O’Reilly Mare Trumps Group Two Rivals

26 March 2012

Graham Richardson’s decision to let the O’Reilly mare Villifye take her chance in Saturday’s Gr2 Japan Trophy proved a wise move. The four-year-old dispelled any doubts about her ability to cope with the rain-affected going with a strong performance to claim another prestige event for her WS-based sire.

“I thought twice about running, but it was a Group Two race and hermain target is the Group One at Te Aroha and it slotted in well,” the Matamata trainer said. “It’s fantastic for the owners (Oxford Syndicate No.2) and she’s a half-sister to a Group One winner so she’s worth a lot of money.”

Villifiye is out of Entrepreneur mare Jacilo, whose daughter My Keepsake won the Queensland Oaks two years ago and also placed in the Queensland Derby.

Richardson is also confident his four-year-old will be even better when she is stepped out over more ground. “She’s going to be better at a mile and a-quarter (2000m),” he said.

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.