The testing track on a true winter’s day might not have been ideal for a twoyear- old filly making her debut, but there was no denying the statement made by Te Awamutu filly Flash Mary in her win at Ellerslie on Monday.
Hard on the heels of a Cambridge synthetic double by the year older Clever Ruds, Flash Mary’s win continued a run of form with the progeny of Westbury Stud stallion El Roca by the trainer-jockey combination of Debbie Sweeney and Lynsey Satherley.
Clever Ruds extended her perfect trial and raceday record when leading throughout at Cambridge last week, replicating a debut effort that had followed a trial win on the Polytrack surface earlier in May. Satherley has been in the saddle of both Sweeney-trained fillies in every one of their public appearances, and for good measure she also rode the Mark Brosnantrained Supreme Heights to victory in the Listed AGC Training Stakes at Wanganui on Saturday.
Currently on 25 wins this season, Satherley is within striking distance of her career-best 34 wins in the 2003- 04 season. In similar vein, with 15 wins Sweeney is enjoying by far her best season since taking sole charge of the family stable following the retirement of her father Graeme Sanders in 2018.
Trainer and jockey can both give credit to El Roca in the leg-up he has provided of late, with more wins from the same source on the cards before the season ends on July 31. Clever Ruds – named after Ken Rutherford, the former Black Caps cricket captain and now CEO of the Wyong Racing Club north of Sydney – is in the box seat to complete a synthetic hat-trick on Cambridge’s big $40,000 day on July 28, while Flash Mary is pencilled in for the final black-type race of the season, the Ryder Stakes at Otaki three days later.
Sweeney has good insight into the capabilities of El Roca’s progeny, having also prepared one of his first crop twoyear- old winners, First Rock. “Clever Ruds obviously likes good ground and so did First Rock and others I’ve had by El Roca,” Sweeney observed after Flash Mary had overcome a chequered run and trying conditions on Monday. “Even after what this filly just did, I’m not convinced she’s just a wet-tracker.
“In her trials and at home she’s shown us plenty on better ground, so she’s got a definite future heading towards her threeyear- old season.”
With 56 winners from three crops of racing age headed by Gr. 1 Levin Classic heroine Travelling Light, Fastnet Rock stallion El Roca is fashioning a decent record. Flash Mary was one of three winners on Monday – El Prados and Luz Long both won across the Tasman – while in recent weeks his winners have ranged from New Zealand to Australia and Hong Kong.
In common with all members of the 2021 Westbury Stud roster, El Roca’s $8,000 fee is on the condition that it will not become effective until the resulting foal is viable at 24 hours of age. Under the same clause Reliable Man stands at $17,500, Tarzino at $12,000, Redwood at $8,000 and Swiss Ace and Telperion at $7,500.
A similar guarantee applied to Flash Mary’s dam Claudy Eire when she was offered by Westbury Stud in foal to El Roca at the 2018 Karaka Mixed Bloodstock Sale. Purchased by Canterbury entity Hedwood Thoroughbreds for just $600, the foal she produced was entered for last year’s online South Island Sale and caught the eye of Auckland agent Robt Dawe, a long-time scout for Auckland enthusiast Bryan Black.
At $9,250, the filly now known as Flash Mary is well on the way to repaying that investment, having quickly given her principal owner cause for celebration.
“It’s been a while between drinks as far as Ellerslie winners go,” commented Black as he raised an orange juice on Monday. “The last one was Natalie Wood in the (2002) Eight Carat Classic, and before that it was Carson’s Cash in the 1992 Easter.”
The Easter Handicap has a long history with Black’s family. His late father Bob was a part-owner of the pocket-rocket Shivaree, who numbered the 1981 edition of the iconic mile in his list of major wins on both sides of the Tasman, and Bryan Black has maintained his association by sponsoring the race through his engineering and logistics company Manco.
“This filly is the 57th racehorse I’ve been involved with going right back to the ones I raced with my father,” said Black, who shares ownership of Flash Mary with his son Logan, his workshop manager Aaron MacGillivay and South Canterbury farmer Stu McGiffert.
“Logan is in because he’s my son, I gave Aaron a five per cent share because he does such a brilliant job for us back at work, and the same goes for Stu who looked after this filly so well after we bought her.
“Then there’s Danny Frye, who gave her a big rap when he broke her in for us, and I guess I have to put in a good word for Mr Dawe – after all he also bought Carson’s Cash and Natalie Wood for me.”
