By Heather Anderson
Yankee Rose (Aus) became the first female to salute in the 2000-metre G1 Spring Champion S. at Royal Randwick Saturday. It was the second Group 1 for the David Vandyke trainee, after she had bagged the G1 Inglis Sires' S. in April and the first for jockey Dean Yendall. The 6-5 favorite was content to race fourth last through the early going as Ready Fire Aim (Aus) (Sepoy {Aus}) enjoyed an easy time of it on the front end. That rival surrendered to Veladero (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), who took over 400 metres out, as Yankee Rose began to wind up six deep. Swear (Aus) and Honeywine (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) to his inside, were also coming on late with 200 metres remaining, as Prized Icon (Aus) improved up the inner and it looked as though any one of the five had a decent shot. Yankee Rose outfooted all of the males, however, getting up by a half-length over Swear, with Prized Icon a short head back in third.
“It's one for the Aussie battlers,” said winning trainer David Vandyke to Racing And Sports. “Who would have thought when the owners bought her they would have a Golden Slipper runner and Cox Plate runner with two Group 1s in between. And you would have thought Dean [Yendall] had ridden here a hundred times the way he rode her. Everything is in place now for the Cox Plate and the Oaks.”
“I heard David on the radio some months ago saying the Cox Plate could be in the plans for Yankee Rose,” added Yendall, who will also ride the filly in the Oct. 25 G1 Cox Plate at the light weight of 47.5kg. “And when he rang and asked me to come up here to ride her, I jumped at it. She just gave me a lovely ride and she is still quite green. I had her chasing for a bit there when they quickened the tempo, but once I got her to the top of the rise and asked her to really give a good effort, she hit the line so well. It doesn't really feel much different, but now I can be known as a Group 1 jockey, so I'm very happy with that.”
A winner of three of her four juvenile starts, Yankee Rose filled the second spot behind 'TDN Rising Star' and Australian champion 2-year-old colt Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) in the G1 Golden Slipper S. at Rosehill Mar. 19 and went one better in the G1 Inglis Sires' S. Apr. 2. Forced to miss the Apr. 16 G1 Champagne S. with a foot ailment, the diminutive near-black filly was duly benched until running fourth in a barrier trial Aug. 2. Second in another barrier trial Aug. 30, Yankee Rose ran sixth in the G1 Golden Rose S. to Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), after finding herself unexpectedly on the front end Sept. 10. Back on song with a win in a 1200-metre barrier trial Sept. 23, only Saturday's G1 Thousand Guineas heroine Global Glamour (Aus) (Star Witness {Aus}) proved better in Randwick's G1 Flight S. going a mile just seven days previously.
Pedigree Notes…
Out of a half-sister to Australian Group 1 winner Redoute's Dancer (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), Yankee Rose is the fourth winner from four foals to race from her dam. Yankee Rose's third dam is G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Condessa (Ire) (Condorcet {Fr}). Tout Seul (Ire) (Ali-Royal {Ire}), a winner of the G1 Darley Dewhurst S., is also under the third dam. Condesaar (Aus)'s last know produce is a yearling filly by Magic Albert (Aus). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Saturday, Randwick Racecourse
SPRING CHAMPION S.-G1, A$500,000 (£305,357/€338,980/US$379,700), ATC, 10-08, 3yo, Open Set Weight, 2000mT, 2:02.43, Good.
1–YANKEE ROSE, 54.5, f, 3, by All American
1st Dam: Condesaar, by Xaar (GB)
2nd Dam: Condescendance (USA), by El Gran Senor (USA)
3rd Dam: Condessa (IRE), by Condorcet (FR)
(A$10,000 Ylg 2015 WI Classic Yearling Sale – Summer) O-S G
Darby, M J Royal, Mrs S E Weigall, H C Sharpe, P G Davis, J
Fowler, Mrs H E Sumner, M A Slack-Smith, A C Beckmann, W M
Bell, Ms J E Falls, D G Penno, I F D Thacker, Ms C M McGe;
B-Wexford Farm NSW; T-David Vandyke; J-D Yendall;
A$302,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-0, A$1,922,700. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Swear, 56.5, c, 3, Redoute's Choice–Crossyourheart (NZ), by
Show a Heart. (A$725,000 Ylg 2015 WI Sydney Easter Yearling
Sale) O-Spendthrift Australia Syndicate (Mgrs: B W Hughes & G
Cuddy); B-Mr DR Fleming NSW; T-M, W & J Hawkes; J-Tommy
Berry; A$99,000.
3–Prized Icon, 56.5, c, 3, More Than Ready (USA)–Tropical
Affair, by Danehill (USA). O-Gooree Stud (E M Cojuangco & M
C Cummings); B-Gooree Park Stud Pty Ltd NSW; T-James
Cummings; J-G Schofield; A$49,500.
Margins: 0.5 len, 0.6 len, 1.5 len. Odds: 1.20, 5.50, 5.00.
Also Ran: Veladero, Honeywine, Tumultuous, High Mist, Retaliation, Khartoum, Ready Fire Aim, Hand it In.
Click for the Racing Post result, Racing NSW Video.
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