The significance of an early-season injury wasn’t lost on one of Australia’s biggest stables as Darley filly Shaumari lived up to expectations at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
If not for a setback, Shaumari could have easily taken her place in last Saturday’s Golden Slipper.
Instead, she provided a small consolation for trainer Peter Snowden while giving a glimpse of what might lie ahead before the season is finished.
“She suffered a stress fracture early on,” stable foreman Brad Widdup said.
“She was ready to go because Peter’s always had a huge opinion of her.”
As a half-sister to the stable’s stakes-winning sprinter Safeguard, Shaumari also ran to her pedigree in overcoming a wide trip to land a $10 to $7 betting move in the Get Racy Handicap (1100m).
She was posted four-deep in a midfield position before launching her bid on the turn and sprinting clear to beat Brazen Moss ($13) by 2-3/4 lengths.
Shaumari is by Medaglia D’Oro, a first-season sire for Darley and Widdup said the stable had her up and running in the early part of the season in a bid to boost the stallion’s profile.
“Because she is by a new sire we tried to push her but she’s always been a real quality filly,” Widdup said.
“We were hoping to get her going for a lot better races than this.”
Shaumari is entered for the $500,000 Royal Randwick Stakes, a support race on the second day of The Championships but Widdup says Snowden will take a wait-and-see approach to the race.
“We’ve got Memorial in it but it might be a case of strength in numbers,” he said.
Darci Magic earned a Queensland winter carnival campaign when he made it two wins on end in the TAB Quaddie Handicap.
“He didn’t really get through the (heavy) ground but he had a bit too much class for them,” jockey Christian Reith said.
– AAP
