaka 2020, where she failed to meet a reserve of only $10,000.
Cindy Falls is the first winner out of Vickezzcristal, who has subsequently produced an unnamed colt by No Nay Never, two-year-old Super Seth filly Miss Seth, a yearling filly by Anders and a weanling filly by Super Seth. She was served by Staphanos last spring.
