O’Reilly Filly Looks A Class Act

28 August 2012

It’s a long way from a Te Teko maiden to black-type honours but it may well prove within Elysium’s range.

The daughter of champion sire O’Reilly created a big impression on debut on Monday when she waltzed away to score untouched.

Ridden by Michael Coleman for Matamata trainer Lance Noble, the three-year-old jumped well to settle outside the leader. With a minimum of encouragement in the straight she lengthened stride to win with plenty in reserve.

She is raced by her breeders Peter and Philip Vela and is out of of their former Gr 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas placegetter Velvet And Satin. Her only foal to race has been the Listed Welcome Stakes winner Bespoke (Pins).

Elysium has a rich pedigree to back her future claims to black-type with her dam a half-sister to the champion stayer and Gr.1 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups’ winner Ethereal. Other Vela stars in the family include multiple Gr.1 winner and leading sire Darci Brahma, while high hopes are held for Burgundy’s ability to win at the highest level this preparation.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

I keep on proposing my retirement from the burden of a weekly Corner. I make the excuse it is hard to be credible, hard to let the two of you know about anything in our sport that hasn’t been covered before.

27 October 2025

WS-bred On The Lash scores at Sha Tin

Twenty-four hours following the final WS Cox Plate meeting run on the Moonee Valley track of old before it shuts for two years to make way for a new precinct, the race’s 2004 winner, Savabeel, continued his roll of runners, and this time it was via five-year-old On The Lash (ex Candelabra) at Sha Tin.