O’Reilly mare blossoming
Beautifully-related four-year-old Claddagh is starting to do her rich pedigree justice with further success at Pukekohe today.
The daughter of Waikato Stud’s late champion stallion O’Reilly hinted at her staying potential last season.
She was successful over 2200 metres, and after two preparatory runs this campaign, won over the same trip at the Counties meeting.
Claddagh is trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood and races in the colours of breeders Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan.
She is a daughter of the Danehill mare Love Diamonds, whose yearlings have sold up to $640,000.
That was the figure the China Horse Club went to for Savabeel filly Queen Of Diamonds.
She won this season’s Gr.2 Lowland Stakes and the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes and has twice been Group Two-placed.
Love Diamonds is a half-sister to the Group One winning siblings Diamond Like and Viking Ruler.
The Corner with Garry Chittick
Well, I got a bit behind last week, with Friday slipping by without realising it; hence no Corner. I have said on too many occasions that negative messages are of no help to anyone, and yet there seems so often a reason to be concerned. Clearly, this week the well-constructed Guerin Report on the threatened downgrade of our Group 1 races demands our attention.
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Vale Ohope Wins, Ocean Park’s tough, kind and courageous daughter
Long before her Oaks double, Ohope Wins’ greatest victory belonged to the Waikato Stud staff and Matamata Veterinary Services vets who saved her as a desperately sick foal. Taken far too soon at Caulfield, her remarkable story is theirs too.
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